B737 flight crew reported landing gear manual extension access door difficult to open on several aircraft.
Synopsis
B737 flight crew reported landing gear manual extension access door difficult to open on several aircraft.
Narrative
I recently found 2 manual extension access doors that were stuck and could not be opened manually during preflight; preventing access to the manual gear extension handles. This was over the course of just 4 trips (about 25 flights) since I began incorporating the check during preflight. I offer this for your awareness as it is a potential safety issue.A captain of mine a few weeks ago mentioned that he opens the door during each preflight because it can sometimes be stuck. I began doing the same.During one preflight; both I and my Captain were unable to lift the circular ring handle with our fingers in order to open the door. We both tried using a flathead screwdriver and then a knife from catering but were still unable to pry it open. We submitted an ELB (Electronic Log Book) and had maintenance come out to open the door.The second occurrence was later in Aircraft X in ZZZ. Neither the Captain nor I could open the door manually. This time we were able to pry open the ring handle with the flathead screwdriver.The safety concern is that this would present as a minimum excess time and attention; detracting from monitor-and-crosscheck and adding complications to a non-normal (such as requiring added vectors); and at most the inability to manually extend the gear in several situations.One situation of concern is dual engine failure after takeoff. If turning back to make a runway or highway while gliding; pilots would need the ability to quickly manually extend the gear.Any other non-normal situation would also be compounded in complexity and risk. A pilot would need to unstrap and climb out of the seat to work on the door. This would likely occur below 10;000 while conducting the other tasks that would accompany a non-normal.
Second reporter narrative
FO brought to my attention that the manual gear extension access door on the flight deck floor could not be opened. The small ring that is used to pull the door up was stuck down and couldn't be raised by either of us. By using a screwdriver; we were able to lift this ring and open the door. It seems that sticky substances accumulate in this recessed area..spilled drinks; cleaning solutions; etc. This would effectively prevent flight crew from deploying the landing gear using the manual extension handles in a timely manner.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.