Narrative:

Upon arriving at the gate; we discovered that the aircraft had no maintenance release due to door 4R malfunctioning. An air carrier mechanic told us (captain; first officer; and myself) the arm/disarm lever wasn't working correctly. This discrepancy was not in the paperwork we had just gone over in flight operations. After further discussion and inspection; we determined that the door opening handle was also not functioning properly. Both the arm/disarm lever and the door handle were either stuck or sticking. Any movement had to be forced. None of our female flight attendants had the strength to move the door handle; even when they threw their body weight into it. All of the other seven aircraft doors were operating normally. In the beginning it was apparent that no one expected us to fly this aircraft. Maintenance had not issued a maintenance release and had no estimate when one might be forthcoming. We were told there were no spare aircraft. A customer service agent informed captain that passenger operations wanted the captain to refuse the aircraft. Captain replied he couldn't refuse the aircraft because it had not been released to him. The customer service agent asked him to refuse it anyway. Captain again refused to accept this request; saying it was maintenance's responsibility. At this point; things began to change. Supervisors got involved and a must-fly imperative began to take precedence over whether the door was safe. Maintenance began to try to pressure captain to accept a deferral and take the aircraft 'as is.' a maintenance supervisor made the ridiculous argument that he could 'move people in the coach seats forward;' so no one would be near the door in case either it or the slide blew. He showed captain a log sheet from a different B777 that had flown with a similar discrepancy. Captain pointed out it was a domestic flight during daylight and not a nine-hour international flight across the equator at night over high mountains and jungle. A customer service supervisor entered the picture and began applying pressure on captain to get the flight out. He communicated several times that passenger operations wanted to board the aircraft. He asked a number of questions that suggested that the captain might not be looking at the 'big picture.' an in-flight supervisor arrived and was present; but did not participate in any communications with the captain that I observed. Captain made numerous calls to dispatch; maintenance control; the flight duty manager; and the chief pilots. After approximately three hours; maintenance got the arming lever and door handle to where they would only stick a little bit. They still did not operate smoothly and normally. The maintenance supervisor insisted the door was ok. During the demonstration of how well the door worked; the right-hand girt bar viewing window inexplicably popped out; as if to make a point. The captain indicated he would not accept the aircraft under these circumstances. Maintenance issued maintenance release anyway. Captain refused the aircraft; ending the conversation. During this four-hour process; the flight crew made three flight write-ups via ACARS. The last one included a description of the malfunctioning arm/disarm lever and the door handle; plus the words 'aircraft refused.' all flight operations personnel (system chief pilot; domicile chief pilot; dispatch; duty flight manager) were in agreement with captain's command decision. The flight crew (minus flight attendants) were sent to the short field layover hotel to rest. We were advised we would still fly the trip the following day. The next day; we were assigned the same aircraft at a different gate. During our preflight briefing; the first thing we noticed was that the maintenance/deferred item list did not include all of our write-ups from the previous evening. Specifically; it did not contain the log entry with 'aircraft refused.' captain called maintenance control and was told by the B777 controller that 'a new maintenance directive required the purging of specific references to captains refusing aircraft in order to preclude

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UPON ARRIVING AT THE GATE; A B777-200 FLIGHT CREW DISCOVER CABIN DOOR 4-RIGHT 'ARM/DISARM' LEVER AND DOOR HANDLE WERE MALFUNCTIONING. WITH NO REFERENCE TO DOOR PROBLEM IN THE MAINTENANCE RELEASE. CAPTAIN REFUSES AIRCRAFT.

Narrative: UPON ARRIVING AT THE GATE; WE DISCOVERED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD NO MAINT RELEASE DUE TO DOOR 4R MALFUNCTIONING. AN ACR MECHANIC TOLD US (CAPTAIN; FO; AND MYSELF) THE ARM/DISARM LEVER WASN'T WORKING CORRECTLY. THIS DISCREPANCY WAS NOT IN THE PAPERWORK WE HAD JUST GONE OVER IN FLIGHT OPS. AFTER FURTHER DISCUSSION AND INSPECTION; WE DETERMINED THAT THE DOOR OPENING HANDLE WAS ALSO NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. BOTH THE ARM/DISARM LEVER AND THE DOOR HANDLE WERE EITHER STUCK OR STICKING. ANY MOVEMENT HAD TO BE FORCED. NONE OF OUR FEMALE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HAD THE STRENGTH TO MOVE THE DOOR HANDLE; EVEN WHEN THEY THREW THEIR BODY WEIGHT INTO IT. ALL OF THE OTHER SEVEN AIRCRAFT DOORS WERE OPERATING NORMALLY. IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS APPARENT THAT NO ONE EXPECTED US TO FLY THIS AIRCRAFT. MAINTENANCE HAD NOT ISSUED A MAINT RELEASE AND HAD NO ESTIMATE WHEN ONE MIGHT BE FORTHCOMING. WE WERE TOLD THERE WERE NO SPARE AIRCRAFT. A CUSTOMER SVC AGENT INFORMED CAPTAIN THAT PAX OPS WANTED THE CAPTAIN TO REFUSE THE AIRCRAFT. CAPTAIN REPLIED HE COULDN'T REFUSE THE AIRCRAFT BECAUSE IT HAD NOT BEEN RELEASED TO HIM. THE CUSTOMER SVC AGENT ASKED HIM TO REFUSE IT ANYWAY. CAPTAIN AGAIN REFUSED TO ACCEPT THIS REQUEST; SAYING IT WAS MAINTENANCE'S RESPONSIBILITY. AT THIS POINT; THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE. SUPERVISORS GOT INVOLVED AND A MUST-FLY IMPERATIVE BEGAN TO TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER WHETHER THE DOOR WAS SAFE. MAINTENANCE BEGAN TO TRY TO PRESSURE CAPTAIN TO ACCEPT A DEFERRAL AND TAKE THE AIRCRAFT 'AS IS.' A MAINT SUPERVISOR MADE THE RIDICULOUS ARGUMENT THAT HE COULD 'MOVE PEOPLE IN THE COACH SEATS FORWARD;' SO NO ONE WOULD BE NEAR THE DOOR IN CASE EITHER IT OR THE SLIDE BLEW. HE SHOWED CAPTAIN A LOG SHEET FROM A DIFFERENT B777 THAT HAD FLOWN WITH A SIMILAR DISCREPANCY. CAPTAIN POINTED OUT IT WAS A DOMESTIC FLIGHT DURING DAYLIGHT AND NOT A NINE-HOUR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT ACROSS THE EQUATOR AT NIGHT OVER HIGH MOUNTAINS AND JUNGLE. A CUSTOMER SVC SUPERVISOR ENTERED THE PICTURE AND BEGAN APPLYING PRESSURE ON CAPTAIN TO GET THE FLIGHT OUT. HE COMMUNICATED SEVERAL TIMES THAT PAX OPS WANTED TO BOARD THE AIRCRAFT. HE ASKED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT SUGGESTED THAT THE CAPTAIN MIGHT NOT BE LOOKING AT THE 'BIG PICTURE.' AN IN-FLIGHT SUPERVISOR ARRIVED AND WAS PRESENT; BUT DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CAPTAIN THAT I OBSERVED. CAPTAIN MADE NUMEROUS CALLS TO DISPATCH; MAINT CTL; THE FLT DUTY MANAGER; AND THE CHIEF PILOTS. AFTER APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS; MAINT GOT THE ARMING LEVER AND DOOR HANDLE TO WHERE THEY WOULD ONLY STICK A LITTLE BIT. THEY STILL DID NOT OPERATE SMOOTHLY AND NORMALLY. THE MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR INSISTED THE DOOR WAS OK. DURING THE DEMONSTRATION OF HOW WELL THE DOOR WORKED; THE RIGHT-HAND GIRT BAR VIEWING WINDOW INEXPLICABLY POPPED OUT; AS IF TO MAKE A POINT. THE CAPTAIN INDICATED HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE AIRCRAFT UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES. MAINTENANCE ISSUED MAINT RELEASE ANYWAY. CAPTAIN REFUSED THE AIRCRAFT; ENDING THE CONVERSATION. DURING THIS FOUR-HOUR PROCESS; THE FLIGHT CREW MADE THREE FLT WRITE-UPS VIA ACARS. THE LAST ONE INCLUDED A DESCRIPTION OF THE MALFUNCTIONING ARM/DISARM LEVER AND THE DOOR HANDLE; PLUS THE WORDS 'AIRCRAFT REFUSED.' ALL FLIGHT OPERATIONS PERSONNEL (SYSTEM CHIEF PILOT; DOMICILE CHIEF PILOT; DISPATCH; DUTY FLT MANAGER) WERE IN AGREEMENT WITH CAPTAIN'S COMMAND DECISION. THE FLIGHT CREW (MINUS FLIGHT ATTENDANTS) WERE SENT TO THE SHORT FIELD LAYOVER HOTEL TO REST. WE WERE ADVISED WE WOULD STILL FLY THE TRIP THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE NEXT DAY; WE WERE ASSIGNED THE SAME AIRCRAFT AT A DIFFERENT GATE. DURING OUR PREFLIGHT BRIEFING; THE FIRST THING WE NOTICED WAS THAT THE MAINTENANCE/DEFERRED ITEM LIST DID NOT INCLUDE ALL OF OUR WRITE-UPS FROM THE PREVIOUS EVENING. SPECIFICALLY; IT DID NOT CONTAIN THE LOG ENTRY WITH 'AIRCRAFT REFUSED.' CAPTAIN CALLED MAINT CTL AND WAS TOLD BY THE B777 CONTROLLER THAT 'A NEW MAINTENANCE DIRECTIVE REQUIRED THE PURGING OF SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO CAPTAINS REFUSING AIRCRAFT IN ORDER TO PRECLUDE

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.