Narrative:

Once forward entry door was closed, I noticed an unusual amount of exterior noise coming in. It sounded as if door was open. It looked unusual at the top left corner of the door, like a rubber piece of molding was slightly askew. I advised the captain of the excessive noise. I told him I thought something was wrong. He dismissed the possibility of a problem (without getting up to look or listen). We pushed back, and 5 or 10 mins later we took off for mia. Immediately after takeoff, #3 flight attendant and I became very alarmed because the noise level grew to the point at which we could no longer hear each other speak. Also, a very strong wind was blowing in through doorway perimeter. #3 flight attendant went into cockpit to advise them of wind and noise. I followed him 1 or 2 mins later into the cockpit to find out what was happening. The captain informed me that cabin was not pressurizing and that we would be returning to montreal. We flew for about 15 more mins to burn off fuel, so as not to land overweight and then descended for landing. The same dynamics occurred in the forward entry area during landing, except the wind blowing in stronger and much more frigid. The landing was normal. We taxied back to the gate, where a mechanic said he could plainly see door was not properly sealed as he saw us pull up to the jetway. The flight was canceled but then reinstated about 1 hour later when captain, first officer, and mechanic realized that sometimes the door would close properly if the person on the inside of the plane closed the door while pushing in on the upper left corner of door. We reboarded and the first officer closed the door from the inside. The flight left for mia 5 hours late. It was a routine flight to mia. The plane went OTS in mia for the night. I don't appreciate cockpit crew not taking this seriously, when I pointed it out at the gate and I do not think this airplane should have flown to mia! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the captain had told him prior to boarding that the door had been written up in the logbook as being difficult to close, but that the mechanics had ok'ed it to fly. He said that his experience on the B737's was that the agents, which are usually female, have a hard time rotating the handle fully from the outside, so he is always alert to this problem and remains by the door to fully rotate the handle, if necessary. This was the captain's first flight on the B737, and he hadn't even been to the back of the plane yet, so when the reporter told him about the door's problem, the captain quoted the manual's description of the door, because he hadn't any first-hand knowledge of the process. After takeoff, it was so windy that his tie was even blowing around.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B737-800, YUL-MIA. PURSER TOLD CAPT ABOUT UNSEALED FORWARD DOOR, CAPT DISMISSED IT. PRESSURE LEAK ON TKOF CLB. RETURN TO YUL. MAINT HISTORY.

Narrative: ONCE FORWARD ENTRY DOOR WAS CLOSED, I NOTICED AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF EXTERIOR NOISE COMING IN. IT SOUNDED AS IF DOOR WAS OPEN. IT LOOKED UNUSUAL AT THE TOP L CORNER OF THE DOOR, LIKE A RUBBER PIECE OF MOLDING WAS SLIGHTLY ASKEW. I ADVISED THE CAPT OF THE EXCESSIVE NOISE. I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. HE DISMISSED THE POSSIBILITY OF A PROB (WITHOUT GETTING UP TO LOOK OR LISTEN). WE PUSHED BACK, AND 5 OR 10 MINS LATER WE TOOK OFF FOR MIA. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF, #3 FLT ATTENDANT AND I BECAME VERY ALARMED BECAUSE THE NOISE LEVEL GREW TO THE POINT AT WHICH WE COULD NO LONGER HEAR EACH OTHER SPEAK. ALSO, A VERY STRONG WIND WAS BLOWING IN THROUGH DOORWAY PERIMETER. #3 FLT ATTENDANT WENT INTO COCKPIT TO ADVISE THEM OF WIND AND NOISE. I FOLLOWED HIM 1 OR 2 MINS LATER INTO THE COCKPIT TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THE CAPT INFORMED ME THAT CABIN WAS NOT PRESSURIZING AND THAT WE WOULD BE RETURNING TO MONTREAL. WE FLEW FOR ABOUT 15 MORE MINS TO BURN OFF FUEL, SO AS NOT TO LAND OVERWT AND THEN DSNDED FOR LNDG. THE SAME DYNAMICS OCCURRED IN THE FORWARD ENTRY AREA DURING LNDG, EXCEPT THE WIND BLOWING IN STRONGER AND MUCH MORE FRIGID. THE LNDG WAS NORMAL. WE TAXIED BACK TO THE GATE, WHERE A MECH SAID HE COULD PLAINLY SEE DOOR WAS NOT PROPERLY SEALED AS HE SAW US PULL UP TO THE JETWAY. THE FLT WAS CANCELED BUT THEN REINSTATED ABOUT 1 HR LATER WHEN CAPT, FO, AND MECH REALIZED THAT SOMETIMES THE DOOR WOULD CLOSE PROPERLY IF THE PERSON ON THE INSIDE OF THE PLANE CLOSED THE DOOR WHILE PUSHING IN ON THE UPPER L CORNER OF DOOR. WE REBOARDED AND THE FO CLOSED THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. THE FLT LEFT FOR MIA 5 HRS LATE. IT WAS A ROUTINE FLT TO MIA. THE PLANE WENT OTS IN MIA FOR THE NIGHT. I DON'T APPRECIATE COCKPIT CREW NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY, WHEN I POINTED IT OUT AT THE GATE AND I DO NOT THINK THIS AIRPLANE SHOULD HAVE FLOWN TO MIA! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE CAPT HAD TOLD HIM PRIOR TO BOARDING THAT THE DOOR HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP IN THE LOGBOOK AS BEING DIFFICULT TO CLOSE, BUT THAT THE MECHS HAD OK'ED IT TO FLY. HE SAID THAT HIS EXPERIENCE ON THE B737'S WAS THAT THE AGENTS, WHICH ARE USUALLY FEMALE, HAVE A HARD TIME ROTATING THE HANDLE FULLY FROM THE OUTSIDE, SO HE IS ALWAYS ALERT TO THIS PROB AND REMAINS BY THE DOOR TO FULLY ROTATE THE HANDLE, IF NECESSARY. THIS WAS THE CAPT'S FIRST FLT ON THE B737, AND HE HADN'T EVEN BEEN TO THE BACK OF THE PLANE YET, SO WHEN THE RPTR TOLD HIM ABOUT THE DOOR'S PROB, THE CAPT QUOTED THE MANUAL'S DESCRIPTION OF THE DOOR, BECAUSE HE HADN'T ANY FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS. AFTER TKOF, IT WAS SO WINDY THAT HIS TIE WAS EVEN BLOWING AROUND.

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.