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Cabin attendant report, B767-200ER, rdu-lgw. Door became unarmed in-flight, handle started to rise. Divert to jfk. At lower altitude, door could be armed again.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 460083 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200001 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : zdc.artcc |
| State Reference | VA |
| Environment | |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zdc.artcc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B767-200 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | climbout : vacating altitude climbout : initial climbout : intermediate altitude cruise : level descent : approach descent : vacating altitude landing other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight attendant : on duty |
| Qualification | flight attendant : currently qualified flight attendant aircraft qualified on : 3 |
| Experience | flight attendant time airline total : 27 flight attendant time total : 27 flight attendant time type : 100 |
| ASRS Report | 460083 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight attendant : on duty oversight : flight attendant in charge |
| Qualification | flight attendant : currently qualified flight attendant aircraft qualified on : 7 |
| Experience | flight attendant time airline total : 9 flight attendant time total : 9 flight attendant time type : 30 |
| ASRS Report | 461213 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical maintenance problem : improper maintenance other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other other : 1 |
| Resolutory Action | aircraft : equipment problem dissipated flight crew : diverted to another airport |
| Consequence | other |
| Factors | |
| Maintenance | performance deficiency : fault isolation performance deficiency : testing |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Company Maintenance Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
Shortly after takeoff (20-30 mins), I was in the first class galley setting up for meal/beverage service in first class, when the purser noticed the door at 1L had become disarmed. It did it spontaneously. The purser (flight attendant #1) notified me and we talked about it and I confirmed that I had observed her arm the slide at pushback. She notified the cockpit crew. There was quite a lag in their response and by the time they came out, the handle to open the door had started to rise away from the fuselage. It also was bouncing up and down. The cockpit crew notified the company, they notified us to land at jfk to have maintenance look at it. The captain did want to try to move it. We told him we were not comfortable with that idea as he wanted to try to move the arming mechanism with a knife. We pointed out that if he dropped the knife into the inside of the door, it could jam the opening mechanism. We did land at jfk. Prior to that, the purser was able to arm the door. The mechanics could not duplicate the set of events on the ground and could find nothing wrong with the door. They did mention that there appeared to be marks on the outside of the door frame that could possibly indicate a previous problem. We left jfk and had no more problems. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the purser had had a hard time arming the door in raleigh, but managed to arm it. After the captain had looked at the door, they had a flight attendant situation in a jump seat next to the door to constantly hold the door handle down. When they reached a lower altitude and the pressure inside and outside had equalized, the purser was then able to arm the door. The mechanics, who looked at the door in jfk, took into consideration the problem that the purser had arming the door on the ground, the fact that the handle was rising on the outside of the door in-flight, and along with the notches on the door seal, theorized that the agent had never completely shut the door on the ground. Supplemental information from acn 461213: I was instructed to hold the handle down in the closed position till the air noise stopped and/or landing. The noise stopped once we descended by down to 10000 ft. The B767 doors (all) have in my 9 yrs of flying been the most difficult to arm and disarm. You must use 2 hands and the arming handle is very difficult to push back even for male flight attendants and pilots.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B767-200ER, RDU-LGW. DOOR BECAME UNARMED INFLT, HANDLE STARTED TO RISE. DIVERT TO JFK. AT LOWER ALT, DOOR COULD BE ARMED AGAIN.
Narrative: SHORTLY AFTER TKOF (20-30 MINS), I WAS IN THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY SETTING UP FOR MEAL/BEVERAGE SVC IN FIRST CLASS, WHEN THE PURSER NOTICED THE DOOR AT 1L HAD BECOME DISARMED. IT DID IT SPONTANEOUSLY. THE PURSER (FLT ATTENDANT #1) NOTIFIED ME AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT AND I CONFIRMED THAT I HAD OBSERVED HER ARM THE SLIDE AT PUSHBACK. SHE NOTIFIED THE COCKPIT CREW. THERE WAS QUITE A LAG IN THEIR RESPONSE AND BY THE TIME THEY CAME OUT, THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR HAD STARTED TO RISE AWAY FROM THE FUSELAGE. IT ALSO WAS BOUNCING UP AND DOWN. THE COCKPIT CREW NOTIFIED THE COMPANY, THEY NOTIFIED US TO LAND AT JFK TO HAVE MAINT LOOK AT IT. THE CAPT DID WANT TO TRY TO MOVE IT. WE TOLD HIM WE WERE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT IDEA AS HE WANTED TO TRY TO MOVE THE ARMING MECHANISM WITH A KNIFE. WE POINTED OUT THAT IF HE DROPPED THE KNIFE INTO THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR, IT COULD JAM THE OPENING MECHANISM. WE DID LAND AT JFK. PRIOR TO THAT, THE PURSER WAS ABLE TO ARM THE DOOR. THE MECHS COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE SET OF EVENTS ON THE GND AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE DOOR. THEY DID MENTION THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE MARKS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR FRAME THAT COULD POSSIBLY INDICATE A PREVIOUS PROB. WE LEFT JFK AND HAD NO MORE PROBS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE PURSER HAD HAD A HARD TIME ARMING THE DOOR IN RALEIGH, BUT MANAGED TO ARM IT. AFTER THE CAPT HAD LOOKED AT THE DOOR, THEY HAD A FLT ATTENDANT SIT IN A JUMP SEAT NEXT TO THE DOOR TO CONSTANTLY HOLD THE DOOR HANDLE DOWN. WHEN THEY REACHED A LOWER ALT AND THE PRESSURE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE HAD EQUALIZED, THE PURSER WAS THEN ABLE TO ARM THE DOOR. THE MECHS, WHO LOOKED AT THE DOOR IN JFK, TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION THE PROB THAT THE PURSER HAD ARMING THE DOOR ON THE GND, THE FACT THAT THE HANDLE WAS RISING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR INFLT, AND ALONG WITH THE NOTCHES ON THE DOOR SEAL, THEORIZED THAT THE AGENT HAD NEVER COMPLETELY SHUT THE DOOR ON THE GND. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 461213: I WAS INSTRUCTED TO HOLD THE HANDLE DOWN IN THE CLOSED POS TILL THE AIR NOISE STOPPED AND/OR LNDG. THE NOISE STOPPED ONCE WE DSNDED BY DOWN TO 10000 FT. THE B767 DOORS (ALL) HAVE IN MY 9 YRS OF FLYING BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT TO ARM AND DISARM. YOU MUST USE 2 HANDS AND THE ARMING HANDLE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO PUSH BACK EVEN FOR MALE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PLTS.
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.