Narrative:

On descent into las the first officer handed the trays back to the flight attendant. We had a reinforced cockpit door and he could not get it closed. He asked the flight attendant to push on the door as he pulled it shut. As she did this, the upper blowout panel came loose and struck the first officer in the forehead, opening a wound about 2 inches long. He felt dizzy and blood was coming from the wound. He sat on the cockpit jumpseat and applied direct pressure to the wound. As he felt dizzy, I elected to have him situation in the jumpseat for landing. I declared a medical emergency with ZLA. Flight attendant said he was a private pilot and he would be glad to help if he could. I elected to put him in the first officer seat so he could assist me with the radio communications. The only thing he touched was the radio to change frequency and the hand-held microphone. At no time did he touch any other controls in the cockpit. Paramedics met the flight on arrival and advised the first officer to seek medical attention. Supplemental information from acn 569440: in-flight with new cockpit door -- first officer was closing from inside and the flight attendant was pushing from outside when the door's blowout panel opened and struck the first officer in the forehead causing a horizontal, 2 inch laceration above the right eye. The captain ordered first aid and for the first officer to situation in the jumpseat and apply ice and direct pressure for the remainder of the flight. Medical emergency was declared and for safety the flight attendant, a rated private pilot, assisted in visual lookout and some communication with the company. At no time did he touch or manipulate any other controls except the hand microphone for communications. We landed with no problems. We were met by paramedics and proceed to the hospital emergency room for medical attention. First officer was removed from the rest of the sequence. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter has had several doors open on takeoff roll. He does not know what procedure the air carrier uses to ensure proper door operation when the new door is installed. The air carrier has issued a daily operating bulletin cautioning that pilots have been injured trying to get the door closed in-flight. The door in the B757-200 opens outward. After attempting to close the door by slamming it, the first officer asked the flight attendant for help. The flight attendant then pushed on the top of the door, which happened to be the pressurization blowout panel. It came open, hit the first officer on the head, and caused the injury.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757-200 FO WAS INJURED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE THE NEW 'FORTIFIED' COCKPIT DOOR INFLT.

Narrative: ON DSCNT INTO LAS THE FO HANDED THE TRAYS BACK TO THE FLT ATTENDANT. WE HAD A REINFORCED COCKPIT DOOR AND HE COULD NOT GET IT CLOSED. HE ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO PUSH ON THE DOOR AS HE PULLED IT SHUT. AS SHE DID THIS, THE UPPER BLOWOUT PANEL CAME LOOSE AND STRUCK THE FO IN THE FOREHEAD, OPENING A WOUND ABOUT 2 INCHES LONG. HE FELT DIZZY AND BLOOD WAS COMING FROM THE WOUND. HE SAT ON THE COCKPIT JUMPSEAT AND APPLIED DIRECT PRESSURE TO THE WOUND. AS HE FELT DIZZY, I ELECTED TO HAVE HIM SIT IN THE JUMPSEAT FOR LNDG. I DECLARED A MEDICAL EMER WITH ZLA. FLT ATTENDANT SAID HE WAS A PVT PLT AND HE WOULD BE GLAD TO HELP IF HE COULD. I ELECTED TO PUT HIM IN THE FO SEAT SO HE COULD ASSIST ME WITH THE RADIO COMS. THE ONLY THING HE TOUCHED WAS THE RADIO TO CHANGE FREQ AND THE HAND-HELD MIKE. AT NO TIME DID HE TOUCH ANY OTHER CONTROLS IN THE COCKPIT. PARAMEDICS MET THE FLT ON ARR AND ADVISED THE FO TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 569440: INFLT WITH NEW COCKPIT DOOR -- FO WAS CLOSING FROM INSIDE AND THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS PUSHING FROM OUTSIDE WHEN THE DOOR'S BLOWOUT PANEL OPENED AND STRUCK THE FO IN THE FOREHEAD CAUSING A HORIZ, 2 INCH LACERATION ABOVE THE R EYE. THE CAPT ORDERED FIRST AID AND FOR THE FO TO SIT IN THE JUMPSEAT AND APPLY ICE AND DIRECT PRESSURE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. MEDICAL EMER WAS DECLARED AND FOR SAFETY THE FLT ATTENDANT, A RATED PVT PLT, ASSISTED IN VISUAL LOOKOUT AND SOME COM WITH THE COMPANY. AT NO TIME DID HE TOUCH OR MANIPULATE ANY OTHER CTLS EXCEPT THE HAND MIKE FOR COMS. WE LANDED WITH NO PROBS. WE WERE MET BY PARAMEDICS AND PROCEED TO THE HOSPITAL EMER ROOM FOR MEDICAL ATTN. FO WAS REMOVED FROM THE REST OF THE SEQUENCE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR HAS HAD SEVERAL DOORS OPEN ON TKOF ROLL. HE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT PROC THE ACR USES TO ENSURE PROPER DOOR OP WHEN THE NEW DOOR IS INSTALLED. THE ACR HAS ISSUED A DAILY OPERATING BULLETIN CAUTIONING THAT PLTS HAVE BEEN INJURED TRYING TO GET THE DOOR CLOSED INFLT. THE DOOR IN THE B757-200 OPENS OUTWARD. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE THE DOOR BY SLAMMING IT, THE FO ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT FOR HELP. THE FLT ATTENDANT THEN PUSHED ON THE TOP OF THE DOOR, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE THE PRESSURIZATION BLOWOUT PANEL. IT CAME OPEN, HIT THE FO ON THE HEAD, AND CAUSED THE INJURY.

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.