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Cabin attendant report, B727-200, sju-mia. Inoperative APU, causing pilot to keep engine running on ground for electrical power, while front door is open for deplaning. Very loud noise hurts cabin attendants' and passenger's ears.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 473895 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200005 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : mia.airport |
| State Reference | FL |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B727-200 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground : parked ground other : gate arr waiting for door to open |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight attendant : on duty oversight : flight attendant in charge |
| Qualification | flight attendant : currently qualified flight attendant aircraft qualified on : 8 |
| Experience | flight attendant time airline total : 8 flight attendant time total : 15 flight attendant time type : 60 |
| ASRS Report | 473895 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | other personnel |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other other : cab #1 |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | other Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft Company |
| Primary Problem | Company |
Narrative:
B727 aircraft, particularly, often operate with their APU inoperative. As such, until ground power can be attached to the arriving airplane, an engine is kept running in order to maintain electrical power on the plane. Ground customer service personnel are under a certain amount of pressure to 'get the cabin door open' in a certain amount of time. While an engine is still running, the noise level when the door is open is unbearable as neither cabin crew nor deplaning passenger have any hearing protection. Also, many times passenger awaiting wheelchairs or with children linger on the jetbridges -- all the time exposed to high decibels of engine noise! Aircraft passenger doors should not be opened while engines are still running! On aircraft with inoperative APU's, the door should only be opened after ground power is hooked up and all the engines are shut down!
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B727-200, SJU-MIA. INOP APU, CAUSING PLT TO KEEP ENG RUNNING ON GND FOR ELECTRICAL PWR, WHILE FRONT DOOR IS OPEN FOR DEPLANING. VERY LOUD NOISE HURTS CABIN ATTENDANTS' AND PAX'S EARS.
Narrative: B727 ACFT, PARTICULARLY, OFTEN OPERATE WITH THEIR APU INOP. AS SUCH, UNTIL GND PWR CAN BE ATTACHED TO THE ARRIVING AIRPLANE, AN ENG IS KEPT RUNNING IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ELECTRICAL PWR ON THE PLANE. GND CUSTOMER SVC PERSONNEL ARE UNDER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PRESSURE TO 'GET THE CABIN DOOR OPEN' IN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME. WHILE AN ENG IS STILL RUNNING, THE NOISE LEVEL WHEN THE DOOR IS OPEN IS UNBEARABLE AS NEITHER CABIN CREW NOR DEPLANING PAX HAVE ANY HEARING PROTECTION. ALSO, MANY TIMES PAX AWAITING WHEELCHAIRS OR WITH CHILDREN LINGER ON THE JETBRIDGES -- ALL THE TIME EXPOSED TO HIGH DECIBELS OF ENG NOISE! ACFT PAX DOORS SHOULD NOT BE OPENED WHILE ENGS ARE STILL RUNNING! ON ACFT WITH INOP APU'S, THE DOOR SHOULD ONLY BE OPENED AFTER GND PWR IS HOOKED UP AND ALL THE ENGS ARE SHUT DOWN!
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.