Narrative:

As #1 flight attendant, I went to front door to see if we were ready to close door. At the door, I smelled some sort of electrical burning smell and smoke was 'boiling over' on top and top 1/3 of the door sill. The smoke seemed to be pulled outside through the canopy of jetbridge. I sensed we were possibly ready for a fire in the fuselage or ceiling, so I grabbed the flight engineer and said 'come here.' we both took one look and I said 'I'm getting them off.' he agreed, and went to tell captain. Since there was no fire yet, and doors weren't armed yet, I decided it was safest to send the passenger out the front door. I got on the PA and said 'leave the aircraft immediately, take nothing with you!' they all looked stunned and stared at me. Then I went into the cabin and yelled 'let's go!' that did it. I elevated on a first class seat and hurried them off. They were fast and even told the passenger, who were opening overhead bins, to close them and go. They really helped each other along, and not one person stopped to say 'what's wrong.' the whole process took only a few mins from my seeing smoke to all passenger and crew off. Maintenance, etc, then came quickly and, after searching for some of smoke and burning smell, found the ballast above the entry lights had burned up. Once the situation was no longer volatile, we allowed 6 passenger at a time to retrieve belongings, as the plane was taken OTS. My suggestion is that flight attendants be advised that should the front door be unusable (had fire erupted, then if I had to hit the evacuate/evacuation signal, be sure to arm doors first. All our evacuate/evacuation procedures with slides are practiced with assuming doors are armed. This was an unusual situation, but went well.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B727-200, MIA-SJU, BOARDING, FRONT DOOR HAD SMOKE EMITTING FROM DOOR SILL. PURSER EVACED PAX THROUGH FRONT DOOR AND JETBRIDGE.

Narrative: AS #1 FLT ATTENDANT, I WENT TO FRONT DOOR TO SEE IF WE WERE READY TO CLOSE DOOR. AT THE DOOR, I SMELLED SOME SORT OF ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL AND SMOKE WAS 'BOILING OVER' ON TOP AND TOP 1/3 OF THE DOOR SILL. THE SMOKE SEEMED TO BE PULLED OUTSIDE THROUGH THE CANOPY OF JETBRIDGE. I SENSED WE WERE POSSIBLY READY FOR A FIRE IN THE FUSELAGE OR CEILING, SO I GRABBED THE FE AND SAID 'COME HERE.' WE BOTH TOOK ONE LOOK AND I SAID 'I'M GETTING THEM OFF.' HE AGREED, AND WENT TO TELL CAPT. SINCE THERE WAS NO FIRE YET, AND DOORS WEREN'T ARMED YET, I DECIDED IT WAS SAFEST TO SEND THE PAX OUT THE FRONT DOOR. I GOT ON THE PA AND SAID 'LEAVE THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY, TAKE NOTHING WITH YOU!' THEY ALL LOOKED STUNNED AND STARED AT ME. THEN I WENT INTO THE CABIN AND YELLED 'LET'S GO!' THAT DID IT. I ELEVATED ON A FIRST CLASS SEAT AND HURRIED THEM OFF. THEY WERE FAST AND EVEN TOLD THE PAX, WHO WERE OPENING OVERHEAD BINS, TO CLOSE THEM AND GO. THEY REALLY HELPED EACH OTHER ALONG, AND NOT ONE PERSON STOPPED TO SAY 'WHAT'S WRONG.' THE WHOLE PROCESS TOOK ONLY A FEW MINS FROM MY SEEING SMOKE TO ALL PAX AND CREW OFF. MAINT, ETC, THEN CAME QUICKLY AND, AFTER SEARCHING FOR SOME OF SMOKE AND BURNING SMELL, FOUND THE BALLAST ABOVE THE ENTRY LIGHTS HAD BURNED UP. ONCE THE SIT WAS NO LONGER VOLATILE, WE ALLOWED 6 PAX AT A TIME TO RETRIEVE BELONGINGS, AS THE PLANE WAS TAKEN OTS. MY SUGGESTION IS THAT FLT ATTENDANTS BE ADVISED THAT SHOULD THE FRONT DOOR BE UNUSABLE (HAD FIRE ERUPTED, THEN IF I HAD TO HIT THE EVAC SIGNAL, BE SURE TO ARM DOORS FIRST. ALL OUR EVAC PROCS WITH SLIDES ARE PRACTICED WITH ASSUMING DOORS ARE ARMED. THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL SIT, BUT WENT WELL.

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.