Incident Overview
On an unspecified date, a Boeing 757-200 aircraft experienced a flight deck door malfunction during flight. The lead flight attendant had delivered a tray of refreshments to the captain and was attempting to secure the flight deck door. When the flight attendant slammed the door closed, the upper pressure relief latch activated, causing the upper decompression panel to open. The panel fell forward and down, striking the captain on the head and resulting in a 1-inch cut.
Post-Incident Actions
The first officer immediately requested and received clearance for an emergency descent and landing at Denver, Colorado. Following the landing, an examination of the flight deck door revealed that the correct placard was in place; however, the door was not in compliance with the manufacturer's issued Service Bulletin (SB), B231001-52-02, for the Boeing 757-200 flight deck door. Further inspection showed that the doorstop mechanism, mounted on the bottom of the flight deck door, was loose and missing one attachment screw.
Contributing Factors
According to an FAA inspector, the misalignment caused by the missing screw would cause the door to "hang and catch" the floor, requiring added force to close the door. The service bulletin instructed that modified pressure relief latches and latch spacers be installed on the upper and lower decompression panels on flight deck doors, and latch straps be installed on upper panels.
Prior Awareness and Regulatory Response
The airline company and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were aware of previous problems with the flight deck door latches. In response to this incident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an urgent safety recommendation letter requesting the FAA issue an Airworthiness Directive that required compliance with the service bulletin within 90 days. The FAA subsequently issued the appropriate Airworthiness Directive.
Examination Findings
The specific aircraft registration, operator, flight number, date, time of day, and weather conditions were not provided in the source. No information was given regarding other occupants or injuries beyond the captain's cut.