Narrative:

Flight just after departure from mci the senior flight attendant called and said a strap was outside the forward service door and could be heard banging against the side of the aircraft. I advised him that we were going to return to land. We took off an runway 1 and landed on 27. Taxied to the gate and inspected the door. In then called company maintenance control and advised them about what had happened and that there appeared to be no damage to the door whatsoever. They had me make a logbook entry and called maintenance to reinspect the door which they did and signed off the logbook and aircraft as having no damage. I then contacted dispatch to reconfirm a fuel load requirement which we agreed to increase because of WX in dca. We then again departed. It appeared that the strap was the restraining strap about 1 inch wide and that while catering was servicing the aircraft the wind had blown the strap outside and over one of the door hinges preventing the strap from just falling back inside if the wind had died down. Catering had closed the door and only about 23 inches of the strap visible under the circumstances. Relocation and/or a self rewinding strap should be considered as the strap from the inside is almost impossible to see under the circumstances.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPTED A STRAP HANGING OUT THE DOOR AND FLAPPING AGAINST FUSELAGE. CAPT RETURNED AND LANDED ACFT FOR MAINT INSPECTION. REFUELING. AGAIN DEPARTING.

Narrative: FLT JUST AFTER DEP FROM MCI THE SENIOR FLIGHT ATTENDANT CALLED AND SAID A STRAP WAS OUTSIDE THE FORWARD SVC DOOR AND COULD BE HEARD BANGING AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE ACFT. I ADVISED HIM THAT WE WERE GOING TO RETURN TO LAND. WE TOOK OFF AN RWY 1 AND LANDED ON 27. TAXIED TO THE GATE AND INSPECTED THE DOOR. IN THEN CALLED COMPANY MAINT CTL AND ADVISED THEM ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE NO DAMAGE TO THE DOOR WHATSOEVER. THEY HAD ME MAKE A LOGBOOK ENTRY AND CALLED MAINT TO REINSPECT THE DOOR WHICH THEY DID AND SIGNED OFF THE LOGBOOK AND ACFT AS HAVING NO DAMAGE. I THEN CONTACTED DISPATCH TO RECONFIRM A FUEL LOAD REQUIREMENT WHICH WE AGREED TO INCREASE BECAUSE OF WX IN DCA. WE THEN AGAIN DEPARTED. IT APPEARED THAT THE STRAP WAS THE RESTRAINING STRAP ABOUT 1 INCH WIDE AND THAT WHILE CATERING WAS SVCING THE ACFT THE WIND HAD BLOWN THE STRAP OUTSIDE AND OVER ONE OF THE DOOR HINGES PREVENTING THE STRAP FROM JUST FALLING BACK INSIDE IF THE WIND HAD DIED DOWN. CATERING HAD CLOSED THE DOOR AND ONLY ABOUT 23 INCHES OF THE STRAP VISIBLE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. RELOCATION AND/OR A SELF REWINDING STRAP SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS THE STRAP FROM THE INSIDE IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.