At the gate onboard B727-200, maintenance informed flight crew of smoke from APU and PIC evacuate/ev...

Narrative:

Passenger were already boarded and the flight attendants were performing the safety demonstration when the captain interrupted on the PA to tell everyone that the #2 engine would have to be started manually. Maintenance arrived and was working on the problem when a maintenance worker rushed to the cockpit to inform the captain that there was smoke billowing from the auxiliary power unit. The captain got on the PA and asked the passenger to exit the aircraft through the boarding door in an orderly manner, row by row, and to not take anything with them. The #4 flight attendant positioned herself between the first and coach class cabins and directed the passenger toward her voice. I was the #1 flight attendant and I got on the PA to inform people not to open overhead bins to take out carry-on items. One lady in particular delayed the evacuate/evacuation by retrieving items from several overhead bins. She was oblivious to any commands that we shouted to her. The passenger waited in the terminal area until the aircraft was deemed safe enough for them to retrieve their personal belongings and proceed to another plane. The aircraft was taken OTS. In retrospect, I would have liked to inform the #2 flight attendant in the back of the cabin why she was not to open the rear exits, but I did not have enough information at the time. This might have alleviated her sense of panic and helplessness. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that it was impossible to communicate with the cabin attendants in the aft of the aircraft due to the evacuate/evacuation. All cabin attendants were immediately reinforcing the PIC's announcement to evacuate/evacuation without carry-on's. The immediate reaction of the passenger is to take all of their belongings with them. Cabin attendants continually shouted commands to the passenger to abide by the PIC's instructions and to expedite the evacuate/evacuation.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AT THE GATE ONBOARD B727-200, MAINT INFORMED FLC OF SMOKE FROM APU AND PIC EVACED PAX THROUGH THE BOARDING DOOR WITHOUT INCIDENT. ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM SVC.

Narrative: PAX WERE ALREADY BOARDED AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE PERFORMING THE SAFETY DEMONSTRATION WHEN THE CAPT INTERRUPTED ON THE PA TO TELL EVERYONE THAT THE #2 ENG WOULD HAVE TO BE STARTED MANUALLY. MAINT ARRIVED AND WAS WORKING ON THE PROB WHEN A MAINT WORKER RUSHED TO THE COCKPIT TO INFORM THE CAPT THAT THERE WAS SMOKE BILLOWING FROM THE AUX PWR UNIT. THE CAPT GOT ON THE PA AND ASKED THE PAX TO EXIT THE ACFT THROUGH THE BOARDING DOOR IN AN ORDERLY MANNER, ROW BY ROW, AND TO NOT TAKE ANYTHING WITH THEM. THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT POSITIONED HERSELF BTWN THE FIRST AND COACH CLASS CABINS AND DIRECTED THE PAX TOWARD HER VOICE. I WAS THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT AND I GOT ON THE PA TO INFORM PEOPLE NOT TO OPEN OVERHEAD BINS TO TAKE OUT CARRY-ON ITEMS. ONE LADY IN PARTICULAR DELAYED THE EVAC BY RETRIEVING ITEMS FROM SEVERAL OVERHEAD BINS. SHE WAS OBLIVIOUS TO ANY COMMANDS THAT WE SHOUTED TO HER. THE PAX WAITED IN THE TERMINAL AREA UNTIL THE ACFT WAS DEEMED SAFE ENOUGH FOR THEM TO RETRIEVE THEIR PERSONAL BELONGINGS AND PROCEED TO ANOTHER PLANE. THE ACFT WAS TAKEN OTS. IN RETROSPECT, I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO INFORM THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT IN THE BACK OF THE CABIN WHY SHE WAS NOT TO OPEN THE REAR EXITS, BUT I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH INFO AT THE TIME. THIS MIGHT HAVE ALLEVIATED HER SENSE OF PANIC AND HELPLESSNESS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CABIN ATTENDANTS IN THE AFT OF THE ACFT DUE TO THE EVAC. ALL CABIN ATTENDANTS WERE IMMEDIATELY REINFORCING THE PIC'S ANNOUNCEMENT TO EVAC WITHOUT CARRY-ON'S. THE IMMEDIATE REACTION OF THE PAX IS TO TAKE ALL OF THEIR BELONGINGS WITH THEM. CABIN ATTENDANTS CONTINUALLY SHOUTED COMMANDS TO THE PAX TO ABIDE BY THE PIC'S INSTRUCTIONS AND TO EXPEDITE THE EVAC.

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.

Attributes
ACN	408706
Time
Date	199807
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727-200
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	408706
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

At the gate onboard B727-200, maintenance informed flight crew of smoke from APU and PIC evacuate/evacuationed passenger through the boarding door without incident. Aircraft was removed from service.