Narrative:

Pushback of our aircraft from the gate was terminated uncomfortably close to a regional jet parked on the ramp behind an adjacent gate. Before the ground man on the interphone disconnected, I requested that he have someone watch our right wing as we taxied by. Shortly after we started a slow taxi, first officer said 'stop,' I applied normal braking pressure. First officer repeated 'stop.' when she repeated stop, I applied full brake pressure, as I was concerned that the regional jet had moved or we were actually closer to it than I had originally thought. Our taxi speed at that time was approximately 3 KTS. First officer informed me that the wing walker, located out of my sight, had given her the stop signal, and was approaching the aircraft. Apparently, either the interphone door had not been shut or it had come open during the course of our 20-30 ft taxi. One of the flight attendants called to tell me that flight attendant #2 was down. I told her that we would return to the gate and were going to have the paramedics meet us. It took approximately 6-7 mins to get back to our gate due to other aircraft now in the alley and traffic on the txwys. Everything and everyone were in place as we pulled into the gate. Once we finished our parking checklist, I started to the back to check on the condition of flight attendant #2. When I opened the cockpit door, I found her being assisted to the front of the aircraft by flight attendant #4. As they made their way forward, I took that time to check on the other flight attendants and passenger. None of the passenger reported any injuries, however, the other flight attendants all reported some degree of soreness. None of them thought that they were too sore or injured to continue. Once flight attendant #2 was on the jetbridge, I explained to her what happened. She told me that she had no memory of what happened and basically only remembers waking up with a passenger standing over top of her. The paramedics performed a brief assessment of her, and found no life threatening injuries. However, because she had lost consciousness, they insisted on xporting her to the hospital for evaluation. About that time, one of the flight attendant supervisors came down to find out what happened. 2 days later, when I phoned flight attendant #2 at home, I learned the supervisor had stayed with flight attendant #2 the full 12 hours that she was being evaluated at the hospital and that she was extremely helpful to her. Flight attendant #4 pointed out to me that flight attendants are no longer permitted to leave their jumpseats during taxi in, not even to hand out coats, because such a thing might happen. Maybe we need to consider a similar policy for taxi out as well.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 FLT CREW STOPPED TAXI ABRUPTLY WHEN FO CALLED OUT 'STOP, STOP,' AND THE CAPT INTERPED HER COMMAND AS A COLLISION ALERT. ONE CABIN ATTENDANT LOST HER FOOTING AS A RESULT, STRUCK HER HEAD, AND LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. RETURNED TO THE GATE.

Narrative: PUSHBACK OF OUR ACFT FROM THE GATE WAS TERMINATED UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE TO A REGIONAL JET PARKED ON THE RAMP BEHIND AN ADJACENT GATE. BEFORE THE GND MAN ON THE INTERPHONE DISCONNECTED, I REQUESTED THAT HE HAVE SOMEONE WATCH OUR R WING AS WE TAXIED BY. SHORTLY AFTER WE STARTED A SLOW TAXI, FO SAID 'STOP,' I APPLIED NORMAL BRAKING PRESSURE. FO REPEATED 'STOP.' WHEN SHE REPEATED STOP, I APPLIED FULL BRAKE PRESSURE, AS I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE REGIONAL JET HAD MOVED OR WE WERE ACTUALLY CLOSER TO IT THAN I HAD ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. OUR TAXI SPD AT THAT TIME WAS APPROX 3 KTS. FO INFORMED ME THAT THE WING WALKER, LOCATED OUT OF MY SIGHT, HAD GIVEN HER THE STOP SIGNAL, AND WAS APCHING THE ACFT. APPARENTLY, EITHER THE INTERPHONE DOOR HAD NOT BEEN SHUT OR IT HAD COME OPEN DURING THE COURSE OF OUR 20-30 FT TAXI. ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED TO TELL ME THAT FLT ATTENDANT #2 WAS DOWN. I TOLD HER THAT WE WOULD RETURN TO THE GATE AND WERE GOING TO HAVE THE PARAMEDICS MEET US. IT TOOK APPROX 6-7 MINS TO GET BACK TO OUR GATE DUE TO OTHER ACFT NOW IN THE ALLEY AND TFC ON THE TXWYS. EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE WERE IN PLACE AS WE PULLED INTO THE GATE. ONCE WE FINISHED OUR PARKING CHKLIST, I STARTED TO THE BACK TO CHK ON THE CONDITION OF FLT ATTENDANT #2. WHEN I OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR, I FOUND HER BEING ASSISTED TO THE FRONT OF THE ACFT BY FLT ATTENDANT #4. AS THEY MADE THEIR WAY FORWARD, I TOOK THAT TIME TO CHK ON THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX. NONE OF THE PAX RPTED ANY INJURIES, HOWEVER, THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS ALL RPTED SOME DEGREE OF SORENESS. NONE OF THEM THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE TOO SORE OR INJURED TO CONTINUE. ONCE FLT ATTENDANT #2 WAS ON THE JETBRIDGE, I EXPLAINED TO HER WHAT HAPPENED. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD NO MEMORY OF WHAT HAPPENED AND BASICALLY ONLY REMEMBERS WAKING UP WITH A PAX STANDING OVER TOP OF HER. THE PARAMEDICS PERFORMED A BRIEF ASSESSMENT OF HER, AND FOUND NO LIFE THREATENING INJURIES. HOWEVER, BECAUSE SHE HAD LOST CONSCIOUSNESS, THEY INSISTED ON XPORTING HER TO THE HOSPITAL FOR EVALUATION. ABOUT THAT TIME, ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANT SUPVRS CAME DOWN TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. 2 DAYS LATER, WHEN I PHONED FLT ATTENDANT #2 AT HOME, I LEARNED THE SUPVR HAD STAYED WITH FLT ATTENDANT #2 THE FULL 12 HRS THAT SHE WAS BEING EVALUATED AT THE HOSPITAL AND THAT SHE WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL TO HER. FLT ATTENDANT #4 POINTED OUT TO ME THAT FLT ATTENDANTS ARE NO LONGER PERMITTED TO LEAVE THEIR JUMPSEATS DURING TAXI IN, NOT EVEN TO HAND OUT COATS, BECAUSE SUCH A THING MIGHT HAPPEN. MAYBE WE NEED TO CONSIDER A SIMILAR POLICY FOR TAXI OUT AS WELL.

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.