A FLT ATTENDANT BECAME TRAPPED IN THE LAVATORY DURING FLT. FLC WAS NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR. ACFT LANDED WITH THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE LAVATORY.

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DSNDING INTO PHL; ABOUT 10 MINS OUT FROM THE AIRFIELD; THE FLC RECEIVED A CALL ON THE INTERPHONE FROM THE CABIN. A MALE VOICE CAME ON; A PAX; TO TELL US THAT OUR FEMALE FLT ATTENDANT WAS LOCKED INTO THE LAVATORY AND SHE COULD NOT GET OUT. I SENT THE FO BACK TO INVESTIGATE. HE WAS GONE FOR A COUPLE OF MINS. HE CAME BACK TO THE FLT DECK TO TELL ME THAT THE DOOR WAS REALLY STUCK. I SENT HIM BACK AGAIN WITH A JACK KNIFE TO TRY TO WORK THE LOCK. A FEW MINS LATER THE FO CALLED ME ON THE INTERPHONE AND SAID HE COULD NOT GET THE DOOR OPEN. HE SAID THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS OK; AND I THEN ASKED HIM TO COME BACK TO THE COCKPIT. I THEN MADE THE IN-RANGE CALL TO PHL OPS. I TOLD THEM WE WERE IN RANGE AND WE HAD A PROB WITH THE LAV DOOR; AND THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS LOCKED IN THE LAV. I ASKED THEM TO CALL OUR FLT CTL AND MAINT TO COORDINATE MAINT VAN MEETING THE ACFT. HE LAUGHED; SAID HE UNDERSTOOD AND WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. WE MONITORED THE FREQ; NO OTHER XMISSIONS WERE MADE. THE FO; ON HIS WAY BACK TO THE FLT DECK; SECURED THE ACFT FOR LNDG MAKING SURE ITEMS WERE STOWED; SEAT BELTS WERE ON; TRAY TABLES WERE STOWED. AFTER SEATING HIMSELF THE FO RPTED CABIN WAS SECURE FOR LNDG AND TOLD ME HE CHKED EACH PAX SEAT BELT. WE RAN THROUGH THE CHKLIST FOR LNDG AND BRIEFED EACH OTHER ON TRYING TO MAKE THE LNDG AND ROLLOUT AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE. I MADE A PAX ANNOUNCEMENT TELLING THE CABIN WE WOULD BE LNDG SHORTLY AND TO STOW PERSONAL ITEMS AND MAKE SURE THE SEAT BELT WAS SECURELY FASTENED ABOUT THEM. AFTER A NORMAL LNDG; WE TAXIED TO PARKING WHERE A MAINT VAN WAS WAITING. THE FO DEPLANED THE PAX MAKING SURE THE PROP TIE WAS ON BEFORE THEY DEPLANED. AFTER THE PAX HAD DEPLANED; 2 MAINT PEOPLE CAME ON BOARD TO FREE THE FLT ATTENDANT FROM THE LAV. THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL WITH THE DOOR LATCH AND RESORTED TO TAKING THE DOOR OFF THE HINGES TO GET HER OUT. AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION ABOUT LAV DOOR MEL'S I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT IF SHE WAS OK TO WHICH SHE SAID YES. I ASKED THE FO TO WRITE UP THE LAV DOOR IN THE MAINT LOG WHILE I WENT INSIDE TO CALL FLT CTL. INSIDE OPS I CALLED FLT CTL AND SAID I WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE WAS 'IN THE LOOP' ON THIS FLT WITH THE BROKEN LAV DOOR. I ASKED TO TALK TO MAINT AND FLT CTL PUT ME THROUGH. I TALKED TO MAINT CTL BRIEFLY; THEN TURNED THE PHONE OVER TO THE MAINT PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON THE DOOR TO FINISH THE DOCUMENTATION. I PROCEEDED BACK OUT TO THE ACFT TO SET UP FOR THE NEXT FLT WHICH WAS NOW PRETTY LATE. THESE WERE THE EVENTS AS THEY UNFOLDED. THE COMPANY SELF DISCLOSED TO THE FAA BEFORE THEY ASKED ME OR ANYONE FROM THE CREW FOR A RPT. I BELIEVE WE ALL DID A GOOD JOB TO BRING THIS FLT TO A SAFE CONCLUSION. I WANT TO COMMEND THE FLT ATTENDANT; WHO WAS BRAND NEW TO THE COMPANY; FOR KEEPING A COOL HEAD; GETTING THE PAX ATTN AND EXPLAINING HOW TO USE THE INTERPHONE TO CALL US IN THE FLT DECK WHILE TALKING THROUGH THE DOOR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CAPT STATES THAT THE DOOR HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP THE DAY BEFORE; AND SIGNED OFF AS REPAIRED; BUT OBVIOUSLY IT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE D328 (MODEL 10 ACFT); ACCORDION DESIGN LAVATORY DOOR HAS 2 PANELS WHICH BEND INWARD WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED. RPTR DESCRIBED 2 HOOKS ON THE DOOR ITSELF; WHICH OVERLAP AND CONNECT ONTO A PIN ON THE DOOR FRAME. THE HOOKS ON THE DOOR WERE APPARENTLY JAMMED. THE FLC DIDN'T THINK OF HOLDING AS AN OPTION SINCE A FRONTAL SYS HAD JUST PASSED; THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE TURB; AND THEY WERE IN PHL AIRSPACE. IN MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKING; THE RPTR NOW THINKS THAT IN AN EMER; HE WOULD HAVE USED PHYSICAL FORCE AGAINST THE DOOR. (THE USE OF THE CRASH AXE MAY HAVE CAUSED HARM TO THE FLT ATTENDANT.) THE COMPANY REQUESTED AN INCIDENT RPT WHICH WAS PROBABLY FORWARDED TO THE POI.