A B737-500 cabin attendant reports that after disarming the forward entrance door; the gate agent ha...

Narrative:

Upon arrival at ZZZ we had a gate change. We waited a gate agent's arrival to operate the jetbridge for at least 5 mins. Once the gate appeared and started moving the jetway; doors we disarmed. As passenger and crew awaited jetbridge connection and door opening; the captain exited the cockpit. The agent made at least 3 attempts to open the door as it seemed too difficult for the door to open. The door handle moved up and down several times as both I and the captain looked on. When the door was barely cracked open; it sounded like an ice cube had been crunched and you could then hear the sound of the girt bar that dropped as the slide packet slowly dropped down from under its shell. The door then stopped when it was about 1/4 - 1/3 opened as myself and the pilot were telling the agent to hold on and not to open the door any further. I attempted to remove 1 side of the girt bar from the bracket and the captain advised that he would have maintenance come up instead. Both I and the captain saw the door disarmed as well as our passenger seated in 1C; mr X; as the captain verified my actions of disarming with him. About 1/4 of the slide pack had dropped down from under its shell cover as it was visibly resting partially on the plane's stepping ledge and the jetbridge attached to the bracket 1/2 way. Maintenance arrived and asked the captain what happened and he explained. The captain advised that we hadn't deplaned passenger and try to get the door open as soon as possible as it was open 1/2 way. As maintenance pushed the slide back up into the shell; the captain detached the 'from' bar from the bracket and the door was opened fully. A couple of screws had loosened as maintenance retrieved them while they were falling on the jetbridge. They opened the slide shell and took the slide away. I went to see if the other maintenance personnel needed anything from myself or the captain; and stated they will just take pictures for record and have the inspector check out the door. He then laughed and said operator error. I replied; 'hey; I disarmed both doors and the agent was the last to operate the door as it jammed several times.' the captain reiterated the door was disarmed and the slide packet just dropped down along with the girt bar.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-500 CABIN ATTENDANT RPTS THAT AFTER DISARMING THE FORWARD ENTRANCE DOOR; THE GATE AGENT HAD TROUBLE OPENING THE DOOR. WHEN PARTIALLY OPENED; THE ESCAPE SLIDE SLIPPED OUT FROM UNDER THE COVER BUT DID NOT DEPLOY.

Narrative: UPON ARR AT ZZZ WE HAD A GATE CHANGE. WE WAITED A GATE AGENT'S ARR TO OPERATE THE JETBRIDGE FOR AT LEAST 5 MINS. ONCE THE GATE APPEARED AND STARTED MOVING THE JETWAY; DOORS WE DISARMED. AS PAX AND CREW AWAITED JETBRIDGE CONNECTION AND DOOR OPENING; THE CAPT EXITED THE COCKPIT. THE AGENT MADE AT LEAST 3 ATTEMPTS TO OPEN THE DOOR AS IT SEEMED TOO DIFFICULT FOR THE DOOR TO OPEN. THE DOOR HANDLE MOVED UP AND DOWN SEVERAL TIMES AS BOTH I AND THE CAPT LOOKED ON. WHEN THE DOOR WAS BARELY CRACKED OPEN; IT SOUNDED LIKE AN ICE CUBE HAD BEEN CRUNCHED AND YOU COULD THEN HEAR THE SOUND OF THE GIRT BAR THAT DROPPED AS THE SLIDE PACKET SLOWLY DROPPED DOWN FROM UNDER ITS SHELL. THE DOOR THEN STOPPED WHEN IT WAS ABOUT 1/4 - 1/3 OPENED AS MYSELF AND THE PLT WERE TELLING THE AGENT TO HOLD ON AND NOT TO OPEN THE DOOR ANY FURTHER. I ATTEMPTED TO REMOVE 1 SIDE OF THE GIRT BAR FROM THE BRACKET AND THE CAPT ADVISED THAT HE WOULD HAVE MAINT COME UP INSTEAD. BOTH I AND THE CAPT SAW THE DOOR DISARMED AS WELL AS OUR PAX SEATED IN 1C; MR X; AS THE CAPT VERIFIED MY ACTIONS OF DISARMING WITH HIM. ABOUT 1/4 OF THE SLIDE PACK HAD DROPPED DOWN FROM UNDER ITS SHELL COVER AS IT WAS VISIBLY RESTING PARTIALLY ON THE PLANE'S STEPPING LEDGE AND THE JETBRIDGE ATTACHED TO THE BRACKET 1/2 WAY. MAINT ARRIVED AND ASKED THE CAPT WHAT HAPPENED AND HE EXPLAINED. THE CAPT ADVISED THAT WE HADN'T DEPLANED PAX AND TRY TO GET THE DOOR OPEN ASAP AS IT WAS OPEN 1/2 WAY. AS MAINT PUSHED THE SLIDE BACK UP INTO THE SHELL; THE CAPT DETACHED THE 'FROM' BAR FROM THE BRACKET AND THE DOOR WAS OPENED FULLY. A COUPLE OF SCREWS HAD LOOSENED AS MAINT RETRIEVED THEM WHILE THEY WERE FALLING ON THE JETBRIDGE. THEY OPENED THE SLIDE SHELL AND TOOK THE SLIDE AWAY. I WENT TO SEE IF THE OTHER MAINT PERSONNEL NEEDED ANYTHING FROM MYSELF OR THE CAPT; AND STATED THEY WILL JUST TAKE PICTURES FOR RECORD AND HAVE THE INSPECTOR CHK OUT THE DOOR. HE THEN LAUGHED AND SAID OPERATOR ERROR. I REPLIED; 'HEY; I DISARMED BOTH DOORS AND THE AGENT WAS THE LAST TO OPERATE THE DOOR AS IT JAMMED SEVERAL TIMES.' THE CAPT REITERATED THE DOOR WAS DISARMED AND THE SLIDE PACKET JUST DROPPED DOWN ALONG WITH THE GIRT BAR.

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.

Attributes
ACN	683583
Time
Date	200512
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-500
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
ASRS Report	683583
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical
Independent Detector	other other : 1
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Factors
Maintenance	performance deficiency : inspection
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Chart Or Publication Aircraft Maintenance Human Performance
Primary Problem	Aircraft

A B737-500 cabin attendant reports that after disarming the forward entrance door; the gate agent had trouble opening the door. When partially opened; the escape slide slipped out from under the cover but did not deploy.