Incident Details
A flight attendant fell from the main cabin doorway of a Boeing 737 to the tarmac while the airplane was parked. The aircraft had been completely closed and the jetway pushed back in preparation for departure.
Sequence of Events
An agent appeared at the end of the jetway and asked if two additional passengers could board. The captain agreed, and the agent proceeded back up the jetway to retrieve the passengers without moving the jetway back to the airplane. The flight attendant was advised of this situation. The captain then made a pre-departure announcement over the public address system. When the announcement concluded, a passenger informed the captain that the flight attendant had fallen from the airplane.
Background
At the time of the accident, the flight attendant had been flying with the company for four months. According to the airline's written procedures, the flight attendant was required to disarm and 'crack' the cabin door by rotating the handle enough to break the seal. The gate agent would have been responsible for actually opening the door. If the gate agent had specifically asked for assistance, then the flight attendant would have helped open the cabin door.