Incident Overview
On January 12, 2024, at approximately 01:00 local time, a passenger fell from the rear door of an ATR 72-500 aircraft onto the apron at Jyväskylä Airport. The aircraft, operated by Nordic Regional Airlines Oy (Norra) on behalf of Finnair Oyj as flight AY289 from Helsinki, had landed around 00:50 and parked. After engines were shut down, ground staff knocked on the rear door to signal it could be opened.
Sequence of Events
The cabin crew member waited for the seatbelt signs to turn off before opening the door. During engine shutdown, emergency lights briefly illuminated, then returned to normal. The cabin crew member opened the rear door, which is equipped with integrated passenger stairs and handrails. After opening, the handrails appeared normal, and passengers began deplaning. The first few passengers did not use the front handrail. One passenger noticed the front handrail push downward but pulled it back up.
The fifth passenger, holding a jacket and luggage in the left hand, grasped the front handrail approximately 30–40 cm from its top with the right hand and started descending. The front handrail then unexpectedly folded downward, causing the passenger to lose balance and fall head-first and side-first from the top step onto the apron.
The cabin crew member at the rear did not see the fall due to the passenger in front but heard the impact. A ground staff member at the forward cargo door and the fourth passenger who had deplaned quickly arrived to assist. Another passenger and ground staff member also came. Ground staff notified the emergency center at 01:03, and an ambulance was dispatched.
The cabin crew member then noticed the front handrail was folded down, lifted it, and locked it in place. The remaining passengers deplaned without incident. The injured passenger was taken to the terminal before the ambulance arrived at 01:33 and was transported to Keski-Suomi Central Hospital for further treatment.
Background
The ATR 72-500 is a turboprop aircraft with passenger access via the rear door, which includes steep stairs and handrails on both sides. Under normal conditions, the cabin crew uses a quick-release pin to lock the front handrail in the upright position before opening the door. In an emergency, the pin is left in its storage holder, allowing the handrail to drop down to facilitate evacuation. The rear handrail automatically deploys.
Crew instructions require checking that the quick-release pin is properly inserted and the handrail is locked before allowing passengers to use the stairs. The pin must be confirmed by pulling the ring at its end. Damaged or incorrectly positioned pins can cause the handrail to fold and result in passenger injury. Training on door operation is provided during annual recurrent training.
The quick-release pin is an MS-standard part with a 40 cm red attention flag. During flight, the pin is stored vertically in its holder. After landing, it should be moved to a bracket about 5 cm away, locking the handrail mechanism so it remains upright when the door opens. When the door is closed for departure, the pin is removed from the bracket and placed back in the holder.
The aircraft manufacturer has not described the proper handrail operation in maintenance documentation nor defined inspection requirements for its functionality. ATR issued an All Operators Message (AOM 42/72/2016/11) in 2016, updated in 2018, about incidents where the quick-release pin detached, causing passenger injuries. Following the AOM, operational guidance was revised, and operators were urged to replace the pins with a different type. Norra implemented these recommendations.
Investigation Findings
The investigation revealed that the handrail mechanism on the accident aircraft did not function as intended. When the door was opened without the pin inserted, the handrail remained nearly upright. When loaded, it folded down, as in the incident. The red attention flag remained in approximately the same position regardless of whether the pin was stored or inserted, making it unreliable for visual confirmation.
The cabin crew member who opened the door forgot to secure the handrail mechanism and left the pin in its storage holder. Contributing factors may have included an unclear situation due to knocks on the door and the activation of emergency lights, as well as possible fatigue related to the time of night.
The accident was possible because the handrail mechanism was stiff and remained upright, appearing operational. The proximity of the correct and incorrect pin positions made visual detection difficult. The investigation indicated that forgetting to install the quick-release pin is not uncommon, but such events are not comprehensively reported, hindering improvements.
The operator’s instructions regarding door and pin usage were not logically ordered, making it difficult to adopt a clear and consistent procedure. The manufacturer has not specified maintenance checks for the handrail mechanism.
Probable Cause
The passenger's fall resulted from the front handrail of the aircraft's steps unexpectedly folding down.