Narrative:

After landing at destination, I commented that we would probably just miss an 'on-time' arrival as defined by the DOT (14 mins late or less). As we approached the gate, the captain signalled the lead flight attendant and told the so to tell her to unlatch the front entry door. This would signal our arrival to the ACARS unit and generate a falsely on-time arrival report. The lead flight attendant was not hot about doing this, but did comply. We were turning in to the gate by the time the door was cracked, at the point where the doors would normally be disarmed, so I did not object. But if this became an accepted practice, it has the potential for safety problems: doors being open when they shouldn't be, escape slides being disarmed when they shouldn't be, slides being accidentally deployed during taxi.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN LGT ACR CAPT ORDERED HIS #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO OPEN, CRACK OPEN, THE MAIN ENTRY DOOR IN THE MISTAKEN BELIEF THAT THIS WOULD RECORD AN 'ON TIME' ARR PER THE DOT'S SPECS.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT DEST, I COMMENTED THAT WE WOULD PROBABLY JUST MISS AN 'ON-TIME' ARR AS DEFINED BY THE DOT (14 MINS LATE OR LESS). AS WE APCHED THE GATE, THE CAPT SIGNALLED THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT AND TOLD THE SO TO TELL HER TO UNLATCH THE FRONT ENTRY DOOR. THIS WOULD SIGNAL OUR ARR TO THE ACARS UNIT AND GENERATE A FALSELY ON-TIME ARR RPT. THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT WAS NOT HOT ABOUT DOING THIS, BUT DID COMPLY. WE WERE TURNING IN TO THE GATE BY THE TIME THE DOOR WAS CRACKED, AT THE POINT WHERE THE DOORS WOULD NORMALLY BE DISARMED, SO I DID NOT OBJECT. BUT IF THIS BECAME AN ACCEPTED PRACTICE, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR SAFETY PROBLEMS: DOORS BEING OPEN WHEN THEY SHOULDN'T BE, ESCAPE SLIDES BEING DISARMED WHEN THEY SHOULDN'T BE, SLIDES BEING ACCIDENTALLY DEPLOYED DURING TAXI.

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.