RESTRAINING STRAP OUTSIDE B727 SVC DOOR INFLT. ACFT REPRESSURIZED AND STRAP RETRIEVED.

Narrative

DURING CLBOUT A FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT AND NOTIFIED US THAT A STRAP WAS STUCK IN THE AFT GALLEY DOOR AND WAS BANGING AGAINST THE OUTSIDE OF THE AIRPLANE. I WENT BACK TO EVALUATE THE SIT AND TO ENSURE THAT THE STRAP IN QUESTION WAS PULLED IN AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. I COMPARED THE LENGTH OF THAT STRAP TO THE FULL STRAP AT THE DOOR ACROSS FROM IT. APPROX 1 FT OF THE STRAP REMAINED OUTSIDE THE DOOR AND CONTINUED TO POUND AGAINST THE GALLEY DOOR JUST IN FRONT OF THE ENG. AT THIS POINT; I WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND TOLD THE CAPT THE STATUS OF THE STRAP. AFTER COORD WITH ATC THE PLANE WAS LEVELED AT 12000 FT. WE THEN REFED THE ABNORMAL PROC IN THE FLT MANUAL AND DISCUSSED THEM BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THEM. I THEN BEGAN TO DEPRESSURIZE THE ACFT. ONCE THE PLANE WAS DEPRESSURIZED; I RETURNED TO THE AFT GALLEY AND TRIED TO PULL IN THE REST OF THE STRAP. DUE TO THE PHYSICAL PRESSURE OF THE SEALS AND THE THICKNESS OF THE SNAPS; THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT CLRNC TO PULL IN THE STRAP. I CALLED THE CAPT AND GAVE HIM THIS INFO. WE DECIDED THAT WE COULD SAFELY ROTATE THE DOOR HANDLE JUST ENOUGH TO RELEASE SOME OF THE PRESSURE ON THE SEAL AND PULL IN THE STRAP WITHOUT EVER COMPLETELY DISENGAGING THE DOOR LATCHES. THE HANDLE WAS MOVED APPROX 1/2 INCH. THIS RELEASED ENOUGH OF THE PHYSICAL PRESSURE ON THE SEAL TO ALLOW THE STRAP TO BE PULLED IN. AT NO TIME WAS THE DOOR OPENED OR COMPLETELY UNLATCHED NOR COULD I SEE ANY DAYLIGHT AROUND THE SEALS AT ANY TIME. I THEN RESTORED THE HANDLE TO THE FULLY LOCKED POS AND CALLED THE CAPT TO VERIFY THAT EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL FROM THE COCKPIT. I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND REPRESSURIZED THE ACFT. WE RECEIVED CLRNC FROM ATC AND BEGAN CLBING AND CONTINUED TO EWR WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.