Narrative:

During the change-over from first break to second break; 2 of the second break flight attendants waiting to go up into the crew bunks noticed that door 5R was not in the armed position. They discreetly armed the door. Then they noticed that door 5L was not armed as well; and attempted to arm it but could not because it was frozen and snapped immediately back to disarmed when the arming lever was moved. They contacted the purser and the captain. The captain informed the purser that we would try to arm the door after descending below FL180 on our approach into ZZZ. Following my break (second break) I asked the purser what the final outcome was regarding arming the door and what we would do as far as possibly treating the door as 'inoperative' and moving passenger to seats far enough away from 5L as we were only about 3/4 full in economy. She told me that the captain had told her what I stated earlier about arming the door after FL180. I also asked her if I needed to fill out a safety report or if she would. She said that the captain told her that 'no reports were necessary since there was a very good chance that the door would be able to be armed below FL180. She said that we did not need to move passenger and we would continue as normal. I went back to the economy galley and discussed this with the aft purser and the other 2 flight attendants; that were working with us. We all agreed that this was not something we were comfortable with; especially since the 4 of us had encountered many problems on the flight out with the 2 flight attendants that were assigned to 5L and 5R. The aft purser had spoken to the 2 flight attendants several times about the problems we had during the service on the previous segment as well as this current flight. The 2 flight attendants became very hostile towards the aft purser and myself and remained that way on the flight home. This information will be relevant shortly. Shortly after our discussion the flight became turbulent and the flight deck told us to be seated. The flight attendant that normally sits next to me at 4R (he was inboard) sat at 4L because he was closer to that jumpseat. He noticed that 4L was now not armed. He immediately armed the door. This shocked me because this door is the one that I crosschecked at departure because it is my secondary exit and I am 110% positive that it was armed at departure. The aft purser and I decided to ask the passenger at 4L if they had noticed anyone approach the door other than her or the flight attendant that re-armed it. 2 of the passenger at 4L were actually pilots for other carriers and they stated that they couldn't be sure if anyone else approached the door because they had dozed off periodically during the flight. We chose not to discuss this information with anyone else for fear that the door 5 flight attendants might create an even worse situation knowing that we discovered that the door (4L) had been disarmed. I went to speak to the purser again to ask her if she at least told the 2 door 5 flight attendants that they had to file a safety report and then said that she gave each of them the phone number and the web site information to file the report. I am filing this now because I am convinced that the 2 flight attendants sitting at door 5L and 5R did not file a safety report. I am filing this now because I cannot believe that a captain responsible for all of our lives would tell us not to file any reports when this is a clear violation of safety protocols; not to mention the inference that one of the 2 flight attendants at door 5 would disarm 4L in order to be vengeful to the aft purser. I am disappointed in the captain and the purser for placing me and the rest of the crew in a position where we would question our actions with regards to filing safety reports. There should be no question whether or not the reports should have been filed. The reports should have been filed immediately following the conclusion of the flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-400 FLT ATTENDANT REPORTS DISCOVERING DISARMED MAIN CABIN DOORS IN FLT AND ORDERED NOT TO FILE SAFETY REPORTS EXPOSING THE TRANSGRESSIONS.

Narrative: DURING THE CHANGE-OVER FROM FIRST BREAK TO SECOND BREAK; 2 OF THE SECOND BREAK FLT ATTENDANTS WAITING TO GO UP INTO THE CREW BUNKS NOTICED THAT DOOR 5R WAS NOT IN THE ARMED POS. THEY DISCREETLY ARMED THE DOOR. THEN THEY NOTICED THAT DOOR 5L WAS NOT ARMED AS WELL; AND ATTEMPTED TO ARM IT BUT COULD NOT BECAUSE IT WAS FROZEN AND SNAPPED IMMEDIATELY BACK TO DISARMED WHEN THE ARMING LEVER WAS MOVED. THEY CONTACTED THE PURSER AND THE CAPT. THE CAPT INFORMED THE PURSER THAT WE WOULD TRY TO ARM THE DOOR AFTER DSNDING BELOW FL180 ON OUR APCH INTO ZZZ. FOLLOWING MY BREAK (SECOND BREAK) I ASKED THE PURSER WHAT THE FINAL OUTCOME WAS REGARDING ARMING THE DOOR AND WHAT WE WOULD DO AS FAR AS POSSIBLY TREATING THE DOOR AS 'INOP' AND MOVING PAX TO SEATS FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM 5L AS WE WERE ONLY ABOUT 3/4 FULL IN ECONOMY. SHE TOLD ME THAT THE CAPT HAD TOLD HER WHAT I STATED EARLIER ABOUT ARMING THE DOOR AFTER FL180. I ALSO ASKED HER IF I NEEDED TO FILL OUT A SAFETY RPT OR IF SHE WOULD. SHE SAID THAT THE CAPT TOLD HER THAT 'NO RPTS WERE NECESSARY SINCE THERE WAS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT THE DOOR WOULD BE ABLE TO BE ARMED BELOW FL180. SHE SAID THAT WE DID NOT NEED TO MOVE PAX AND WE WOULD CONTINUE AS NORMAL. I WENT BACK TO THE ECONOMY GALLEY AND DISCUSSED THIS WITH THE AFT PURSER AND THE OTHER 2 FLT ATTENDANTS; THAT WERE WORKING WITH US. WE ALL AGREED THAT THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING WE WERE COMFORTABLE WITH; ESPECIALLY SINCE THE 4 OF US HAD ENCOUNTERED MANY PROBS ON THE FLT OUT WITH THE 2 FLT ATTENDANTS THAT WERE ASSIGNED TO 5L AND 5R. THE AFT PURSER HAD SPOKEN TO THE 2 FLT ATTENDANTS SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT THE PROBS WE HAD DURING THE SVC ON THE PREVIOUS SEGMENT AS WELL AS THIS CURRENT FLT. THE 2 FLT ATTENDANTS BECAME VERY HOSTILE TOWARDS THE AFT PURSER AND MYSELF AND REMAINED THAT WAY ON THE FLT HOME. THIS INFO WILL BE RELEVANT SHORTLY. SHORTLY AFTER OUR DISCUSSION THE FLT BECAME TURBULENT AND THE FLT DECK TOLD US TO BE SEATED. THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT NORMALLY SITS NEXT TO ME AT 4R (HE WAS INBOARD) SAT AT 4L BECAUSE HE WAS CLOSER TO THAT JUMPSEAT. HE NOTICED THAT 4L WAS NOW NOT ARMED. HE IMMEDIATELY ARMED THE DOOR. THIS SHOCKED ME BECAUSE THIS DOOR IS THE ONE THAT I XCHKED AT DEP BECAUSE IT IS MY SECONDARY EXIT AND I AM 110% POSITIVE THAT IT WAS ARMED AT DEP. THE AFT PURSER AND I DECIDED TO ASK THE PAX AT 4L IF THEY HAD NOTICED ANYONE APPROACH THE DOOR OTHER THAN HER OR THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT RE-ARMED IT. 2 OF THE PAX AT 4L WERE ACTUALLY PLTS FOR OTHER CARRIERS AND THEY STATED THAT THEY COULDN'T BE SURE IF ANYONE ELSE APPROACHED THE DOOR BECAUSE THEY HAD DOZED OFF PERIODICALLY DURING THE FLT. WE CHOSE NOT TO DISCUSS THIS INFO WITH ANYONE ELSE FOR FEAR THAT THE DOOR 5 FLT ATTENDANTS MIGHT CREATE AN EVEN WORSE SITUATION KNOWING THAT WE DISCOVERED THAT THE DOOR (4L) HAD BEEN DISARMED. I WENT TO SPEAK TO THE PURSER AGAIN TO ASK HER IF SHE AT LEAST TOLD THE 2 DOOR 5 FLT ATTENDANTS THAT THEY HAD TO FILE A SAFETY RPT AND THEN SAID THAT SHE GAVE EACH OF THEM THE PHONE NUMBER AND THE WEB SITE INFO TO FILE THE RPT. I AM FILING THIS NOW BECAUSE I AM CONVINCED THAT THE 2 FLT ATTENDANTS SITTING AT DOOR 5L AND 5R DID NOT FILE A SAFETY RPT. I AM FILING THIS NOW BECAUSE I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT A CAPT RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF OUR LIVES WOULD TELL US NOT TO FILE ANY RPTS WHEN THIS IS A CLEAR VIOLATION OF SAFETY PROTOCOLS; NOT TO MENTION THE INFERENCE THAT ONE OF THE 2 FLT ATTENDANTS AT DOOR 5 WOULD DISARM 4L IN ORDER TO BE VENGEFUL TO THE AFT PURSER. I AM DISAPPOINTED IN THE CAPT AND THE PURSER FOR PLACING ME AND THE REST OF THE CREW IN A POS WHERE WE WOULD QUESTION OUR ACTIONS WITH REGARDS TO FILING SAFETY RPTS. THERE SHOULD BE NO QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT THE RPTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN FILED. THE RPTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN FILED IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE FLT.

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.