2011-10 · NASA ASRS report 977727
A B737's L2 door safety strap was trapped in the door seal after it was closed but the crew decided to depart only to return to the departure airport because of the excessively loud squeal.
After we had done the safety briefing; we were in the back galley. The aircraft was in taxi out mode. The other Flight Attendant noticed that the safety strap at the L2 door was stuck in the door. I tried to pull it back in; but it would not budge. I saw some light coming through from where the strap was. I called the flightdeck; apologized for interrupting; and asked if they were showing any indications of the integrity of the seal being breeched. He said everything looked fine. I told him about the strap. I said that if he could stop the aircraft; I could quickly crack the door and bring the strap back in. He said it wasn't as easy as that because the aircraft was already pressurized. I then asked him what the ramifications could be if we left it alone. He said that it might cause a squealing sound on climb but should eventually go away when we leveled off. So; I said as long as there weren't any warning bells; and he was comfortable with leaving it; then I would leave it alone. I also said that I would contact him if anything happened. As soon as we took off; the door started squealing; and it actually got louder the higher we went. It could be heard full force all the way up to the divider. It was like a horn being blown. I waited until 10;000 to see if it would go away; but it didn't. I called the pilots; and they could hear it over the intercom without me telling them. He suggested putting a wet rag on it. That didn't do anything. No one was complaining about any physical reactions; except the other Flight Attendant was getting a headache. The noise was just so obnoxiously loud that it wasn't right to put the passengers through it. So; the Captain returned to the departure airport. On the ground; a mechanic from one of the smaller airlines; came and checked out the door seal; said it was fine; we took on more gas; and we left. Maybe emphasizing something like 'strap check' in the whole door closure routine.
Excessively loud squeal from L2 Door caused by safety strap caught in door pressure seal. [I] elected to return to the departure airport to remove safety strap. Flight Attendant called us in the cockpit from the back of the aircraft while we were approaching the runway prior to takeoff to advise us that a safety strap was caught in an aft service/entry door. After a discussion of the situation with the crew and verification by the Flight Attendant visually and by cockpit indication that the doors were closed and locked; my assessment was that there were no associated safety of flight issues and no risk of damage to the aircraft. I discussed my assessment with the crew; considered the alternatives and the comfort level of the crew with the process; and elected to go. As is the case in situations like this; there were factors that biased my assessment that it would be OK to fly with the strap in the door frame. My bias factors were: 1. Previous experience. I had experienced safety straps in the doors of Boeing aircraft on occasion over the years; and had discussed with others their experiences. That basis of experience set my frame of reference to the situation. My mindset was that if there was no metal piece of the strap caught in the door; and nothing extending to the outside of the door; that we could operate with safety and without risk of aircraft damage. 2. Progress of flight and operational considerations. We were operating out of an airport without a Control Tower; with a limitation for one IFR or special VFR aircraft allowed to operate in the airspace at a time. We had our clearance; and had aircraft waiting behind us to receive their clearance after we exited the airspace. We discussed the possibility of having the Flight Attendant pop open the door and pull the strap in; but we were pre-pressurized for takeoff and I was not keen on the safety aspect of having the door popped open without stairs up to the aircraft. So the remaining option was to taxi down the runway and back to the ramp; shut down; bring the stairs; and open the door to clear the strap. That option also would have made it necessary to refuel to bring us back to our required fuel after the taxi burn; which at this particular airport equates to a significant wait time for the fueler to show up. Did I make the right choice? No. That was apparent to me immediately during climbout when the flight attendants called on the Service Interphone and I could hear the squeal in the background. I had heard pressure squeals in the past but nothing close to the loudness of this one. Would I make that choice again? No. What I will do and what I would share with other crews is that it is necessary to clear the strap from the door frame prior to flight. Doesn't matter if it requires a taxi-back; another de-ice; more fuel; ATC clearance issues; or any other operationally undesirable factors which exist.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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