Return land mandated by open equipment access door on B-737.

Attributes
ACN	311920
Time
Date	199507
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ewr
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : ewr
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 190 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 500
ASRS Report	311920
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I had completed the walkaround (exterior inspection) on our aircraft and we were in the cockpit with all doors closed when we observed the tire screen light illuminated. I told the captain that I had not observed anything unusual with the tire screens as I had remembered checking the wheel wells. The ground crew lead reported that he had completed his walkaround and that all doors and access panels were closed. He was asked by the captain to rechk particularly the wheel well area, which he did, and indicated that it all looked okay. We departed ewr and were unable to pressurize the aircraft. We made an uneventful return to ewr where the mechanics discovered the equipment access door open, which is on the lower fuselage behind the nose gear.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RETURN LAND MANDATED BY OPEN EQUIP ACCESS DOOR ON B-737.

Narrative: I HAD COMPLETED THE WALKAROUND (EXTERIOR INSPECTION) ON OUR ACFT AND WE WERE IN THE COCKPIT WITH ALL DOORS CLOSED WHEN WE OBSERVED THE TIRE SCREEN LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I HAD NOT OBSERVED ANYTHING UNUSUAL WITH THE TIRE SCREENS AS I HAD REMEMBERED CHKING THE WHEEL WELLS. THE GND CREW LEAD RPTED THAT HE HAD COMPLETED HIS WALKAROUND AND THAT ALL DOORS AND ACCESS PANELS WERE CLOSED. HE WAS ASKED BY THE CAPT TO RECHK PARTICULARLY THE WHEEL WELL AREA, WHICH HE DID, AND INDICATED THAT IT ALL LOOKED OKAY. WE DEPARTED EWR AND WERE UNABLE TO PRESSURIZE THE ACFT. WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL RETURN TO EWR WHERE THE MECHS DISCOVERED THE EQUIP ACCESS DOOR OPEN, WHICH IS ON THE LOWER FUSELAGE BEHIND THE NOSE GEAR.

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.