Narrative:

First discrepancy: the airplane was not parked at the gate. I was taxiing the airplane and we were several minutes from the gate. In fact; it took 5 or more minutes to even get a gate. Second discrepancy: most importantly; my seat was not moved aft nor was it in the process of being moved aft. I was taxiing the airplane when the incident occurred. I would not have been moving my seat at that time! Thirdly: my seat was not jammed against the jumpseat footrest. The position of my seat had nothing to do with the jumpseat footrest retraction. In fact; there was significant space between the back of my seat and the footrest. There was no contact between the two which could have contributed to this malfunction. It would be a mistake to allow anyone to think that this incident could only happen when the seat is moved aft; which is one possible scenario but not the one that actually occurred. I don't know for sure how the jumpseat rider actually did amputate the tip of his finger but I can tell you that it did not happen while my seat was being moved. In the interest of safety; I think it should be clear that this B757 retractable footrest has an inherent design flaw with a guillotine-like mechanism that can injure someone in a host of different ways. I think what also should be mentioned is that the captain's hands are in the vicinity of this footrest every time he places his flight bag in its normal location. One can easily imagine the possibility of losing their balance and by reflex extending their hands on top of (or worse yet; into) the footrest! Maybe we will be starting a new 'digit-less' pilot group! Previous report below: upon landing; I proceeded to taxi to the south ramp. The jumpseat rider who was sitting immediately behind the captain's seat called out that he cut his finger off. At that point I was still taxiing the airplane and I directed my first officer to attend to his needs. My first officer retrieved the fingertip; helped to apply pressure to the wound and tried to calm jumpseater. While this was taking place; I requested an immediate gate since ours was not available. I was advised by ramp that no gates were available so we had to wait approximately 5 minutes to get any gate. Of course; I notified ramp that we had an injured pilot in the cockpit and it was urgent for us to get to a gate and for ramp to call for medical assistance to meet the airplane. Also during this brief wait; I had the chief purser page for a doctor on board and to bring ice and paper towels to the cockpit. I allowed the doctor in the cockpit to assess the injury and care for the jumpseater. The doctor suggested that the severed fingertip be wrapped in ice and also suggested methods to help control the bleeding. After arriving at the gate; the passengers were told by me to stay in their seats so the paramedics could get in the cockpit in order to attend to the jumpseater. After the passengers deplaned; the jumpseater was seated in first class and given further medical attention by the paramedics; including an iv. After being assured that he had proper medical attention; I tried to determine how this incident happened. I learned that he got his finger caught in the retractable cockpit jumpseat footrest. This footrest has scissors-like mechanisms on the left and right sides. I believe it must have gotten stuck in the down position; consequently; he must have reached down to retract it and got his finger in the scissor mechanism which snapped shut; thus severing the finger. My first officer actually found the finger still wedged in the mechanism. After I left the airplane; I contacted the flight manager and advised him of the situation. I asked him to advise me of all legal notification requirements; and I also suggested that he contact the proper departments to issue an advisory of the danger of this particular B757 jumpseat footrest. He was unsure of the answers to all of the above so he called me back. He also asked if my first officer and I

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier Captain describes a situation where a jumpseat occupant severs his fingertip in the footrest of the B757 cockpit jumpseat.

Narrative: First discrepancy: The airplane WAS NOT parked at the gate. I was taxiing the airplane and we were several minutes from the gate. In fact; it took 5 or more minutes to even get a gate. Second discrepancy: Most importantly; my seat WAS NOT moved aft nor was it in the process of being moved aft. I was taxiing the airplane when the incident occurred. I would not have been moving my seat at that time! Thirdly: My seat was not jammed against the jumpseat footrest. The position of my seat had nothing to do with the jumpseat footrest retraction. In fact; there was significant space between the back of my seat and the footrest. There was NO CONTACT between the two which could have contributed to this malfunction. It would be a mistake to allow anyone to think that this incident could only happen when the seat is moved aft; which is one possible scenario but not the one that actually occurred. I don't know for sure how the jumpseat rider actually did amputate the tip of his finger but I can tell you that it DID NOT happen while my seat was being moved. In the interest of safety; I think it should be clear that this B757 retractable footrest has an inherent design flaw with a guillotine-like mechanism that can injure someone in a host of different ways. I think what also should be mentioned is that the Captain's hands are in the vicinity of this footrest every time he places his flight bag in its normal location. One can easily imagine the possibility of losing their balance and by reflex extending their hands on top of (or worse yet; into) the footrest! Maybe we will be starting a new 'digit-less' pilot group! Previous report below: Upon landing; I proceeded to taxi to the south ramp. The Jumpseat Rider who was sitting immediately behind the Captain's seat called out that he cut his finger off. At that point I was still taxiing the airplane and I directed my First Officer to attend to his needs. My First Officer retrieved the fingertip; helped to apply pressure to the wound and tried to calm Jumpseater. While this was taking place; I requested an immediate gate since ours was not available. I was advised by ramp that no gates were available so we had to wait approximately 5 minutes to get any gate. Of course; I notified ramp that we had an injured Pilot in the cockpit and it was urgent for us to get to a gate and for ramp to call for medical assistance to meet the airplane. Also during this brief wait; I had the Chief Purser page for a Doctor on board and to bring ice and paper towels to the cockpit. I allowed the Doctor in the cockpit to assess the injury and care for the Jumpseater. The Doctor suggested that the severed fingertip be wrapped in ice and also suggested methods to help control the bleeding. After arriving at the gate; the passengers were told by me to stay in their seats so the paramedics could get in the cockpit in order to attend to the Jumpseater. After the passengers deplaned; the Jumpseater was seated in First Class and given further medical attention by the paramedics; including an IV. After being assured that he had proper medical attention; I tried to determine how this incident happened. I learned that he got his finger caught in the retractable cockpit jumpseat footrest. This footrest has scissors-like mechanisms on the left and right sides. I believe it must have gotten stuck in the down position; consequently; he must have reached down to retract it and got his finger in the scissor mechanism which snapped shut; thus severing the finger. My First Officer actually found the finger still wedged in the mechanism. After I left the airplane; I contacted the Flight Manager and advised him of the situation. I asked him to advise me of all legal notification requirements; and I also suggested that he contact the proper departments to issue an advisory of the danger of this particular B757 jumpseat footrest. He was unsure of the answers to all of the above so he called me back. He also asked if my First Officer and I

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.