Narrative:

Aft galley service cart came loose on landing roll and rolled forward, injuring a passenger. Passenger was treated for injuries by paramedics who met the aircraft at the gate. We landed on bos runway 4R. The touchdown was smooth and light to medium braking was applied to attempt to make a highspd turnoff. The captain told me to bypass the highspd turnoff and I eased off the brakes. He took the aircraft under his control to exit runway 4R on runway 33R. At no time were the brakes applied to greater than a medium level. The antiskid did not activate. After we crossed runway 4L and switched to ground control the flight attendant advised us a passenger had been injured by a cart. Gate control was advised to have paramedics meet the aircraft at the gate. An emergency was not declared since we had an unobstructed taxi to the gate. Post-flight inspection of the cart safety latches (2) showed them to be securely attached to the galley structure and in good working condition. I suspect the safety latches were not placed in the down and locked position by a flight attendant prior to landing. Mechanics inspected the latches and stated they obviously were not used, which resulted in the cart rolling forward on landing. Supplemental information from acn 231304: beverage cart broke loose in aft galley upon landing in bos, and rolled forward into cabin. Aft flight attendant says she secured it before landing, but 'can't remember for sure' if she actually used the big latches provided by manufacturer for this purpose. Of course, if she had, the cart couldn't have moved, but the important point is this: the proper securing of the galleys is so important to passenger and crew safety that there should be some sort of xchk on the flight attendants having accomplished it before takeoff and landing. Pilots use checklists for items that are not as safety-related as this -- do the flight attendants do likewise on most airlines? I suggest you survey the industry on this issue and formulate recommendations for a flight attendant xchk and or checklist to ensure the completion of safety related cabin items (such as beverage cart securing) at critical times of flight, similar to the cockpit checklist.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNSECURED SVC CART ROLLS FORWARD ON LNDG PROC ROLLOUT AND HITS PAX, CREATING A PERSONAL INJURY.

Narrative: AFT GALLEY SVC CART CAME LOOSE ON LNDG ROLL AND ROLLED FORWARD, INJURING A PAX. PAX WAS TREATED FOR INJURIES BY PARAMEDICS WHO MET THE ACFT AT THE GATE. WE LANDED ON BOS RWY 4R. THE TOUCHDOWN WAS SMOOTH AND LIGHT TO MEDIUM BRAKING WAS APPLIED TO ATTEMPT TO MAKE A HIGHSPD TURNOFF. THE CAPT TOLD ME TO BYPASS THE HIGHSPD TURNOFF AND I EASED OFF THE BRAKES. HE TOOK THE ACFT UNDER HIS CTL TO EXIT RWY 4R ON RWY 33R. AT NO TIME WERE THE BRAKES APPLIED TO GREATER THAN A MEDIUM LEVEL. THE ANTISKID DID NOT ACTIVATE. AFTER WE CROSSED RWY 4L AND SWITCHED TO GND CTL THE FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED US A PAX HAD BEEN INJURED BY A CART. GATE CTL WAS ADVISED TO HAVE PARAMEDICS MEET THE ACFT AT THE GATE. AN EMER WAS NOT DECLARED SINCE WE HAD AN UNOBSTRUCTED TAXI TO THE GATE. POST-FLT INSPECTION OF THE CART SAFETY LATCHES (2) SHOWED THEM TO BE SECURELY ATTACHED TO THE GALLEY STRUCTURE AND IN GOOD WORKING CONDITION. I SUSPECT THE SAFETY LATCHES WERE NOT PLACED IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POS BY A FLT ATTENDANT PRIOR TO LNDG. MECHS INSPECTED THE LATCHES AND STATED THEY OBVIOUSLY WERE NOT USED, WHICH RESULTED IN THE CART ROLLING FORWARD ON LNDG. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 231304: BEVERAGE CART BROKE LOOSE IN AFT GALLEY UPON LNDG IN BOS, AND ROLLED FORWARD INTO CABIN. AFT FLT ATTENDANT SAYS SHE SECURED IT BEFORE LNDG, BUT 'CAN'T REMEMBER FOR SURE' IF SHE ACTUALLY USED THE BIG LATCHES PROVIDED BY MANUFACTURER FOR THIS PURPOSE. OF COURSE, IF SHE HAD, THE CART COULDN'T HAVE MOVED, BUT THE IMPORTANT POINT IS THIS: THE PROPER SECURING OF THE GALLEYS IS SO IMPORTANT TO PAX AND CREW SAFETY THAT THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF XCHK ON THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAVING ACCOMPLISHED IT BEFORE TKOF AND LNDG. PLTS USE CHKLISTS FOR ITEMS THAT ARE NOT AS SAFETY-RELATED AS THIS -- DO THE FLT ATTENDANTS DO LIKEWISE ON MOST AIRLINES? I SUGGEST YOU SURVEY THE INDUSTRY ON THIS ISSUE AND FORMULATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A FLT ATTENDANT XCHK AND OR CHKLIST TO ENSURE THE COMPLETION OF SAFETY RELATED CABIN ITEMS (SUCH AS BEVERAGE CART SECURING) AT CRITICAL TIMES OF FLT, SIMILAR TO THE COCKPIT CHKLIST.

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.