What happened
The aircraft, a Boeing 737, was parked and fully prepared for departure with the cabin doors closed and the jetway pushed back from the airplane. During this phase, a gate agent arrived at the end of the jetway to request that two additional passengers be allowed to board the flight. The captain agreed to the request, and the agent returned up the jetway to retrieve the passengers without repositioning the jetway to the aircraft.
The flight attendant was notified of the situation regarding the additional passengers. Following this, the captain performed a pre-departure announcement over the public address system. Immediately after the announcement concluded, a passenger informed the captain that the flight attendant had fallen from the airplane onto the tarmac. The flight attendant sustained injuries during the fall.
Findings
At the time of the accident, the flight attendant had been employed with the company for four months. Under the airline's established written procedures, the flight attendant was responsible for disarming the door and "cracking" it by rotating the handle sufficiently to break the seal. The responsibility for fully opening the cabin door rested with the gate agent. The procedures specified that the flight attendant would only assist in opening the door if the gate agent specifically requested help.