Narrative:

I was the purser seated at 1L on flight xx. We arrived in phl and taxied to our gate at approximately XA00. After the seatbelt sign was turned off; I released my seatbelts; turned on the cabin lighting 'main on' button and took the interphone in hand. I leaned into the 1L door window to view the approaching jetway. As I saw the jetbridge aligning with the plane door; I made the PA announcement for flight attendants to disarm doors. As I leaned into the window; I had my left hand near the door handle and inadvertently took hold of it and began to pull on it. I moved the handle upward approximately 3-4 inches and realized I had initiated the door opening while armed. I felt the tug/resistance on the door to pull away from the frame; but I held firm and was able to grasp the assist handle on the door and secure my footing to keep the door from opening further I was then holding the assist handle with my left hand and disarmed the door with my right hand though the door was out from its frame approximately 6-8 inches to where I could see the girt bar. My first concern was to hold the door and keep the slide pack from falling out from below the door to allow the customer service agent time to retract away the jetbridge from the plane. The slide pack was not out yet from its housing. Once the jetway was clear I considered the positioning of my hold on the door; footing and ability to maintain my own safety. I was not sure if the slide pack; not having fallen out or inflated yet could be salvaged and detached/reattached; so I felt I should maintain the hold I had on the door for as long as I could or until I felt it was unsafe for me to do so. As XXX was helping me to try to secure the door; it kept budging away. Just then I heard the slide begin to hiss as the pack had fallen out further unbeknownst to me. Mechanics who were on the tarmac at a distance were surveying the condition of the slide and its position as the first cartridge began to hiss. They immediately told me to just let it go. I knew then the slide would have to be inflated. I released the door then disarmed door 1R. The slide fully inflated and mechanics told me to pull the detach cord to drop the inflated slide down to the tarmac. I did so; then removing the girt bar from the floor brackets. We began to deplane once the jetbridge was brought to abut the plane. I was asked to immediately write a statement and was taken by XXX to be drug tested. In total I must have held onto the door for 20 or more mins. I arrived at the medical facility at about XB10. I left the facility about XB45 and was at my layover hotel by XC00. I judge the actual time the slide began to inflate at about XA20. Reasons for why I inadvertently grabbed hold of the door opening arm as I now think about it over and over in my mind may be attributed to the fact that I leaned into the window supporting myself with my l-hand near the door handle to assess the approach of the jetway as we are trained to do. The closest handle using the same motion used to disarm the A319 door is an upward motion. It was easily confused in the split second. The familiarity also to which the motion of opening the door is linked to looking outside the window in the posture to assess the approaching jetbridge was newly familiar to me from the many times I had both physically practiced and mentally practiced this opening procedure in training that I had just completed. Ironic as the relative timing of my training is to the event of deploying the slide; the mental connection to opening the door was innately natural in that split second. I had also been ill the days before the trip and somewhat fatigued from this and the early hour of the check-in and lengthy duty day. This was my third and final leg of a 12 hour duty day containing nearly 8 hours of flight time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A319 FLT ATTENDANT WATCHING THE APCHING JETBRIDGE FORGOT WHICH HANDLE HE WAS HOLDING AND ACCIDENTALLY OPENED AN ARMED DOOR MEANING TO DISARM IT.

Narrative: I WAS THE PURSER SEATED AT 1L ON FLT XX. WE ARRIVED IN PHL AND TAXIED TO OUR GATE AT APPROX XA00. AFTER THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS TURNED OFF; I RELEASED MY SEATBELTS; TURNED ON THE CABIN LIGHTING 'MAIN ON' BUTTON AND TOOK THE INTERPHONE IN HAND. I LEANED INTO THE 1L DOOR WINDOW TO VIEW THE APCHING JETWAY. AS I SAW THE JETBRIDGE ALIGNING WITH THE PLANE DOOR; I MADE THE PA ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FLT ATTENDANTS TO DISARM DOORS. AS I LEANED INTO THE WINDOW; I HAD MY L HAND NEAR THE DOOR HANDLE AND INADVERTENTLY TOOK HOLD OF IT AND BEGAN TO PULL ON IT. I MOVED THE HANDLE UPWARD APPROX 3-4 INCHES AND REALIZED I HAD INITIATED THE DOOR OPENING WHILE ARMED. I FELT THE TUG/RESISTANCE ON THE DOOR TO PULL AWAY FROM THE FRAME; BUT I HELD FIRM AND WAS ABLE TO GRASP THE ASSIST HANDLE ON THE DOOR AND SECURE MY FOOTING TO KEEP THE DOOR FROM OPENING FURTHER I WAS THEN HOLDING THE ASSIST HANDLE WITH MY L HAND AND DISARMED THE DOOR WITH MY R HAND THOUGH THE DOOR WAS OUT FROM ITS FRAME APPROX 6-8 INCHES TO WHERE I COULD SEE THE GIRT BAR. MY FIRST CONCERN WAS TO HOLD THE DOOR AND KEEP THE SLIDE PACK FROM FALLING OUT FROM BELOW THE DOOR TO ALLOW THE CUSTOMER SVC AGENT TIME TO RETRACT AWAY THE JETBRIDGE FROM THE PLANE. THE SLIDE PACK WAS NOT OUT YET FROM ITS HOUSING. ONCE THE JETWAY WAS CLR I CONSIDERED THE POSITIONING OF MY HOLD ON THE DOOR; FOOTING AND ABILITY TO MAINTAIN MY OWN SAFETY. I WAS NOT SURE IF THE SLIDE PACK; NOT HAVING FALLEN OUT OR INFLATED YET COULD BE SALVAGED AND DETACHED/REATTACHED; SO I FELT I SHOULD MAINTAIN THE HOLD I HAD ON THE DOOR FOR AS LONG AS I COULD OR UNTIL I FELT IT WAS UNSAFE FOR ME TO DO SO. AS XXX WAS HELPING ME TO TRY TO SECURE THE DOOR; IT KEPT BUDGING AWAY. JUST THEN I HEARD THE SLIDE BEGIN TO HISS AS THE PACK HAD FALLEN OUT FURTHER UNBEKNOWNST TO ME. MECHS WHO WERE ON THE TARMAC AT A DISTANCE WERE SURVEYING THE CONDITION OF THE SLIDE AND ITS POSITION AS THE FIRST CARTRIDGE BEGAN TO HISS. THEY IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME TO JUST LET IT GO. I KNEW THEN THE SLIDE WOULD HAVE TO BE INFLATED. I RELEASED THE DOOR THEN DISARMED DOOR 1R. THE SLIDE FULLY INFLATED AND MECHS TOLD ME TO PULL THE DETACH CORD TO DROP THE INFLATED SLIDE DOWN TO THE TARMAC. I DID SO; THEN REMOVING THE GIRT BAR FROM THE FLOOR BRACKETS. WE BEGAN TO DEPLANE ONCE THE JETBRIDGE WAS BROUGHT TO ABUT THE PLANE. I WAS ASKED TO IMMEDIATELY WRITE A STATEMENT AND WAS TAKEN BY XXX TO BE DRUG TESTED. IN TOTAL I MUST HAVE HELD ONTO THE DOOR FOR 20 OR MORE MINS. I ARRIVED AT THE MEDICAL FACILITY AT ABOUT XB10. I LEFT THE FACILITY ABOUT XB45 AND WAS AT MY LAYOVER HOTEL BY XC00. I JUDGE THE ACTUAL TIME THE SLIDE BEGAN TO INFLATE AT ABOUT XA20. REASONS FOR WHY I INADVERTENTLY GRABBED HOLD OF THE DOOR OPENING ARM AS I NOW THINK ABOUT IT OVER AND OVER IN MY MIND MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT I LEANED INTO THE WINDOW SUPPORTING MYSELF WITH MY L-HAND NEAR THE DOOR HANDLE TO ASSESS THE APCH OF THE JETWAY AS WE ARE TRAINED TO DO. THE CLOSEST HANDLE USING THE SAME MOTION USED TO DISARM THE A319 DOOR IS AN UPWARD MOTION. IT WAS EASILY CONFUSED IN THE SPLIT SECOND. THE FAMILIARITY ALSO TO WHICH THE MOTION OF OPENING THE DOOR IS LINKED TO LOOKING OUTSIDE THE WINDOW IN THE POSTURE TO ASSESS THE APCHING JETBRIDGE WAS NEWLY FAMILIAR TO ME FROM THE MANY TIMES I HAD BOTH PHYSICALLY PRACTICED AND MENTALLY PRACTICED THIS OPENING PROC IN TRAINING THAT I HAD JUST COMPLETED. IRONIC AS THE RELATIVE TIMING OF MY TRAINING IS TO THE EVENT OF DEPLOYING THE SLIDE; THE MENTAL CONNECTION TO OPENING THE DOOR WAS INNATELY NATURAL IN THAT SPLIT SECOND. I HAD ALSO BEEN ILL THE DAYS BEFORE THE TRIP AND SOMEWHAT FATIGUED FROM THIS AND THE EARLY HR OF THE CHK-IN AND LENGTHY DUTY DAY. THIS WAS MY THIRD AND FINAL LEG OF A 12 HR DUTY DAY CONTAINING NEARLY 8 HRS OF FLT TIME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.