Narrative:

We had 2 maintenance write-ups that had the cumulative effect of requiring us to leave the right engine running at the gate until getting ground power and starting the right engine at the gate before disconnecting ground power. The write-ups were an inoperative APU generator and an equipment cooling fan that had to be operated in the alternate position. Upon arrival at xyz we notified both ramp and maintenance that they would need to keep all ground personnel clear from the airplane until the mechanic hooked up ground power. The message didn't get to the mechanic soon enough, and someone opened the forward cargo door with the right engine running. For safety, we immediately shut down the engine. We flew with this airplane on 3 subsequent legs that day. We notified each station via ACARS and radio of our situation and in almost every situation we had ground personnel get dangerously close to the right engine while it was running. We would get verbal and/or ACARS confirmation messages from these stations about our situation only to find that the actual ground crew (including mechanics) were not aware of our situation. Leaving the right engine running at the gate is, in my opinion, a serious accident waiting to happen.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 CAPT IS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY OF GND PERSONNEL IN AREA OF THE R ENG OPERATING TO CONFORM TO MEL REQUIREMENTS.

Narrative: WE HAD 2 MAINT WRITE-UPS THAT HAD THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF REQUIRING US TO LEAVE THE R ENG RUNNING AT THE GATE UNTIL GETTING GND PWR AND STARTING THE R ENG AT THE GATE BEFORE DISCONNECTING GND PWR. THE WRITE-UPS WERE AN INOP APU GENERATOR AND AN EQUIP COOLING FAN THAT HAD TO BE OPERATED IN THE ALTERNATE POS. UPON ARR AT XYZ WE NOTIFIED BOTH RAMP AND MAINT THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO KEEP ALL GND PERSONNEL CLR FROM THE AIRPLANE UNTIL THE MECH HOOKED UP GND PWR. THE MESSAGE DIDN'T GET TO THE MECH SOON ENOUGH, AND SOMEONE OPENED THE FORWARD CARGO DOOR WITH THE R ENG RUNNING. FOR SAFETY, WE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE ENG. WE FLEW WITH THIS AIRPLANE ON 3 SUBSEQUENT LEGS THAT DAY. WE NOTIFIED EACH STATION VIA ACARS AND RADIO OF OUR SIT AND IN ALMOST EVERY SIT WE HAD GND PERSONNEL GET DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE R ENG WHILE IT WAS RUNNING. WE WOULD GET VERBAL AND/OR ACARS CONFIRMATION MESSAGES FROM THESE STATIONS ABOUT OUR SIT ONLY TO FIND THAT THE ACTUAL GND CREW (INCLUDING MECHS) WERE NOT AWARE OF OUR SIT. LEAVING THE R ENG RUNNING AT THE GATE IS, IN MY OPINION, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.

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.