Narrative:

The aircraft had a pressurization problem which the captain informed me of prior to flight. We had 2 deadheading pilots on this flight, who were going all the way to sawyer with us. We landed in green bay, taxied to the gate, shut the engines down and the ground crew knocks (signal it's clear to open the door). I try to open the entry door and it won't open. I try again and again. Knocks from the ground crew keep coming. I called the cockpit and then stated, 'I can't get the door open.' they reply, 'oh, hold on.' I then remembered the 2 deadheading pilots and asked for their assistance. They came to the door, I stood back and they finally got the door open which slammed to the ground. I then deplaned the passenger. One of the deadheading pilots called the cockpit, I don't know what was said. I then called the cockpit and expressed my concerns of safety (because the door wouldn't open) and asked if flight attendants were required to fly to sawyer. The captain and dispatch instructed me to go and call scheduling to see if we were required to go. I did call scheduling and they said 'you must go.' I then requested to speak to a supervisor in scheduling who also said, 'we must go to sawyer.' I returned to the aircraft and left for sawyer. We land in sawyer, taxi to the hangar. Engines shut down, seat belt sign goes off so I get up to open the door. Before I could open door a ground person (maintenance I assume) does not knock and opened the door. The door slammed down and hit him in the head. The next day the pressure problem is fixed and we leave to fly to green bay and chicago. When we get to chicago I went to the in-flight office and told a supervisor my whole story, expressing my safety rights and concerns. He then called the flight attendant training manager and relayed the story. Her reply to my concerns was, 'if a door doesn't open, you have other exits to use.' this was not an emergency but a routine revenue flight and why would I even consider opening another exit. I was then told to 'write it up' and no further explanation was given. It was then I realized...safety really isn't first, because if it were, 'use another exit' would not be a good enough answer. We later learned that the reason that I was not able to open the door was because the captain had not read through the full MEL procedures for inoperative pressurization. He had failed on both times that he shut down the engines to open the outflow pressure relief valve. This action results in explosive decompression when the door handle is opened. Luckily no one was seriously hurt, however this type situation could be deadly for the unsuspecting person who walks up and pulls the door handle down.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPTED AN ATR72 PRESSURIZATION PROB THAT WAS MELED. THE FLC FAILED TO ADHERE TO THE OPERATING PROCS AND THE DOOR FLEW OPEN ON THE GND WHILE THE ACFT WAS PARKED AT GATE. LATER, AFTER RESPOSITIONING TO SECOND ARPT, A MAINT MAN WAS INJURED WHEN HE PULLED ON THE DOOR, NOT KNOWING THE ACFT WAS STILL SLIGHTLY PRESSURIZED.

Narrative: THE ACFT HAD A PRESSURIZATION PROB WHICH THE CAPT INFORMED ME OF PRIOR TO FLT. WE HAD 2 DEADHEADING PLTS ON THIS FLT, WHO WERE GOING ALL THE WAY TO SAWYER WITH US. WE LANDED IN GREEN BAY, TAXIED TO THE GATE, SHUT THE ENGS DOWN AND THE GND CREW KNOCKS (SIGNAL IT'S CLR TO OPEN THE DOOR). I TRY TO OPEN THE ENTRY DOOR AND IT WON'T OPEN. I TRY AGAIN AND AGAIN. KNOCKS FROM THE GND CREW KEEP COMING. I CALLED THE COCKPIT AND THEN STATED, 'I CAN'T GET THE DOOR OPEN.' THEY REPLY, 'OH, HOLD ON.' I THEN REMEMBERED THE 2 DEADHEADING PLTS AND ASKED FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE. THEY CAME TO THE DOOR, I STOOD BACK AND THEY FINALLY GOT THE DOOR OPEN WHICH SLAMMED TO THE GND. I THEN DEPLANED THE PAX. ONE OF THE DEADHEADING PLTS CALLED THE COCKPIT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS SAID. I THEN CALLED THE COCKPIT AND EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS OF SAFETY (BECAUSE THE DOOR WOULDN'T OPEN) AND ASKED IF FLT ATTENDANTS WERE REQUIRED TO FLY TO SAWYER. THE CAPT AND DISPATCH INSTRUCTED ME TO GO AND CALL SCHEDULING TO SEE IF WE WERE REQUIRED TO GO. I DID CALL SCHEDULING AND THEY SAID 'YOU MUST GO.' I THEN REQUESTED TO SPEAK TO A SUPVR IN SCHEDULING WHO ALSO SAID, 'WE MUST GO TO SAWYER.' I RETURNED TO THE ACFT AND LEFT FOR SAWYER. WE LAND IN SAWYER, TAXI TO THE HANGAR. ENGS SHUT DOWN, SEAT BELT SIGN GOES OFF SO I GET UP TO OPEN THE DOOR. BEFORE I COULD OPEN DOOR A GND PERSON (MAINT I ASSUME) DOES NOT KNOCK AND OPENED THE DOOR. THE DOOR SLAMMED DOWN AND HIT HIM IN THE HEAD. THE NEXT DAY THE PRESSURE PROB IS FIXED AND WE LEAVE TO FLY TO GREEN BAY AND CHICAGO. WHEN WE GET TO CHICAGO I WENT TO THE INFLT OFFICE AND TOLD A SUPVR MY WHOLE STORY, EXPRESSING MY SAFETY RIGHTS AND CONCERNS. HE THEN CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT TRAINING MGR AND RELAYED THE STORY. HER REPLY TO MY CONCERNS WAS, 'IF A DOOR DOESN'T OPEN, YOU HAVE OTHER EXITS TO USE.' THIS WAS NOT AN EMER BUT A ROUTINE REVENUE FLT AND WHY WOULD I EVEN CONSIDER OPENING ANOTHER EXIT. I WAS THEN TOLD TO 'WRITE IT UP' AND NO FURTHER EXPLANATION WAS GIVEN. IT WAS THEN I REALIZED...SAFETY REALLY ISN'T FIRST, BECAUSE IF IT WERE, 'USE ANOTHER EXIT' WOULD NOT BE A GOOD ENOUGH ANSWER. WE LATER LEARNED THAT THE REASON THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR WAS BECAUSE THE CAPT HAD NOT READ THROUGH THE FULL MEL PROCS FOR INOP PRESSURIZATION. HE HAD FAILED ON BOTH TIMES THAT HE SHUT DOWN THE ENGS TO OPEN THE OUTFLOW PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE. THIS ACTION RESULTS IN EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION WHEN THE DOOR HANDLE IS OPENED. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY HURT, HOWEVER THIS TYPE SIT COULD BE DEADLY FOR THE UNSUSPECTING PERSON WHO WALKS UP AND PULLS THE DOOR HANDLE DOWN.

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.