Narrative:

Our scheduled show time for flight was XA30. The entire crew was there on time and we left the operations area around XA40 to go to aircraft. As soon as we got on the plane, flight engineer asked me if he could go outside to do his preflight before the severe WX in the dallas area hit the airport. First officer and I continued with our preflight in the aircraft, which included our crew brief to the flight attendants. Flight engineer returned and reported that all was normal. Just after flight engineer returned, the severe WX hit the dallas airport and the ramp was closed, delaying our flight about 30 mins. I notified dispatch and indicated that we were not fueled, bags were not loaded, and passenger were not loaded. When the WX cleared, the agent came down to the plane and asked if it was ok to board. I asked our lead flight attendant if she was ready to board. She replied 'yes,' and contract agent boarded and loaded bags up front, as requested by me, for weight and balance purposes. The fuelers also began fueling the aircraft. Lead flight attendant poked her head into the flight deck soon after we began boarding and said that the flight attendants in the rear heard some banging under the plane. I asked flight engineer to go down and talk to the baggage handlers and see what was going on because we heard the handlers throwing the bags up front as well. When he came back, flight engineer indicated that they had finished and both cargo pit doors were closed. All noise under the aircraft stopped. We ran all appropriate checklists, pushed back, and taxied out. Dfw was switching from north to south departures. We waited at runway 18L approximately 20 mins. Again, no noise was reported during push, taxi, and prior to takeoff. Upon reaching puerto vallarta, we were notified a baggage handler was in our aft cargo compartment. Even though company contract ground handler admitted that they were responsible, it should be noted that the bag loader did not have a valid green card, was not on the proper shift, was a contract worker from contractor and obviously not properly trained on the door handle inside the aft cargo compartment. Supplemental information from acn 507766: I started my outside walkaround. It was just starting to rain and a thunderstorm was approaching. I checked both cargo bays, the aft pit was empty and the forward pit had the catering for the return trip. The airstair control panel was open so I closed it. I finished my inspection and started back to the cockpit. I noticed as I went up that the belt loader had been positioned to load the front cargo pit as we had only 51 passenger. Flight attendant came to the cockpit and said that they heard a lot of banging under the floor. Captain had me go down and investigate. The cargo door light was on as I left but the cargo door had been closed by the time I got down stairs and they were moving the belt loader away from the aircraft. I spoke to the ramp supervisor in regards to slamming the bags around. I went back to the cockpit, we closed up, pushed back and taxied out. No more noise was heard for the rest of the flight. Upon arrival in puerto vallarta, mexico the station agent informed us that we had a person in the aft cargo compartment. I did a postflt inspection but did not see the hole in the lower aft corner of the aft cargo door as it was full up. The bag handlers brought it to our attention. Questions: 1) what was this person doing in the aft compartment as we were going to load only the front compartment? 2) when the person closed the door, did he not look first? 3) the B727 has an inside door handle. Did this guy have any training? He could have gotten out at any time if he knew this. 4) while it makes no difference, he was a foreign national and did not have his green card on him.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FOREIGN ARPT STATION AGENT FOUND A PERSON IN AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT UPON ARR.

Narrative: OUR SCHEDULED SHOW TIME FOR FLT WAS XA30. THE ENTIRE CREW WAS THERE ON TIME AND WE LEFT THE OPS AREA AROUND XA40 TO GO TO ACFT. AS SOON AS WE GOT ON THE PLANE, FE ASKED ME IF HE COULD GO OUTSIDE TO DO HIS PREFLT BEFORE THE SEVERE WX IN THE DALLAS AREA HIT THE ARPT. FO AND I CONTINUED WITH OUR PREFLT IN THE ACFT, WHICH INCLUDED OUR CREW BRIEF TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS. FE RETURNED AND RPTED THAT ALL WAS NORMAL. JUST AFTER FE RETURNED, THE SEVERE WX HIT THE DALLAS ARPT AND THE RAMP WAS CLOSED, DELAYING OUR FLT ABOUT 30 MINS. I NOTIFIED DISPATCH AND INDICATED THAT WE WERE NOT FUELED, BAGS WERE NOT LOADED, AND PAX WERE NOT LOADED. WHEN THE WX CLRED, THE AGENT CAME DOWN TO THE PLANE AND ASKED IF IT WAS OK TO BOARD. I ASKED OUR LEAD FLT ATTENDANT IF SHE WAS READY TO BOARD. SHE REPLIED 'YES,' AND CONTRACT AGENT BOARDED AND LOADED BAGS UP FRONT, AS REQUESTED BY ME, FOR WT AND BAL PURPOSES. THE FUELERS ALSO BEGAN FUELING THE ACFT. LEAD FLT ATTENDANT POKED HER HEAD INTO THE FLT DECK SOON AFTER WE BEGAN BOARDING AND SAID THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE REAR HEARD SOME BANGING UNDER THE PLANE. I ASKED FE TO GO DOWN AND TALK TO THE BAGGAGE HANDLERS AND SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON BECAUSE WE HEARD THE HANDLERS THROWING THE BAGS UP FRONT AS WELL. WHEN HE CAME BACK, FE INDICATED THAT THEY HAD FINISHED AND BOTH CARGO PIT DOORS WERE CLOSED. ALL NOISE UNDER THE ACFT STOPPED. WE RAN ALL APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS, PUSHED BACK, AND TAXIED OUT. DFW WAS SWITCHING FROM N TO S DEPS. WE WAITED AT RWY 18L APPROX 20 MINS. AGAIN, NO NOISE WAS RPTED DURING PUSH, TAXI, AND PRIOR TO TKOF. UPON REACHING PUERTO VALLARTA, WE WERE NOTIFIED A BAGGAGE HANDLER WAS IN OUR AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. EVEN THOUGH COMPANY CONTRACT GND HANDLER ADMITTED THAT THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE BAG LOADER DID NOT HAVE A VALID GREEN CARD, WAS NOT ON THE PROPER SHIFT, WAS A CONTRACT WORKER FROM CONTRACTOR AND OBVIOUSLY NOT PROPERLY TRAINED ON THE DOOR HANDLE INSIDE THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 507766: I STARTED MY OUTSIDE WALKAROUND. IT WAS JUST STARTING TO RAIN AND A TSTM WAS APCHING. I CHKED BOTH CARGO BAYS, THE AFT PIT WAS EMPTY AND THE FORWARD PIT HAD THE CATERING FOR THE RETURN TRIP. THE AIRSTAIR CTL PANEL WAS OPEN SO I CLOSED IT. I FINISHED MY INSPECTION AND STARTED BACK TO THE COCKPIT. I NOTICED AS I WENT UP THAT THE BELT LOADER HAD BEEN POSITIONED TO LOAD THE FRONT CARGO PIT AS WE HAD ONLY 51 PAX. FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND SAID THAT THEY HEARD A LOT OF BANGING UNDER THE FLOOR. CAPT HAD ME GO DOWN AND INVESTIGATE. THE CARGO DOOR LIGHT WAS ON AS I LEFT BUT THE CARGO DOOR HAD BEEN CLOSED BY THE TIME I GOT DOWN STAIRS AND THEY WERE MOVING THE BELT LOADER AWAY FROM THE ACFT. I SPOKE TO THE RAMP SUPVR IN REGARDS TO SLAMMING THE BAGS AROUND. I WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT, WE CLOSED UP, PUSHED BACK AND TAXIED OUT. NO MORE NOISE WAS HEARD FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. UPON ARR IN PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO THE STATION AGENT INFORMED US THAT WE HAD A PERSON IN THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. I DID A POSTFLT INSPECTION BUT DID NOT SEE THE HOLE IN THE LOWER AFT CORNER OF THE AFT CARGO DOOR AS IT WAS FULL UP. THE BAG HANDLERS BROUGHT IT TO OUR ATTN. QUESTIONS: 1) WHAT WAS THIS PERSON DOING IN THE AFT COMPARTMENT AS WE WERE GOING TO LOAD ONLY THE FRONT COMPARTMENT? 2) WHEN THE PERSON CLOSED THE DOOR, DID HE NOT LOOK FIRST? 3) THE B727 HAS AN INSIDE DOOR HANDLE. DID THIS GUY HAVE ANY TRAINING? HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT AT ANY TIME IF HE KNEW THIS. 4) WHILE IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE, HE WAS A FOREIGN NATIONAL AND DID NOT HAVE HIS GREEN CARD ON HIM.

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.