Narrative:

I was flight attendant #4 seated at jumpseat 3L inboard. My assigned door was 3R. Flight attendant #3 was seated at jumpseat 3L outboard. As we taxied to the gate; a passenger came into the aisle lavatory. Flight attendant #3 called the cockpit to let them know that a passenger was in the lavatory. Then a kid came to use the lavatory but I told him that he needs to go back to his seat. Flight attendant #3 made an announcement to remind passenger to remain seated until the seat belt sign has been turned off. Finally; the passenger came out of the lavatory to go to her seat. Now; the same kid; his father and another passenger came to use the lavatory; even though we were still taxiing. These passenger insisted on using the lavatory and did not comply to our instructions to go to their seats. At this time I called the cockpit to let them know that there were more passenger standing up. I had to call several times because the cockpit did not answer my calls even though we were still taxiing to the gate with people standing up. When we parked at the gate and the seat belt sign was turned off the cockpit finally answered my call and told me that they could not answer me because they were trying to get to the gate. I told them that I had to keep calling to let them know that there were more passenger standing up as we were taxiing. The announcement was made to disarm doors for arrival. I went to my door 3R and I disarmed my door. And then I saw flight attendant #3 disarmed his door 3L. At this time there were passenger trying to get to the aft lavatory but flight attendant #3 did not let them use it on the ground. I went to get my manual to look up what is the procedure to notify the cockpit when passenger were standing up during taxi and are not complying with flight attendant instructions. I looked for it in the manual as passenger were deplaning and I could not find it and I gave up my search. I looked at flight attendant #3 door and it was disarmed. By this time most passenger have deplaned and I went to gather my belongings when I saw a pouch with ipod's attachments in it. At this time the cleaning crew has boarded and they were in the galley cleaning. I picked up the pouch and I proceeded to deplane. And I told the outbound crew that I found a pouch and I was going to give it to the agent. I saw the agent coming down and I gave the pouch to the agent. And I told him where I found it and went home. On my way home a supervisor called me and told me that a slide was deployed at my door. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he and his flying partner that day were interviewed separately by their air carrier management and both gave the same account of each flight attendant witnessing the other's door disarmed. The reporter stated that he doubted himself and lost sleep over the possibility that his error could have harmed someone. Ultimately; the reporter heard from other ground catering personnel that the caterer who opened the door was terminated. The reporter has not received any remedial training and has not heard anything further from his air carrier about this event. Supplemental information from acn 683627: it was an overwhelming flight; families; a lot of kids and a lot of bags. During taxi in and while we were in our jumpseats; a passenger came running to the lavatory. I notified the cockpit and made an announcement. Then a kid came to the lavatory. Followed by his father and a lady; all this during taxi in. We told them the danger of being up during that time and the lady went back to her seat but father and kid went to use the lavatory. We arrived at the gate and the 'disarmed your door' announcement was made. I disarmed my door (3L); flight attendant #4 went to his door; passenger still was coming to the lavatories. I stood at the aft galley entrance to let them know which lavatory to use while we are on the ground. All passenger left the aircraft and I heard flight attendant #4 say 'disarmed disarmed.' supplemental information from acn 683628: after quickly boarding delayed inbound flight; flight attendants completed briefing. I was #3. Proceeded to aft cabin to complete safety chksand stow luggage. Catering had already begun servicing galley. After preflting items readily accessible I went around the caterer to get aed key to check it before completing checks as caterers were in the galley impeding access. I still had the key in my hand waiting for the galley area to clear so I could finish my checks when I heard the slide at 3R deploy. Caterer had door cracked and was removing trash bin. I called purser and cockpit immediately to advise of situation. No outbound crewmember had advised caterers to enter aircraft through door 3L and due to impeded access to galley no flight attendant had been able to complete all preflight checks in aft galley. Supervisor accused outbound flight attendants of slide deployment as did catering. That is simply not true. Catering also tried to say flight attendants gave okay to enter aircraft. Catering was already onboard prior to flight attendants' arrival. Regardless; catering entered door 3L and deployed 3R. I was unable to see if caterer moved any handles as I was watching boarding passenger while waiting for galley area to clear to complete safety checks.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 FLT ATTENDANT DISTR BY PAX ACCESSING A LAVATORY DURING TAXI-IN DISARMED A SLIDE THAT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DEPLOYED BY CATERING.

Narrative: I WAS FLT ATTENDANT #4 SEATED AT JUMPSEAT 3L INBOARD. MY ASSIGNED DOOR WAS 3R. FLT ATTENDANT #3 WAS SEATED AT JUMPSEAT 3L OUTBOARD. AS WE TAXIED TO THE GATE; A PAX CAME INTO THE AISLE LAVATORY. FLT ATTENDANT #3 CALLED THE COCKPIT TO LET THEM KNOW THAT A PAX WAS IN THE LAVATORY. THEN A KID CAME TO USE THE LAVATORY BUT I TOLD HIM THAT HE NEEDS TO GO BACK TO HIS SEAT. FLT ATTENDANT #3 MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO REMIND PAX TO REMAIN SEATED UNTIL THE SEAT BELT SIGN HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. FINALLY; THE PAX CAME OUT OF THE LAVATORY TO GO TO HER SEAT. NOW; THE SAME KID; HIS FATHER AND ANOTHER PAX CAME TO USE THE LAVATORY; EVEN THOUGH WE WERE STILL TAXIING. THESE PAX INSISTED ON USING THE LAVATORY AND DID NOT COMPLY TO OUR INSTRUCTIONS TO GO TO THEIR SEATS. AT THIS TIME I CALLED THE COCKPIT TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE WERE MORE PAX STANDING UP. I HAD TO CALL SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE THE COCKPIT DID NOT ANSWER MY CALLS EVEN THOUGH WE WERE STILL TAXIING TO THE GATE WITH PEOPLE STANDING UP. WHEN WE PARKED AT THE GATE AND THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS TURNED OFF THE COCKPIT FINALLY ANSWERED MY CALL AND TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT ANSWER ME BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO GET TO THE GATE. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD TO KEEP CALLING TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE WERE MORE PAX STANDING UP AS WE WERE TAXIING. THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE TO DISARM DOORS FOR ARR. I WENT TO MY DOOR 3R AND I DISARMED MY DOOR. AND THEN I SAW FLT ATTENDANT #3 DISARMED HIS DOOR 3L. AT THIS TIME THERE WERE PAX TRYING TO GET TO THE AFT LAVATORY BUT FLT ATTENDANT #3 DID NOT LET THEM USE IT ON THE GND. I WENT TO GET MY MANUAL TO LOOK UP WHAT IS THE PROC TO NOTIFY THE COCKPIT WHEN PAX WERE STANDING UP DURING TAXI AND ARE NOT COMPLYING WITH FLT ATTENDANT INSTRUCTIONS. I LOOKED FOR IT IN THE MANUAL AS PAX WERE DEPLANING AND I COULD NOT FIND IT AND I GAVE UP MY SEARCH. I LOOKED AT FLT ATTENDANT #3 DOOR AND IT WAS DISARMED. BY THIS TIME MOST PAX HAVE DEPLANED AND I WENT TO GATHER MY BELONGINGS WHEN I SAW A POUCH WITH IPOD'S ATTACHMENTS IN IT. AT THIS TIME THE CLEANING CREW HAS BOARDED AND THEY WERE IN THE GALLEY CLEANING. I PICKED UP THE POUCH AND I PROCEEDED TO DEPLANE. AND I TOLD THE OUTBOUND CREW THAT I FOUND A POUCH AND I WAS GOING TO GIVE IT TO THE AGENT. I SAW THE AGENT COMING DOWN AND I GAVE THE POUCH TO THE AGENT. AND I TOLD HIM WHERE I FOUND IT AND WENT HOME. ON MY WAY HOME A SUPVR CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT A SLIDE WAS DEPLOYED AT MY DOOR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE AND HIS FLYING PARTNER THAT DAY WERE INTERVIEWED SEPARATELY BY THEIR ACR MGMNT AND BOTH GAVE THE SAME ACCOUNT OF EACH FLT ATTENDANT WITNESSING THE OTHER'S DOOR DISARMED. THE RPTR STATED THAT HE DOUBTED HIMSELF AND LOST SLEEP OVER THE POSSIBILITY THAT HIS ERROR COULD HAVE HARMED SOMEONE. ULTIMATELY; THE RPTR HEARD FROM OTHER GND CATERING PERSONNEL THAT THE CATERER WHO OPENED THE DOOR WAS TERMINATED. THE RPTR HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY REMEDIAL TRAINING AND HAS NOT HEARD ANYTHING FURTHER FROM HIS ACR ABOUT THIS EVENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 683627: IT WAS AN OVERWHELMING FLT; FAMILIES; A LOT OF KIDS AND A LOT OF BAGS. DURING TAXI IN AND WHILE WE WERE IN OUR JUMPSEATS; A PAX CAME RUNNING TO THE LAVATORY. I NOTIFIED THE COCKPIT AND MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. THEN A KID CAME TO THE LAVATORY. FOLLOWED BY HIS FATHER AND A LADY; ALL THIS DURING TAXI IN. WE TOLD THEM THE DANGER OF BEING UP DURING THAT TIME AND THE LADY WENT BACK TO HER SEAT BUT FATHER AND KID WENT TO USE THE LAVATORY. WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE AND THE 'DISARMED YOUR DOOR' ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE. I DISARMED MY DOOR (3L); FLT ATTENDANT #4 WENT TO HIS DOOR; PAX STILL WAS COMING TO THE LAVATORIES. I STOOD AT THE AFT GALLEY ENTRANCE TO LET THEM KNOW WHICH LAVATORY TO USE WHILE WE ARE ON THE GND. ALL PAX LEFT THE ACFT AND I HEARD FLT ATTENDANT #4 SAY 'DISARMED DISARMED.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 683628: AFTER QUICKLY BOARDING DELAYED INBOUND FLT; FLT ATTENDANTS COMPLETED BRIEFING. I WAS #3. PROCEEDED TO AFT CABIN TO COMPLETE SAFETY CHKSAND STOW LUGGAGE. CATERING HAD ALREADY BEGUN SVCING GALLEY. AFTER PREFLTING ITEMS READILY ACCESSIBLE I WENT AROUND THE CATERER TO GET AED KEY TO CHK IT BEFORE COMPLETING CHKS AS CATERERS WERE IN THE GALLEY IMPEDING ACCESS. I STILL HAD THE KEY IN MY HAND WAITING FOR THE GALLEY AREA TO CLR SO I COULD FINISH MY CHKS WHEN I HEARD THE SLIDE AT 3R DEPLOY. CATERER HAD DOOR CRACKED AND WAS REMOVING TRASH BIN. I CALLED PURSER AND COCKPIT IMMEDIATELY TO ADVISE OF SITUATION. NO OUTBOUND CREWMEMBER HAD ADVISED CATERERS TO ENTER ACFT THROUGH DOOR 3L AND DUE TO IMPEDED ACCESS TO GALLEY NO FLT ATTENDANT HAD BEEN ABLE TO COMPLETE ALL PREFLT CHKS IN AFT GALLEY. SUPVR ACCUSED OUTBOUND FLT ATTENDANTS OF SLIDE DEPLOYMENT AS DID CATERING. THAT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. CATERING ALSO TRIED TO SAY FLT ATTENDANTS GAVE OKAY TO ENTER ACFT. CATERING WAS ALREADY ONBOARD PRIOR TO FLT ATTENDANTS' ARR. REGARDLESS; CATERING ENTERED DOOR 3L AND DEPLOYED 3R. I WAS UNABLE TO SEE IF CATERER MOVED ANY HANDLES AS I WAS WATCHING BOARDING PAX WHILE WAITING FOR GALLEY AREA TO CLR TO COMPLETE SAFETY CHKS.

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.