AN MD SUPER 80 ON TKOF ROLL HAD A FORWARD GALLEY FOOD CART DOOR OPEN AND SPILL THE CONTENTS ON THE FLOOR. CART WAS OF NEW TYPE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE ACFT BUFFET COUNTER LATCHES.

Narrative

A NEW TYPE OF GALLEY CART; WITH A METALLIC FINISH ONLY; WAS ON THE ACFT IN THE FORWARD GALLEY; IN A FORWARD POS. ON ROTATION; THIS CART OPENED AND CONTENTS BEGAN TO SPILL OUT ON THE FLOOR. UPON INSPECTION; IT IS APPARENT THAT THE AIRPLANE SWING DOWN LATCHES DO NOT COME DOWN FAR ENOUGH TO SECURE THE DOOR ON THIS TYPE CART. THE LATCH IS A RATHER FLIMSY APPARATUS WHICH WAS OVERCOME ON TKOF BY THE WT OF THE CONTENTS IN THE CART. THESE ARE NEW CARTS AND ANOTHER WAS INSTALLED IN THE AFT GALLEY. THIS ONE WAS POSITIONED IN AN AFT POS; SO THE DOOR OPENED FORWARD AND WAS NOT IN A POS TO BE A HAZARD ON TKOF. ALSO; THE LATCHES IN THE AFT GALLEY WERE LONG ENOUGH OR THE CART WAS TALL ENOUGH FOR THEM TO WORK AS A BACKUP TO HOLD THE DOOR SHUT. IT APPEARS THAT THE NEW CART IS SLIGHTLY SHORTER THAN THE BLUE CARTS IN USE PREVIOUSLY AND OTHERS MAY HAVE THIS SAME PROB. IF THEY CANNOT BE RECALLED; THEN I SUGGEST THEY BE USED IN THE AFT PORTION OF THE GALLEYS ONLY TO PRECLUDE OPENING ON TKOF AND PRESENTING A SAFETY HAZARD TO FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX IN EMER EXIT AREAS. THE NUMBER ON THE DOOR OF THE OFFENDING CART WAS XXX.