Narrative:

During climb out a flight attendant called the cockpit and notified us that a strap was stuck in the aft galley door and was banging against the outside of the airplane. I went back to evaluate the situation and to ensure that the strap in question was pulled in as far as possible. I compared the length of that strap to the full strap at the door across from it. Approximately 1 ft of the strap remained outside the door and continued to pound against the galley door just in front of the engine. At this point, I went back to the cockpit and told the captain the status of the strap. After coordination with ATC the plane was leveled at 12000 ft. We then referenced the abnormal procedure in the flight manual and discussed them before implementing them. I then began to depressurize the aircraft. Once the plane was depressurized, I returned to the aft galley and tried to pull in the rest of the strap. Due to the physical pressure of the seals and the thickness of the snaps, there was insufficient clearance to pull in the strap. I called the captain and gave him this information. We decided that we could safely rotate the door handle just enough to release some of the pressure on the seal and pull in the strap without ever completely disengaging the door latches. The handle was moved approximately 1/2 inch. This released enough of the physical pressure on the seal to allow the strap to be pulled in. At no time was the door opened or completely unlatched nor could I see any daylight around the seals at any time. I then restored the handle to the fully locked position and called the captain to verify that everything looked normal from the cockpit. I returned to the cockpit and repressurized the aircraft. We received clearance from ATC and began climbing and continued to ewr without further incident.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RESTRAINING STRAP OUTSIDE B727 SVC DOOR INFLT. ACFT REPRESSURIZED AND STRAP RETRIEVED.

Narrative: DURING CLBOUT A FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT AND NOTIFIED US THAT A STRAP WAS STUCK IN THE AFT GALLEY DOOR AND WAS BANGING AGAINST THE OUTSIDE OF THE AIRPLANE. I WENT BACK TO EVALUATE THE SIT AND TO ENSURE THAT THE STRAP IN QUESTION WAS PULLED IN AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. I COMPARED THE LENGTH OF THAT STRAP TO THE FULL STRAP AT THE DOOR ACROSS FROM IT. APPROX 1 FT OF THE STRAP REMAINED OUTSIDE THE DOOR AND CONTINUED TO POUND AGAINST THE GALLEY DOOR JUST IN FRONT OF THE ENG. AT THIS POINT, I WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND TOLD THE CAPT THE STATUS OF THE STRAP. AFTER COORD WITH ATC THE PLANE WAS LEVELED AT 12000 FT. WE THEN REFED THE ABNORMAL PROC IN THE FLT MANUAL AND DISCUSSED THEM BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THEM. I THEN BEGAN TO DEPRESSURIZE THE ACFT. ONCE THE PLANE WAS DEPRESSURIZED, I RETURNED TO THE AFT GALLEY AND TRIED TO PULL IN THE REST OF THE STRAP. DUE TO THE PHYSICAL PRESSURE OF THE SEALS AND THE THICKNESS OF THE SNAPS, THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT CLRNC TO PULL IN THE STRAP. I CALLED THE CAPT AND GAVE HIM THIS INFO. WE DECIDED THAT WE COULD SAFELY ROTATE THE DOOR HANDLE JUST ENOUGH TO RELEASE SOME OF THE PRESSURE ON THE SEAL AND PULL IN THE STRAP WITHOUT EVER COMPLETELY DISENGAGING THE DOOR LATCHES. THE HANDLE WAS MOVED APPROX 1/2 INCH. THIS RELEASED ENOUGH OF THE PHYSICAL PRESSURE ON THE SEAL TO ALLOW THE STRAP TO BE PULLED IN. AT NO TIME WAS THE DOOR OPENED OR COMPLETELY UNLATCHED NOR COULD I SEE ANY DAYLIGHT AROUND THE SEALS AT ANY TIME. I THEN RESTORED THE HANDLE TO THE FULLY LOCKED POS AND CALLED THE CAPT TO VERIFY THAT EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL FROM THE COCKPIT. I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND REPRESSURIZED THE ACFT. WE RECEIVED CLRNC FROM ATC AND BEGAN CLBING AND CONTINUED TO EWR WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.