Narrative:

At dfw I was taxiing south on taxiway K at a normal speed with taxi lights on dim so as not to blind other aircraft. Barricades (cones) had been placed across taxiway K at taxiway a. Due to poor lighting, no advance warning from ground control, ATIS, NOTAMS, or construction pages in flight manual, I did not see barricades until the last second. The barricades were so poorly lit that they remained out of view until I had to apply the brakes hard to avoid them. My #4 flight attendant was doing her safety checks at this time and was thrown to the floor and injured. We returned to the gate and met by medical personnel and she was taken off the trip. Advance warning or better lighting of obstructions would have been the most help of avoiding this. Familiarity with dfw was probably a factor as no obstructions were expected. Taxi lights on bright would have also helped me see further ahead and avoid this. Taxiing slower would have helped, but is not really practical as I was not going very fast to begin with. The before takeoff checklist may also have provided a distraction, but I don't believe this was a major factor. Briefing the flight attendants about safety and letting them know that quick stops are unpredictable and always possible will be part of my briefing from now on. A passenger was also scratched by the flight attendant when she attempted to prevent herself from falling. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that there was never any notice of the area under construction or notice of why any barricades were placed where they were. No information was available over ATIS or airport maps. The construction or work project has been going on for at least 6 months, but no notice of the construction has ever been seen by anyone -- not even dispatch. The barricades were set in an area being dimly lit. There were lights to illuminate them from an adjacent area, but there were no lights mounted on the barricades. As this aircraft taxied back to the gate, the captain saw a B767 taxi right across them. The flight attendant fell when the brakes were applied, mostly because she was standing up, reminding a passenger to fasten his seat belt. She fell to the floor but suffered no injuries. Supplemental information from acn 419060: we were running the before takeoff checklist. I stayed inside the cockpit longer than usual because I had to recycle the dial-a-flap wheel to re-establish the 8 degree flaps confign, only to see the approaching cones at the northern end of the construction area. Though taxiing slowly, the captain braked and initiated the left and right turns to stay on taxiway K. When south on taxiway K, he asked the #1 flight attendant as to the status of the flight attendants. #4 flight attendant had fallen while attending to a passenger who had not put on his seat belt. The captain elected to return to the gate. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this first officer was very upset that there was no notice of this barricaded area from anyone. After this event he researched NOTAMS, ATIS, and flight plans to see if any mention of the barricades was ever made to anyone. Could find no information in that regard. The 3 barricades or pylons had no lights on them and were placed 90 degrees to the taxi path of the aircraft. They indicated nothing. There were no other signs attached to them, they were just a blockade. Reporter stated they were not taxiing fast, but they did have to make some sharp turns to avoid hitting the barricades. When the aircraft went back to the gate to have the injured flight attendant receive medical help, the reporter explained to the paramedics what happened. He explained that some sharp turns were made to avoid the pylons which were not known to be in the line of taxi. When the aircraft departed the gate a second time, reporter saw the paramedics and their vehicles in the area of the incident. They were in the area inspecting the barricades. The next day, the barricades were removed. Reporter also stated that the injured flight attendant did not have any broken bones or serious injuries. Reporter could never understand the reason for the barricades in the first place. There was no concrete torn up, painting being done, or any other type of construction taking place.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AS AN MD80 TAXIES FOR TKOF, AN AREA IS MARKED WITH PYLONS IN A PERPENDICULAR LINE ACROSS THE TAXI DIRECTION. FLC TURNS ACFT SHARPLY TO AVOID HITTING PYLONS. THIS RESULTS IN A FLT ATTENDANT FALLING TO THE FLOOR AND SUSTAINING MINOR INJURIES.

Narrative: AT DFW I WAS TAXIING S ON TXWY K AT A NORMAL SPD WITH TAXI LIGHTS ON DIM SO AS NOT TO BLIND OTHER ACFT. BARRICADES (CONES) HAD BEEN PLACED ACROSS TXWY K AT TXWY A. DUE TO POOR LIGHTING, NO ADVANCE WARNING FROM GND CTL, ATIS, NOTAMS, OR CONSTRUCTION PAGES IN FLT MANUAL, I DID NOT SEE BARRICADES UNTIL THE LAST SECOND. THE BARRICADES WERE SO POORLY LIT THAT THEY REMAINED OUT OF VIEW UNTIL I HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKES HARD TO AVOID THEM. MY #4 FLT ATTENDANT WAS DOING HER SAFETY CHKS AT THIS TIME AND WAS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND INJURED. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE AND MET BY MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND SHE WAS TAKEN OFF THE TRIP. ADVANCE WARNING OR BETTER LIGHTING OF OBSTRUCTIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST HELP OF AVOIDING THIS. FAMILIARITY WITH DFW WAS PROBABLY A FACTOR AS NO OBSTRUCTIONS WERE EXPECTED. TAXI LIGHTS ON BRIGHT WOULD HAVE ALSO HELPED ME SEE FURTHER AHEAD AND AVOID THIS. TAXIING SLOWER WOULD HAVE HELPED, BUT IS NOT REALLY PRACTICAL AS I WAS NOT GOING VERY FAST TO BEGIN WITH. THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST MAY ALSO HAVE PROVIDED A DISTR, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THIS WAS A MAJOR FACTOR. BRIEFING THE FLT ATTENDANTS ABOUT SAFETY AND LETTING THEM KNOW THAT QUICK STOPS ARE UNPREDICTABLE AND ALWAYS POSSIBLE WILL BE PART OF MY BRIEFING FROM NOW ON. A PAX WAS ALSO SCRATCHED BY THE FLT ATTENDANT WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO PREVENT HERSELF FROM FALLING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THERE WAS NEVER ANY NOTICE OF THE AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR NOTICE OF WHY ANY BARRICADES WERE PLACED WHERE THEY WERE. NO INFO WAS AVAILABLE OVER ATIS OR ARPT MAPS. THE CONSTRUCTION OR WORK PROJECT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS, BUT NO NOTICE OF THE CONSTRUCTION HAS EVER BEEN SEEN BY ANYONE -- NOT EVEN DISPATCH. THE BARRICADES WERE SET IN AN AREA BEING DIMLY LIT. THERE WERE LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE THEM FROM AN ADJACENT AREA, BUT THERE WERE NO LIGHTS MOUNTED ON THE BARRICADES. AS THIS ACFT TAXIED BACK TO THE GATE, THE CAPT SAW A B767 TAXI RIGHT ACROSS THEM. THE FLT ATTENDANT FELL WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, MOSTLY BECAUSE SHE WAS STANDING UP, REMINDING A PAX TO FASTEN HIS SEAT BELT. SHE FELL TO THE FLOOR BUT SUFFERED NO INJURIES. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 419060: WE WERE RUNNING THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. I STAYED INSIDE THE COCKPIT LONGER THAN USUAL BECAUSE I HAD TO RECYCLE THE DIAL-A-FLAP WHEEL TO RE-ESTABLISH THE 8 DEG FLAPS CONFIGN, ONLY TO SEE THE APCHING CONES AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE CONSTRUCTION AREA. THOUGH TAXIING SLOWLY, THE CAPT BRAKED AND INITIATED THE L AND R TURNS TO STAY ON TXWY K. WHEN S ON TXWY K, HE ASKED THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT AS TO THE STATUS OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS. #4 FLT ATTENDANT HAD FALLEN WHILE ATTENDING TO A PAX WHO HAD NOT PUT ON HIS SEAT BELT. THE CAPT ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE GATE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS FO WAS VERY UPSET THAT THERE WAS NO NOTICE OF THIS BARRICADED AREA FROM ANYONE. AFTER THIS EVENT HE RESEARCHED NOTAMS, ATIS, AND FLT PLANS TO SEE IF ANY MENTION OF THE BARRICADES WAS EVER MADE TO ANYONE. COULD FIND NO INFO IN THAT REGARD. THE 3 BARRICADES OR PYLONS HAD NO LIGHTS ON THEM AND WERE PLACED 90 DEGS TO THE TAXI PATH OF THE ACFT. THEY INDICATED NOTHING. THERE WERE NO OTHER SIGNS ATTACHED TO THEM, THEY WERE JUST A BLOCKADE. RPTR STATED THEY WERE NOT TAXIING FAST, BUT THEY DID HAVE TO MAKE SOME SHARP TURNS TO AVOID HITTING THE BARRICADES. WHEN THE ACFT WENT BACK TO THE GATE TO HAVE THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANT RECEIVE MEDICAL HELP, THE RPTR EXPLAINED TO THE PARAMEDICS WHAT HAPPENED. HE EXPLAINED THAT SOME SHARP TURNS WERE MADE TO AVOID THE PYLONS WHICH WERE NOT KNOWN TO BE IN THE LINE OF TAXI. WHEN THE ACFT DEPARTED THE GATE A SECOND TIME, RPTR SAW THE PARAMEDICS AND THEIR VEHICLES IN THE AREA OF THE INCIDENT. THEY WERE IN THE AREA INSPECTING THE BARRICADES. THE NEXT DAY, THE BARRICADES WERE REMOVED. RPTR ALSO STATED THAT THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANT DID NOT HAVE ANY BROKEN BONES OR SERIOUS INJURIES. RPTR COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THE BARRICADES IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE WAS NO CONCRETE TORN UP, PAINTING BEING DONE, OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION TAKING PLACE.

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.