What happened
The incident occurred during ground operations involving a Dornier 328 aircraft. A flight attendant was positioned inside the cabin, actively engaged in the process of locking the passenger door. Simultaneously, ground service personnel on the exterior of the aircraft attempted to secure the same door from the outside.
This simultaneous action resulted in the door mechanism catching the flight attendant's hand. The mechanical interference caused significant physical trauma, specifically fracturing her finger and wrist. The injury was a direct result of the conflicting actions taken by the crew member inside and the ground staff outside during the critical phase of door closure.
The investigation
The procedural protocol for the Dornier 328 aircraft dictates a specific sequence for door operation to prevent such conflicts. Ground personnel are responsible for closing the door so that it sits flush with the fuselage. Once the door is physically closed and aligned, the flight attendant inside the cabin is tasked with engaging the locking mechanism.
The investigation highlighted a deviation from this established safety protocol. The ground crew failed to wait for confirmation or completion of the internal locking process before attempting to secure the door externally. This lack of coordination between the external closure and internal locking steps created the hazardous condition that led to the injury.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to the accident was a breakdown in communication and procedural adherence during the door closing sequence. The standard operating procedure requires a clear division of labor: exterior closure followed by interior locking. By attempting to lock the door from the outside while it was being locked from the inside, the ground personnel violated this safety boundary. This action directly caused the mechanical pinching of the flight attendant's hand.
The findings emphasize the necessity for strict adherence to the specific Dornier 328 door operation checklist. Coordination between ground staff and cabin crew is essential to ensure that one party completes their task before the other engages with the same mechanism. Failure to follow this sequence poses a significant risk of injury to personnel involved in boarding and deplaning operations.