A320 Captain reported air bag style seat belts misfired on the ground; injuring three passengers. The aircraft was removed from service for evaluation and repair.
Synopsis
A320 Captain reported air bag style seat belts misfired on the ground; injuring three passengers. The aircraft was removed from service for evaluation and repair.
Narrative
About 15-20 [minutes] prior to push back sitting in the flight deck there was a loud 'crack' sound which sounded like a cart had fallen over. Soon after we smelled spent gunpowder up front. I went to check and observed Person A (B Flight Attendant (FA)) assisting guests in row X. He looked at me and said that the passengers had been injured in that row as the airbags in those seats had inadvertently gone off. I instructed the First Officer to 1. Call Operations and send EMS immediately and 2. Contact Maintenance to send a person/team to see what could be done in this situation. I made an announcement regarding the situation and that we were aware of the connection status of a number of our guests and would be looking at ways to mitigate delays for them. As the injured passengers were being attended to by EMS a decision was made to remove the aircraft from service. The entire FA team should be commended for their quick and cool response. Person A (B) immediately rushed to assist the guests while the A and C asked everyone to remain out of the aisles. Person B was perfectly clear as to what he needed...'Three injuries...EMS...NOW!' That's exactly what works and the team should be commended for their quick and calm response. Maintenance made the right call to remove the aircraft from service as it could have been an installation issue or manufacturer problem; etc. We won't know until the seats are inspected in detail.
NASA callback
Reporter stated he is unsure of the cause of the airbag detonation. He stated all three airbags in the row detonated; and with enough force that the trim surrounding the window at that aisle was damaged. Passenger injuries were limited to minor skin irritation and all passengers continued on the flight on another aircraft. The Maintenance Technician working the problem theorized that perhaps the g-meter beneath the seat was triggered by the passenger in the row behind the incident possibly shoving a carry-on bag beneath the seat in front of him with excessive force.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.