B737-700
Flight Attendant Current
Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors
Parked at the gate; I unarmed the forward passenger door. When I removed the girt bar from the brackets to put into clamps; one side did not catch into the clamp on the door and instead fell back into the bracket. I did not notice it; so when I removed the red strap and grabbed the handle; I lifted the handle and cracked the door. At that instance; the slide inside the bustle dropped and landed on my left foot. I immediately looked down; kept the door cracked; and signaled the Operation's Agent to stop from trying to open the door. At that point; I told the Operation's Agent what was happening and asked Flight Attendant 'C' to tell the Captain. Between the Operations Agent and me; we figured out a plan to get the door open without deploying the slide. I had to close the door enough while slide was on my foot in order to release the girt bar from bracket. Once done; the Operation's Agent and I had to lift the slide off my foot and push it back into the bustle. Holding from the bottom of the bustle; the Operations Agent and myself got the door open. The slide was still exposed so the Operation's Agent called for a Mechanic to come and check it. Meanwhile; we begin to deplane the passengers. I needed to make sure that the girt bar was in the clamp on the door. I was not rushed nor was I distracted. It was a very unusual incident that the bar fell right back into the bracket.
A B737 Flight Attendant completely removed only one side of Door 1L girth bar before opening it. When she noticed the slide moving she re-closed the door; then with an Agent's help removed the slide safely allowing the door to open.