MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Attendant Current
Situational Awareness; Distraction
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
I am the number one flight attendant. We arrived to the gate; I made my 'Verify/Disarm' p.a.; as I looked out the window I noticed the jet bridge wasn't moving. I went over to the 1R door and disarmed. Came back to the 1L and remember moving the red strap to look out; still the jet bridge wasn't moving. I did my all call; I remember opening the closet door as well as the locking the pilot door in place and moving my sweater out of the jump seat. The jet bridge took a good while to move towards the plane; the captain even made a p.a. letting passengers know the agent was working on getting the jet bridge over to the aircraft. I didn't realize I hadn't fully disarmed the 1L door; because the strap was pinned to the side and not across; when the agent knocked I gave a thumbs up. The agent opened the door; said it took them a while because she was training the new girl. The agent opened the door about halfway and the slide fell out of the door compartment; it didn't inflate automatically. The agents and I noticed the slide pack so I notified the captain right away. The captain moved the slide pack to side and it inflated in the jet bridge; thankfully nobody was hurt.I was distracted by the jet bridge not moving; as we're not supposed to disarm until the jet bridge approaches the aircraft. As well as the red strap not being across the window.Make sure to follow the Monitor and Challenge procedures.
Inadvertent slide deployment:Upon arrival at the gate; after the gate agent opened the main cabin door; the Number One Flight Attendant (FA) told the flight crew that the slide had fallen off the door. The Captain left his seat; and went into the cabin; while I remained on the flight deck. I then heard a loud hiss as the slide inflated. By the time I left my seat; the slide had been removed; along with the girt bar; and was stowed on the jet bridge out of the way.I believe the door was never properly disarmed. It appeared that the gate agent who was moving the jet bridge was under instruction; and it took longer than usual to get the jet bridge to the plane. That may have caused enough of a break in habit pattern to cause the Number 1 FA to forget to disarm the door.Since you can only tell from the inside the cabin if an MD80 door is disarmed; I believe FA's should open the main cabin door on arrival.
A Flight Attendant and flight crew in an MD-80 reported that the forward entry door slide deployed after opening the door.