Narrative:

As passenger were deplaning at lex, a woman fell on the steps, apparently because one step had failed to come down properly when the door was opened. I examined the step, and it worked normally after it was lowered into place manually. Since the operation of the door was not affected, and there were no passenger for the return flight to stl, it did not occur to me to enter the discrepancy in the maintenance log at that time. So I flew back to stl, entered the discrepancy in the aircraft log, and called line maintenance to correct the problem. Later it occurred to me that although safety was not compromised in any way, I may have violated an far by not writing the problem up in lex. Supplemental information from acn 246297: we stopped at lex to drop passenger. The flight attendant dropped the door and then stepped back to let the passenger out the door. She told the first passenger to watch her step. The passenger turned to ask the flight attendant what she said and she fell down the steps. The second from last step did not drop down when the door came down and the flight attendant did not see that it did not come down and when the passenger turned she did not see the step was up and fell. Usually if the step is a problem the flight attendant lets us know and we have maintenance repair the step. In this case we did not know of any problem until the passenger fell. The flight attendant, who was new, did not inform us this was a problem. After the incident, she told us this was the second time this step had not dropped into place. We decided to have the steps checked by maintenance since this had happened twice and the second time a passenger had been hurt. Since we were returning to st. Louis empty, we elected to repair the step, have it inspected and repaired in st. Louis where we had mechanics skilled in such repairs.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LTT DEPARTED ARPT PRIOR TO ANY LOGBOOK ENTRY BEING MADE ON MINOR ACFT EQUIP PROB MALFUNCTION.

Narrative: AS PAX WERE DEPLANING AT LEX, A WOMAN FELL ON THE STEPS, APPARENTLY BECAUSE ONE STEP HAD FAILED TO COME DOWN PROPERLY WHEN THE DOOR WAS OPENED. I EXAMINED THE STEP, AND IT WORKED NORMALLY AFTER IT WAS LOWERED INTO PLACE MANUALLY. SINCE THE OP OF THE DOOR WAS NOT AFFECTED, AND THERE WERE NO PAX FOR THE RETURN FLT TO STL, IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO ENTER THE DISCREPANCY IN THE MAINT LOG AT THAT TIME. SO I FLEW BACK TO STL, ENTERED THE DISCREPANCY IN THE ACFT LOG, AND CALLED LINE MAINT TO CORRECT THE PROB. LATER IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT ALTHOUGH SAFETY WAS NOT COMPROMISED IN ANY WAY, I MAY HAVE VIOLATED AN FAR BY NOT WRITING THE PROB UP IN LEX. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 246297: WE STOPPED AT LEX TO DROP PAX. THE FLT ATTENDANT DROPPED THE DOOR AND THEN STEPPED BACK TO LET THE PAX OUT THE DOOR. SHE TOLD THE FIRST PAX TO WATCH HER STEP. THE PAX TURNED TO ASK THE FLT ATTENDANT WHAT SHE SAID AND SHE FELL DOWN THE STEPS. THE SECOND FROM LAST STEP DID NOT DROP DOWN WHEN THE DOOR CAME DOWN AND THE FLT ATTENDANT DID NOT SEE THAT IT DID NOT COME DOWN AND WHEN THE PAX TURNED SHE DID NOT SEE THE STEP WAS UP AND FELL. USUALLY IF THE STEP IS A PROB THE FLT ATTENDANT LETS US KNOW AND WE HAVE MAINT REPAIR THE STEP. IN THIS CASE WE DID NOT KNOW OF ANY PROB UNTIL THE PAX FELL. THE FLT ATTENDANT, WHO WAS NEW, DID NOT INFORM US THIS WAS A PROB. AFTER THE INCIDENT, SHE TOLD US THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS STEP HAD NOT DROPPED INTO PLACE. WE DECIDED TO HAVE THE STEPS CHKED BY MAINT SINCE THIS HAD HAPPENED TWICE AND THE SECOND TIME A PAX HAD BEEN HURT. SINCE WE WERE RETURNING TO ST. LOUIS EMPTY, WE ELECTED TO REPAIR THE STEP, HAVE IT INSPECTED AND REPAIRED IN ST. LOUIS WHERE WE HAD MECHS SKILLED IN SUCH REPAIRS.

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.