Narrative:

Starboard emergency exit window appeared normal on preflight. Climbing through 3000 ft pressurization normal, ie, cabin altitude 0 ft. Upon climbing through 10000 ft, cabin altitude at 10000 ft, descended to 9000 ft. Flight attendant called cockpit saying the emergency exit was very loud. Visual inspection by captain confirmed emergency exit door had shifted. Completed quick reference handbook items, uneventful landing. Mechanics on ground reinstalled emergency exit door and this fixed the problem. Received aircraft midday. Unknown what aircraft used for prior to our flight. Supplemental information from acn 383003: captain inspected window and notified maintenance, and the exit row was kept clear of passenger. We also kept the seatbelt sign on and completed the flight uneventfully in portland. A mechanic inspector said the window was not seated all the way. Callback conversation with reporter acn 383005 revealed the following information: the reporter was the first officer on an ATR42 flight from ewr to pwm. He said that during the preflight he checked the exit doors and they all appeared to be properly seated and flush with the fuselage. He said that this is a normal check for this type of aircraft. As they completed their after takeoff checklist at around 3000 ft he checked that the aircraft was pressurizing normally and it was, he said, the cabin differential was starting to rise. However, as they climbed through 10000 ft the 'cabin high altitude' warning sounded and he said that when he looked at the cabin altitude it was at 10000 ft and climbing. The flight crew immediately started a descent informing N90, according to the reporter. The captain went to the cabin after the attendant informed him of 'air noise' around the right forward emergency exit. The first officer said that the captain told him that the door was not seated and was obviously leaking, but seemed to be stabilized and he planned to continue to destination with the seat belt sign 'on' and no passenger in the same row as the seat. The flight crew informed the company. After landing, the reporter inspected the door. From the outside he saw that part of the door edge protruded approximately 1 inch. The mechanic was able to reseat the door so that it was flush again and it worked normally the rest of the day. The first officer said that he suspects that either mechanics had worked on the aircraft with the door open or emergency exit training had been conducted on the aircraft before the flight crew had flown it. However, there were no entries in the aircraft logbook to reflect these activities.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ATR42 ACR FLC FOUND THAT THE ACFT WOULD NOT PRESSURIZE AS THEY CLBED THROUGH 10000 FT. THE CAPT DETERMINED THAT THE R FORWARD EMER EXIT DOOR WAS NOT PROPERLY SEATED AND THE FLC DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO PWM AT 9000 FT. MECHS PROPERLY REINSTALLED THE DOOR.

Narrative: STARBOARD EMER EXIT WINDOW APPEARED NORMAL ON PREFLT. CLBING THROUGH 3000 FT PRESSURIZATION NORMAL, IE, CABIN ALT 0 FT. UPON CLBING THROUGH 10000 FT, CABIN ALT AT 10000 FT, DSNDED TO 9000 FT. FLT ATTENDANT CALLED COCKPIT SAYING THE EMER EXIT WAS VERY LOUD. VISUAL INSPECTION BY CAPT CONFIRMED EMER EXIT DOOR HAD SHIFTED. COMPLETED QUICK REF HANDBOOK ITEMS, UNEVENTFUL LNDG. MECHS ON GND REINSTALLED EMER EXIT DOOR AND THIS FIXED THE PROB. RECEIVED ACFT MIDDAY. UNKNOWN WHAT ACFT USED FOR PRIOR TO OUR FLT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 383003: CAPT INSPECTED WINDOW AND NOTIFIED MAINT, AND THE EXIT ROW WAS KEPT CLR OF PAX. WE ALSO KEPT THE SEATBELT SIGN ON AND COMPLETED THE FLT UNEVENTFULLY IN PORTLAND. A MECH INSPECTOR SAID THE WINDOW WAS NOT SEATED ALL THE WAY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 383005 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS THE FO ON AN ATR42 FLT FROM EWR TO PWM. HE SAID THAT DURING THE PREFLT HE CHKED THE EXIT DOORS AND THEY ALL APPEARED TO BE PROPERLY SEATED AND FLUSH WITH THE FUSELAGE. HE SAID THAT THIS IS A NORMAL CHK FOR THIS TYPE OF ACFT. AS THEY COMPLETED THEIR AFTER TKOF CHKLIST AT AROUND 3000 FT HE CHKED THAT THE ACFT WAS PRESSURIZING NORMALLY AND IT WAS, HE SAID, THE CABIN DIFFERENTIAL WAS STARTING TO RISE. HOWEVER, AS THEY CLBED THROUGH 10000 FT THE 'CABIN HIGH ALT' WARNING SOUNDED AND HE SAID THAT WHEN HE LOOKED AT THE CABIN ALT IT WAS AT 10000 FT AND CLBING. THE FLC IMMEDIATELY STARTED A DSCNT INFORMING N90, ACCORDING TO THE RPTR. THE CAPT WENT TO THE CABIN AFTER THE ATTENDANT INFORMED HIM OF 'AIR NOISE' AROUND THE R FORWARD EMER EXIT. THE FO SAID THAT THE CAPT TOLD HIM THAT THE DOOR WAS NOT SEATED AND WAS OBVIOUSLY LEAKING, BUT SEEMED TO BE STABILIZED AND HE PLANNED TO CONTINUE TO DEST WITH THE SEAT BELT SIGN 'ON' AND NO PAX IN THE SAME ROW AS THE SEAT. THE FLC INFORMED THE COMPANY. AFTER LNDG, THE RPTR INSPECTED THE DOOR. FROM THE OUTSIDE HE SAW THAT PART OF THE DOOR EDGE PROTRUDED APPROX 1 INCH. THE MECH WAS ABLE TO RESEAT THE DOOR SO THAT IT WAS FLUSH AGAIN AND IT WORKED NORMALLY THE REST OF THE DAY. THE FO SAID THAT HE SUSPECTS THAT EITHER MECHS HAD WORKED ON THE ACFT WITH THE DOOR OPEN OR EMER EXIT TRAINING HAD BEEN CONDUCTED ON THE ACFT BEFORE THE FLC HAD FLOWN IT. HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO ENTRIES IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK TO REFLECT THESE ACTIVITIES.

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.