Incident Description
At 1831, the aircraft landed and parked at the passenger disembarking location. A light rain (drizzle) was falling as passengers began to disembark. A male passenger, the fourth to exit, reported that he descended the stairway carrying a briefcase in his right hand. As he stepped onto the second-to-last step, he slipped and reached for a handrail to support himself. However, at that point, there was no handrail available for him to hold, and he subsequently fell to the pavement, injuring himself.
Aircraft Stairway Configuration
The aircraft was equipped with an integrated stairway that included handrails on both sides. These handrails extended from the cabin door down the stairs to a point where they angled approximately 90 degrees downward and back toward the steps. The lower ends of the handrails were attached at the third step from the bottom of the stairway. The lowest usable portion of the handrails extended beyond the second step from the bottom and at least partially over the bottom step.
Environmental and Equipment Conditions
Although light rain was falling at the time, the stairway was reported as not wet because it had been extended from the aircraft immediately prior to disembarkation. The non-slip covering on the steps was reported to be in good condition. One of the passenger's shoes, described as 'Docksider' style, was found on the stairs. The company also reported that the passenger believed his briefcase might have caught on something as he descended.