Narrative:

Flight bhx-ord may/xa/99. Block in time XA38, I was using interphone located at 1L to confirm the disarming of aft doors and request #9 flight attendant bring movies to forward area when the agent knocked on door. I gave the thumbs up for her to open the door then began to put handset away. As I bent over to put it in its holder, I heard the door crack and had a thought that I was clear of the door, however, I didn't focus on the door handle. It rotated in and hit me in the nose (very hard). I went into the first class lavatory and tried to stop the bleeding, asked #8 flight attendant for some ice. The cockpit called for paramedics who arrived fairly quickly and I was taken to the emergency room at the hospital for treatment. My nose was broken and cut on the outside, 3 stitches were required and I was kept at the hospital until the bleeding had stopped. Although I realize it behooves the flight attendant to keep clear of the door, I also believe that the location of the interphone is problematic. It is necessary for the purser to be on that phone at block-in for a variety of reasons including confirmation of doors disarmed in aft and getting block times from the cockpit, as well as just answering the phone if another crew member is trying to contact you. For this reason I think it would be helpful to locate the phone some place out of harms way. I realize this is already a relocation from the previous awkward spot, but I have heard since my accident of many other pursers either being hit or coming close to this door handle. If I can be of any further assistance please feel free to contact me, it looks like I'm going to be home for a while. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: according to the injured flight attendant reporter, the problem on the B767-200's intercom handset's location is that it has been moved to the wrong location at the jump seat at 1L. It used to be located on the aisle side at the top of the jump seat, but was changed due to flight attendant feedback about problems using the handset while strapped in. Now the handset has been moved to the fuselage lower side of the jump seat at 1L. The flight attendant reporter said that between 40-50 flight attendants have been bruised or cut by the door handle when the agent opens the door. The handle flips up and hits them while using the intercom. According to the reporter, her union might have more flight attendant reports on this. She said that her union told her to write this report to ASRS, because of similar reported problems with the location of the handset. After discussion of the problem with an airline mechanic, the reporter believes that on the B767-300, the agent can press a button on the outside of the aircraft which prohibits the handle on the inside from flipping in and up when being opened by the gate agent, and the B767-200 does not have this feature. They both have the handset in the fuselage jump seat location. She suggests other B767-200's may have similar problems and may not be limited to just her carrier.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING AT GATE, FLT ATTENDANT'S NOSE WAS BROKEN BY DOOR HANDLE WHEN GATE AGENT OPENED DOOR 1L ON B767-200.

Narrative: FLT BHX-ORD MAY/XA/99. BLOCK IN TIME XA38, I WAS USING INTERPHONE LOCATED AT 1L TO CONFIRM THE DISARMING OF AFT DOORS AND REQUEST #9 FLT ATTENDANT BRING MOVIES TO FORWARD AREA WHEN THE AGENT KNOCKED ON DOOR. I GAVE THE THUMBS UP FOR HER TO OPEN THE DOOR THEN BEGAN TO PUT HANDSET AWAY. AS I BENT OVER TO PUT IT IN ITS HOLDER, I HEARD THE DOOR CRACK AND HAD A THOUGHT THAT I WAS CLR OF THE DOOR, HOWEVER, I DIDN'T FOCUS ON THE DOOR HANDLE. IT ROTATED IN AND HIT ME IN THE NOSE (VERY HARD). I WENT INTO THE FIRST CLASS LAVATORY AND TRIED TO STOP THE BLEEDING, ASKED #8 FLT ATTENDANT FOR SOME ICE. THE COCKPIT CALLED FOR PARAMEDICS WHO ARRIVED FAIRLY QUICKLY AND I WAS TAKEN TO THE EMER ROOM AT THE HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT. MY NOSE WAS BROKEN AND CUT ON THE OUTSIDE, 3 STITCHES WERE REQUIRED AND I WAS KEPT AT THE HOSPITAL UNTIL THE BLEEDING HAD STOPPED. ALTHOUGH I REALIZE IT BEHOOVES THE FLT ATTENDANT TO KEEP CLR OF THE DOOR, I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE LOCATION OF THE INTERPHONE IS PROBLEMATIC. IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE PURSER TO BE ON THAT PHONE AT BLOCK-IN FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS INCLUDING CONFIRMATION OF DOORS DISARMED IN AFT AND GETTING BLOCK TIMES FROM THE COCKPIT, AS WELL AS JUST ANSWERING THE PHONE IF ANOTHER CREW MEMBER IS TRYING TO CONTACT YOU. FOR THIS REASON I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO LOCATE THE PHONE SOME PLACE OUT OF HARMS WAY. I REALIZE THIS IS ALREADY A RELOCATION FROM THE PREVIOUS AWKWARD SPOT, BUT I HAVE HEARD SINCE MY ACCIDENT OF MANY OTHER PURSERS EITHER BEING HIT OR COMING CLOSE TO THIS DOOR HANDLE. IF I CAN BE OF ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME, IT LOOKS LIKE I'M GOING TO BE HOME FOR A WHILE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ACCORDING TO THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANT RPTR, THE PROB ON THE B767-200'S INTERCOM HANDSET'S LOCATION IS THAT IT HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE WRONG LOCATION AT THE JUMP SEAT AT 1L. IT USED TO BE LOCATED ON THE AISLE SIDE AT THE TOP OF THE JUMP SEAT, BUT WAS CHANGED DUE TO FLT ATTENDANT FEEDBACK ABOUT PROBS USING THE HANDSET WHILE STRAPPED IN. NOW THE HANDSET HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE FUSELAGE LOWER SIDE OF THE JUMP SEAT AT 1L. THE FLT ATTENDANT RPTR SAID THAT BTWN 40-50 FLT ATTENDANTS HAVE BEEN BRUISED OR CUT BY THE DOOR HANDLE WHEN THE AGENT OPENS THE DOOR. THE HANDLE FLIPS UP AND HITS THEM WHILE USING THE INTERCOM. ACCORDING TO THE RPTR, HER UNION MIGHT HAVE MORE FLT ATTENDANT RPTS ON THIS. SHE SAID THAT HER UNION TOLD HER TO WRITE THIS RPT TO ASRS, BECAUSE OF SIMILAR RPTED PROBS WITH THE LOCATION OF THE HANDSET. AFTER DISCUSSION OF THE PROB WITH AN AIRLINE MECH, THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT ON THE B767-300, THE AGENT CAN PRESS A BUTTON ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT WHICH PROHIBITS THE HANDLE ON THE INSIDE FROM FLIPPING IN AND UP WHEN BEING OPENED BY THE GATE AGENT, AND THE B767-200 DOES NOT HAVE THIS FEATURE. THEY BOTH HAVE THE HANDSET IN THE FUSELAGE JUMP SEAT LOCATION. SHE SUGGESTS OTHER B767-200'S MAY HAVE SIMILAR PROBS AND MAY NOT BE LIMITED TO JUST HER CARRIER.

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.