AIRLINE HAS UNESCORTED PAX LOOSE IN THE SECURE AREA OF ARPT RAMP.

1999-07 · NASA ASRS report 445820

Date: 1999-07 · Aircraft: DC-9 40 · Phase: ground

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|flight-deck-cabin-aircraft-event-other-unknown

Synopsis

AIRLINE HAS UNESCORTED PAX LOOSE IN THE SECURE AREA OF ARPT RAMP.

Narrative

INVESTIGATION BY THE CAPT REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE INADVERTENT DEPLANING OF PAX WAS CAUSED BY A COMS BREAKDOWN WITHIN THE CREW. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: WHEN CAPT DIRECTED LEAD FLT ATTENDANT TO OPEN AFT DOOR; LEAD FLT ATTENDANT RELAYED THE REQUEST TO THE AFT CABIN FLT ATTENDANT VIA ACFT INTERPHONE. FLT ATTENDANT IN AFT CABIN OPENED AFT DOOR LEADING TO VENTRAL STAIRWAY. PAX OBSERVED DOOR OPENING; UNSEATED THEMSELVES AND FREELY FILED OUT THE DOOR UNRESTR. THIS TOOK PLACE WHICH THE 'FASTEN SEATBELTS' SIGN WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. THIS DEPLANEMENT WAS NEVER DIRECTED OR AUTH BY EITHER FLT MEMBER. FURTHERMORE; A PA ANNOUNCEMENT WAS NEVER MADE BY ANY CREW MEMBER ADVISING PAX THAT A DEPLANEMENT WAS TO COMMENCE OUT ANY EXIT. NOTE: UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION; IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE AFT CABIN DID NOT KNOW HOW TO CLOSE THE AFT CABIN DOOR ONCE IT HAD LOCKED ITSELF IN THE OPEN POS. BASED UPON CAPT'S POST INCIDENT INTERVIEW WITH THE CREW MEMBERS; AFTER CAPT HAD MADE AN INFORMATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING POSSIBLE USAGE OF AFT STAIRS; AND WHEN THE REQUEST WAS MADE TO OPEN THE AFT CABIN DOOR; ASSUMPTIONS WERE MADE BY THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT CAPT HAD AUTH THE DEPLANING OF PAX THROUGH THE AFT VENTRAL STAIRS. THOSE ASSUMPTIONS WERE INCORRECT. THE FLC DID NOT OBSERVE THE DEPLANEMENT. FURTHERMORE; FLC MEMBERS WERE NEVER ADVISED OR NOTIFIED BY ANYONE THAT DEPLANING WAS UNDERWAY. THIS INCLUDES THE INFO EXCHANGE WITH THE STATION AGENT WHO INITIALLY APCHED THE ACFT AND ENTERED THE COCKPIT VIA THE AFT VENTRAL STAIRS. THE FIRST INDICATION TO THE FLC THAT PAX HAD ESCAPED WAS WHEN THE FO NOTICED THE 2 YOUNG WOMEN WALKING TOWARDS THE TERMINAL. THE SECOND INDICATION WAS BY AN ACARS MESSAGE THAT THE FLC RECEIVED WHILE TALKING TO THE STATION AGENT IN THE COCKPIT. HAD THE FLC BEEN NOTIFIED IN A TIMELY MANNER THAT DEPLANING WAS OCCURRING; PERHAPS THE SECURITY BREACH COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. SUMMARY OF RPTR'S ATTACHMENT: ACFT DIVERTED TO ENRTE ALTERNATE DUE TO SEVERE WX AT DEST. THE ARR STATION PARKED ACFT AWAY FROM TERMINAL BECAUSE OF LACK OF PERSONNEL AND GATE SPACE. SEVERAL CALLS WERE MADE TO THE COMPANY OPS TO GET AIR CONDITIONING AND STAIRWAYS; ETC; WITHOUT MUCH RESULT. ACFT INVOLVED HAD A VENTRAL STAIRWAY THAT WAS LOWERED TO GIVE STATION PERSONNEL ACCESS TO THE ACFT. DURING THE TIME THAT THAT ENTRY TO THE ACFT WAS OPEN; THERE WAS ENOUGH LACK OF COM BTWN THE STATION AND THE CREW MEMBERS AND THE PAX THAT PAX LEFT THE ACFT AND WERE UNESCORTED ON THE SECURE RAMP AREA OUTSIDE THE TERMINAL. PAX WERE RETRIEVED AND ACCOUNTED FOR. SUBSEQUENTLY ALL PAX WERE TAKEN OFF THE ACFT AND PROCESSED THROUGH SECURITY BEFORE ACFT DEPARTED.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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