Narrative:

After landing at rws, I turned off the runway onto a taxiway that led to our gate approximately 200 yards away. The flight engineer was having a hard time getting the APU up to speed, so I told him to discontinue the start which he did and we would use ground power at the gate. It would not shutdown, so I told him to pull the fine handle which he did. After completing the parking and overnight checklist, I told him to reset the handle and see if the APU would crank. It started to crank normally, so we shut it down normally and started to deplane the aircraft. I told him not to write it up as it was operating normally and opened the cabin door at which time some passenger said we had a fire in back. I said there was no fire, just probably the APU torching off and proceeded to the rear of the aircraft where I discovered that the aft entry door was open and some passenger had exited down the rear stairs. I thought we had recovered those passenger back up the stairs, explained to them about APU's sometimes torching off particularly the optical illusion at night when it lights off. We then proceeded out the aircraft and to the hotel. The next day I got a call from the management pilot about our emergency evacuation. I said we had no emergency evacuation in my opinion and I did not write the APU up as this is a sometimes normal occurrence of torching off at night time. Later on, I learned that the aft flight attendant had indeed opened the aft door when some male passenger hollered 'there is a fire, open the door.' I then learned from her that she had gone down the stairs followed by approximately 15 passenger. She stated that she said nothing but was just following the male passenger commands. I had a long talk with her about waiting to hear from the cockpit before doing anything and, when she did something, to tell the captain voluntarily, not have it be dragged out of her. My corrective action is that no matter how insignificant the maintenance write up is, to go ahead and write it up and let them sign it off however they want to. Supplemental information from acn 299265: we found out the next day, 1 of the passenger is filing a complaint and or suing, the company.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PAX EVACUATION.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT RWS, I TURNED OFF THE RWY ONTO A TXWY THAT LED TO OUR GATE APPROX 200 YARDS AWAY. THE FE WAS HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING THE APU UP TO SPD, SO I TOLD HIM TO DISCONTINUE THE START WHICH HE DID AND WE WOULD USE GND PWR AT THE GATE. IT WOULD NOT SHUTDOWN, SO I TOLD HIM TO PULL THE FINE HANDLE WHICH HE DID. AFTER COMPLETING THE PARKING AND OVERNIGHT CHKLIST, I TOLD HIM TO RESET THE HANDLE AND SEE IF THE APU WOULD CRANK. IT STARTED TO CRANK NORMALLY, SO WE SHUT IT DOWN NORMALLY AND STARTED TO DEPLANE THE ACFT. I TOLD HIM NOT TO WRITE IT UP AS IT WAS OPERATING NORMALLY AND OPENED THE CABIN DOOR AT WHICH TIME SOME PAX SAID WE HAD A FIRE IN BACK. I SAID THERE WAS NO FIRE, JUST PROBABLY THE APU TORCHING OFF AND PROCEEDED TO THE REAR OF THE ACFT WHERE I DISCOVERED THAT THE AFT ENTRY DOOR WAS OPEN AND SOME PAX HAD EXITED DOWN THE REAR STAIRS. I THOUGHT WE HAD RECOVERED THOSE PAX BACK UP THE STAIRS, EXPLAINED TO THEM ABOUT APU'S SOMETIMES TORCHING OFF PARTICULARLY THE OPTICAL ILLUSION AT NIGHT WHEN IT LIGHTS OFF. WE THEN PROCEEDED OUT THE ACFT AND TO THE HOTEL. THE NEXT DAY I GOT A CALL FROM THE MGMNT PLT ABOUT OUR EMER EVACUATION. I SAID WE HAD NO EMER EVACUATION IN MY OPINION AND I DID NOT WRITE THE APU UP AS THIS IS A SOMETIMES NORMAL OCCURRENCE OF TORCHING OFF AT NIGHT TIME. LATER ON, I LEARNED THAT THE AFT FLT ATTENDANT HAD INDEED OPENED THE AFT DOOR WHEN SOME MALE PAX HOLLERED 'THERE IS A FIRE, OPEN THE DOOR.' I THEN LEARNED FROM HER THAT SHE HAD GONE DOWN THE STAIRS FOLLOWED BY APPROX 15 PAX. SHE STATED THAT SHE SAID NOTHING BUT WAS JUST FOLLOWING THE MALE PAX COMMANDS. I HAD A LONG TALK WITH HER ABOUT WAITING TO HEAR FROM THE COCKPIT BEFORE DOING ANYTHING AND, WHEN SHE DID SOMETHING, TO TELL THE CAPT VOLUNTARILY, NOT HAVE IT BE DRAGGED OUT OF HER. MY CORRECTIVE ACTION IS THAT NO MATTER HOW INSIGNIFICANT THE MAINT WRITE UP IS, TO GO AHEAD AND WRITE IT UP AND LET THEM SIGN IT OFF HOWEVER THEY WANT TO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 299265: WE FOUND OUT THE NEXT DAY, 1 OF THE PAX IS FILING A COMPLAINT AND OR SUING, THE COMPANY.

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.