Narrative:

Prior to pushing back for our departure my so advised me that he had a yellow caution light on his panel indicating the aft air stair was not locked. I called on the crew interphone to our and mechanic and advised him and asked him to check and make sure the aft air stair was locked up as we had a caution light. The mechanic said he would go back and check. I observed him leave the cabin attendant of the tug and move towards the nose of our aircraft and disappear from view. A short time later he came back on the intercom and advised the aft air stair was recycled down and up the handle over center and the red light was out. I advised him that we still had a yellow light on for the air stair. He said roger the stairs were up and locked. During taxi out towards the runway the so asked if he should check the rear aft stair visually through the pressure door and I said yes. A short time later the so returned to say the aft stair was up. On takeoff the tower advised us that our rear stairs had deployed! And to contact departure control. We advised departure that we had a problem with our stairs and needed to go through our checklist and request an altitude of 3000 ft to stay VFR and a radar vector back towards the airport. This was done and were switched over to approach control. Approach control was contacted and advised us that emergency equipment standing by. We gave them number of passengers on board the crew of 7 and the amount of fuel on board. The abnormal checklist was completed to bring the air stair back to the locked position. The air stair remained approximately 2 ft open from the closed position, and would not lock up. Crew briefings to the flight attendants and passengers were given. The flight crew was well briefed for the approach and the landing. We were cleared for the ILS approach to runway 16R and advised the tower that we would be stopping on the runway. An uneventful landing was made and we're advised by the ground maintenance mechanic that some damage was sustained to the aft stairs and to taxi back to the gate. This was done. At this point in time we did not know if there was a mechanical failure of the locking assembly or just exactly why the stairs came out after the mechanic had made certain the aft air stair was visually locked and their red light was out. Supplemental information from acn 200309. The captain had some questions for maintenance and contacted them on another frequency. The captain and maintenance determined the MEL was complied with and we continued with the taxi checklists. We stopped straight ahead for maintenance to inspect. They reported the door clear of the ground by over a ft so we taxied clear and returned to the gate at a slow taxi speed. I subsequently learned that the MEL may not have been fully complied with. I think this was due to an artificial pressure created by a 'wheels up' time. If we had taken only a few more mins or returned to the gate, the so would have had more time to intercept the MEL and perhaps we would have made additional checks that may have prevented the air stairs dropping. Supplemental information from acn 200568. In retrospect it is apparent that we should have come back to the gate to get the gripe signed off prior to departure. We were also rushing to meet our scheduled 'wheels up' time of XX40. My failure to make a logbook entry upon arrival may have been contributed partly to my anxiety at the time and the fact that I wasn't sure what the captain wanted written.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFT STAIRS ON LGT ARE DEPLOYED UPON ROTATION DURING TKOF PROC.

Narrative: PRIOR TO PUSHING BACK FOR OUR DEP MY SO ADVISED ME THAT HE HAD A YELLOW CAUTION LIGHT ON HIS PANEL INDICATING THE AFT AIR STAIR WAS NOT LOCKED. I CALLED ON THE CREW INTERPHONE TO OUR AND MECH AND ADVISED HIM AND ASKED HIM TO CHK AND MAKE SURE THE AFT AIR STAIR WAS LOCKED UP AS WE HAD A CAUTION LIGHT. THE MECH SAID HE WOULD GO BACK AND CHK. I OBSERVED HIM LEAVE THE CAB OF THE TUG AND MOVE TOWARDS THE NOSE OF OUR ACFT AND DISAPPEAR FROM VIEW. A SHORT TIME LATER HE CAME BACK ON THE INTERCOM AND ADVISED THE AFT AIR STAIR WAS RECYCLED DOWN AND UP THE HANDLE OVER CTR AND THE RED LIGHT WAS OUT. I ADVISED HIM THAT WE STILL HAD A YELLOW LIGHT ON FOR THE AIR STAIR. HE SAID ROGER THE STAIRS WERE UP AND LOCKED. DURING TAXI OUT TOWARDS THE RWY THE SO ASKED IF HE SHOULD CHK THE REAR AFT STAIR VISUALLY THROUGH THE PRESSURE DOOR AND I SAID YES. A SHORT TIME LATER THE SO RETURNED TO SAY THE AFT STAIR WAS UP. ON TKOF THE TWR ADVISED US THAT OUR REAR STAIRS HAD DEPLOYED! AND TO CONTACT DEP CTL. WE ADVISED DEP THAT WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH OUR STAIRS AND NEEDED TO GO THROUGH OUR CHKLIST AND REQUEST AN ALT OF 3000 FT TO STAY VFR AND A RADAR VECTOR BACK TOWARDS THE ARPT. THIS WAS DONE AND WERE SWITCHED OVER TO APCH CTL. APCH CTL WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED US THAT EMER EQUIP STANDING BY. WE GAVE THEM NUMBER OF PAXS ON BOARD THE CREW OF 7 AND THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD. THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED TO BRING THE AIR STAIR BACK TO THE LOCKED POS. THE AIR STAIR REMAINED APPROX 2 FT OPEN FROM THE CLOSED POS, AND WOULD NOT LOCK UP. CREW BRIEFINGS TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAXS WERE GIVEN. THE FLT CREW WAS WELL BRIEFED FOR THE APCH AND THE LNDG. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE ILS APCH TO RWY 16R AND ADVISED THE TWR THAT WE WOULD BE STOPPING ON THE RWY. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE AND WE'RE ADVISED BY THE GND MAINT MECH THAT SOME DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED TO THE AFT STAIRS AND TO TAXI BACK TO THE GATE. THIS WAS DONE. AT THIS POINT IN TIME WE DID NOT KNOW IF THERE WAS A MECHANICAL FAILURE OF THE LOCKING ASSEMBLY OR JUST EXACTLY WHY THE STAIRS CAME OUT AFTER THE MECH HAD MADE CERTAIN THE AFT AIR STAIR WAS VISUALLY LOCKED AND THEIR RED LIGHT WAS OUT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 200309. THE CAPT HAD SOME QUESTIONS FOR MAINT AND CONTACTED THEM ON ANOTHER FREQ. THE CAPT AND MAINT DETERMINED THE MEL WAS COMPLIED WITH AND WE CONTINUED WITH THE TAXI CHKLISTS. WE STOPPED STRAIGHT AHEAD FOR MAINT TO INSPECT. THEY RPTED THE DOOR CLR OF THE GND BY OVER A FT SO WE TAXIED CLR AND RETURNED TO THE GATE AT A SLOW TAXI SPD. I SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED THAT THE MEL MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FULLY COMPLIED WITH. I THINK THIS WAS DUE TO AN ARTIFICIAL PRESSURE CREATED BY A 'WHEELS UP' TIME. IF WE HAD TAKEN ONLY A FEW MORE MINS OR RETURNED TO THE GATE, THE SO WOULD HAVE HAD MORE TIME TO INTERCEPT THE MEL AND PERHAPS WE WOULD HAVE MADE ADDITIONAL CHKS THAT MAY HAVE PREVENTED THE AIR STAIRS DROPPING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 200568. IN RETROSPECT IT IS APPARENT THAT WE SHOULD HAVE COME BACK TO THE GATE TO GET THE GRIPE SIGNED OFF PRIOR TO DEP. WE WERE ALSO RUSHING TO MEET OUR SCHEDULED 'WHEELS UP' TIME OF XX40. MY FAILURE TO MAKE A LOGBOOK ENTRY UPON ARR MAY HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTED PARTLY TO MY ANXIETY AT THE TIME AND THE FACT THAT I WASN'T SURE WHAT THE CAPT WANTED WRITTEN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.