Q400
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Other / Unknown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; General Maintenance Action
Weather; Aircraft
The Captain performed the post flight walk around at our intermediate stop. It was morning twilight; 0C OAT with wind gusts to 25 KTS. It was COLD! While passengers were loading ground personnel advised us their belt loader was inoperative and they were physically loading bags up the aft loading stairs into the cargo pit. As we prepared for an on time departure a ground agent advised the 'forward cargo door has a flap sticking out of the bottom of the door.' He continued; 'It came [into the gate] that way.' He asked if the Captain wanted to view the door but he said he was good to go. (He assumed it was a door seal that was not aligned in door.) We closed the doors; ran the check lists; started engines; taxied out and took off normally. Climbing through 12;700 FT AGL the Master warning chime rang along with the 'Cabin Press' warning light. The Captain leveled off; we ran the checklist and complied with 'max bleed' required by that checklist. [We advised ATC we were taking care of a pressurization problem and would like a revised clearance over the mountainous en route terrain at 10;000 FT. ATC provided an appropriate clearance and the cabin altitude held steady at 8;000 MSL.] We notified Dispatch and asked them to run the fuel burn for our new routing and altitude; all of which were OK. Dispatch passed us off to Maintenance to discuss the pressurization problem. The Captain told Maintenance about the ground agent's comment about a 'Flap out the bottom of cargo door.' Following an uneventful flight; upon arrival Maintenance met the aircraft and determined the 'forward cargo door depressurization door flap was fully open and out of adjustment.'
A Q400 crew; during a cold and windy enroute stop; decided not to check a report from the ground crew of a 'flap' sticking out of the cargo door. During the subsequent climb out toward mountainous terrain they experienced pressurization problems; but fortunately were able to reroute and stay at an altitude at which pressurization below 10;000 MSL could be maintained. Maintenance determined the un-investigated flap was a fully deployed cargo door depressurization flap.