Narrative:

On the above flight/date, we went to the aircraft from our layover. After check-in with the customer service agent, we were told of a problem with the inbound aircraft. The inbound aircraft had the jetway positioned at door 1L, not the normal deplaning door, and we were informed that the door was opened with the slide still armed, the slide had fallen out of the slide pack housing and was laying across the open 1L door, with the slide girt bar still attached to the clips on the floor of the aircraft, but the slide was not deployed. The slide was 90 degrees across the door, pointed to deploy to the aft part of the door, and the rope on the slide which fires the charge to deploy the slide had tension on it. I was part of the outbound crew and although this report is not timely as far as the reporting criteria is concerned, I hope consideration will be given to accept this so that an investigation will be done and procedures examined to prevent this in the future. Again, I was the outbound captain and an observer as I walked down the jetway and informed of the situation. The inbound passenger were still on the aircraft as was the inbound crew. Calls were made from the cockpit to maintenance dispatch, so that is why I wanted to be sure this was submitted. I called maintenance from the jetway phone so that the non air carrier mechanics would be able to talk to air carrier maintenance while they were working on disarming the slide from the jetway. All crew and passenger remained on the aircraft. Maintenance was coordinating with the airport manager to off-load the passenger from another door and lead them through the secure area outside the aircraft by stairs and into the terminal. The mechanics disarmed the slide about 1 hour after the aircraft blocked. I am not exactly sure how/why the slide deployed. Door 1L is not the usual exit off the B757, to my understanding the side even if armed is supposed to disarm in every case when the door is opened from the outside, which is why I am interested in the answer to this event. What was also interesting in this incident was that the slide fell out of the slide pack housing and laid in the armed position with the girt bar attached. If this was a real evacuate/evacuation, we would be relying on a flight attendant to push the slide pack out (100-150 pounds) or moved so that it could have been manually deployed in the proper position to allow it to open outside of the aircraft. As it was, it twisted out of the housing and rotated 90 degrees, so that it was pointed at the aft part of the door, and would not have the room to deploy properly or might have deployed into the cabin. It was also in a position that any moving of the pack might have deployed the pack into the flight attendant or someone around it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 CAPT RPTS AIRPLANE PARKED WITH DOOR 1L OPEN AND ARMED ESCAPE SLIDE ON THRESHOLD 90 DEGS TO EXIT WITH GIRT BAR STILL ATTACHED. UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF DOOR WAS OPENED EXTERNALLY OR FROM INTERIOR.

Narrative: ON THE ABOVE FLT/DATE, WE WENT TO THE ACFT FROM OUR LAYOVER. AFTER CHK-IN WITH THE CUSTOMER SVC AGENT, WE WERE TOLD OF A PROB WITH THE INBOUND ACFT. THE INBOUND ACFT HAD THE JETWAY POSITIONED AT DOOR 1L, NOT THE NORMAL DEPLANING DOOR, AND WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE DOOR WAS OPENED WITH THE SLIDE STILL ARMED, THE SLIDE HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE SLIDE PACK HOUSING AND WAS LAYING ACROSS THE OPEN 1L DOOR, WITH THE SLIDE GIRT BAR STILL ATTACHED TO THE CLIPS ON THE FLOOR OF THE ACFT, BUT THE SLIDE WAS NOT DEPLOYED. THE SLIDE WAS 90 DEGS ACROSS THE DOOR, POINTED TO DEPLOY TO THE AFT PART OF THE DOOR, AND THE ROPE ON THE SLIDE WHICH FIRES THE CHARGE TO DEPLOY THE SLIDE HAD TENSION ON IT. I WAS PART OF THE OUTBOUND CREW AND ALTHOUGH THIS RPT IS NOT TIMELY AS FAR AS THE RPTING CRITERIA IS CONCERNED, I HOPE CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO ACCEPT THIS SO THAT AN INVESTIGATION WILL BE DONE AND PROCS EXAMINED TO PREVENT THIS IN THE FUTURE. AGAIN, I WAS THE OUTBOUND CAPT AND AN OBSERVER AS I WALKED DOWN THE JETWAY AND INFORMED OF THE SIT. THE INBOUND PAX WERE STILL ON THE ACFT AS WAS THE INBOUND CREW. CALLS WERE MADE FROM THE COCKPIT TO MAINT DISPATCH, SO THAT IS WHY I WANTED TO BE SURE THIS WAS SUBMITTED. I CALLED MAINT FROM THE JETWAY PHONE SO THAT THE NON ACR MECHS WOULD BE ABLE TO TALK TO ACR MAINT WHILE THEY WERE WORKING ON DISARMING THE SLIDE FROM THE JETWAY. ALL CREW AND PAX REMAINED ON THE ACFT. MAINT WAS COORDINATING WITH THE ARPT MGR TO OFF-LOAD THE PAX FROM ANOTHER DOOR AND LEAD THEM THROUGH THE SECURE AREA OUTSIDE THE ACFT BY STAIRS AND INTO THE TERMINAL. THE MECHS DISARMED THE SLIDE ABOUT 1 HR AFTER THE ACFT BLOCKED. I AM NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW/WHY THE SLIDE DEPLOYED. DOOR 1L IS NOT THE USUAL EXIT OFF THE B757, TO MY UNDERSTANDING THE SIDE EVEN IF ARMED IS SUPPOSED TO DISARM IN EVERY CASE WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE, WHICH IS WHY I AM INTERESTED IN THE ANSWER TO THIS EVENT. WHAT WAS ALSO INTERESTING IN THIS INCIDENT WAS THAT THE SLIDE FELL OUT OF THE SLIDE PACK HOUSING AND LAID IN THE ARMED POS WITH THE GIRT BAR ATTACHED. IF THIS WAS A REAL EVAC, WE WOULD BE RELYING ON A FLT ATTENDANT TO PUSH THE SLIDE PACK OUT (100-150 LBS) OR MOVED SO THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN MANUALLY DEPLOYED IN THE PROPER POS TO ALLOW IT TO OPEN OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. AS IT WAS, IT TWISTED OUT OF THE HOUSING AND ROTATED 90 DEGS, SO THAT IT WAS POINTED AT THE AFT PART OF THE DOOR, AND WOULD NOT HAVE THE ROOM TO DEPLOY PROPERLY OR MIGHT HAVE DEPLOYED INTO THE CABIN. IT WAS ALSO IN A POS THAT ANY MOVING OF THE PACK MIGHT HAVE DEPLOYED THE PACK INTO THE FLT ATTENDANT OR SOMEONE AROUND IT.

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.