Narrative:

We (cabin and cockpit) brought the aircraft into ZZZ and took it out the next morning. On arrival in ZZZ, personnel asked us to start the APU because the aircraft was to be towed off gate for the night. We did as requested. We arrived at the gate the next am at XA20 for an XB20 departure. The agents arrived a few mins later and informed us the aircraft was being towed up from the hangar. At XA40, we still had no aircraft. The agents checked and were told that the battery on the aircraft had been left on, was low and that contract maintenance was working on the problem. The aircraft arrived at the gate at XA58 clean and catered and we proceeded to try to make an on time arrival. I found the electric hydraulic pumps on, turned them off, proceeded to get settled in when the mechanic who had been working on the aircraft came to the cockpit and asked me if I would pressurize the #3 hydraulic system. I asked why and he said he needed to re-stow the RAT (ram air turbine). That set off the alarm bells in me. I took a good look at the cockpit and found numerous switches (about 10 or 15) out of place including the engine driven hydraulic pumps, generator breakers and so on. At that moment, one of my cabin team came up and informed me that it appeared that someone had watched a movie as she had found the entire entertainment system on, a movie in the player, played to the end and not rewound. I was later told by another cabin team member that someone had made coffee in the galley and had failed to clean up their mess. The mechanic told me that the battery switch had been left on and the batteries, while not dead, would not start the APU, so they had to put external power on the aircraft to charge the batteries before bringing the airplane to the gate. I spoke to the maintenance coordinator who told me that the batteries and RAT (ram air turbine) would be ok, had the mechanic sign the aircraft off and we prepared to depart. I had asked to and spoken with the station mgrs and gsa (ground service administration) about everything that had happened and that I considered it very serious. As far as I am concerned, this whole thing, especially the battery, RAT (ram air turbine) and moved cockpit controls, are a serious violation of both safety and security issues. We need to know that authority/authorized and possibly unauthorized individuals are not improperly spending time on unattended aircraft overnight at our stations. ZZZ employees told me that things like this have gone on before and also asked me to pursue this issue as well. At the least, this could have been a canceled flight, and at worst, someone could have been killed by the RAT (ram air turbine) when it was deployed or even worse, had we, the cockpit crew, not caught all of the repositioned controls in the flight deck, who knows what might have happened. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated a thorough investigation was made by company management, security and the FAA. The reporter said the result was the overnight company cleaning crew was terminated for having a party in the cabin and unauthorized use of the movies and buffet units. The reporter stated the maintenance contract with the local fixed base operator was canceled for lack of knowledge of the aircraft system and required overnight checks and services. The reporter said it was not a security breakdown and believes it was a matter of poor or no training and lack of supervision.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 PARKED OVERNIGHT AND DELIVERED TO THE GATE WITH THE BATTERY DEAD AND 15 SWITCHES OUT OF POS, RAT (RAM AIR TURBINE) DEPLOYED AND CABIN ENTERTAINMENT SYS OPERATING.

Narrative: WE (CABIN AND COCKPIT) BROUGHT THE ACFT INTO ZZZ AND TOOK IT OUT THE NEXT MORNING. ON ARR IN ZZZ, PERSONNEL ASKED US TO START THE APU BECAUSE THE ACFT WAS TO BE TOWED OFF GATE FOR THE NIGHT. WE DID AS REQUESTED. WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE THE NEXT AM AT XA20 FOR AN XB20 DEP. THE AGENTS ARRIVED A FEW MINS LATER AND INFORMED US THE ACFT WAS BEING TOWED UP FROM THE HANGAR. AT XA40, WE STILL HAD NO ACFT. THE AGENTS CHKED AND WERE TOLD THAT THE BATTERY ON THE ACFT HAD BEEN LEFT ON, WAS LOW AND THAT CONTRACT MAINT WAS WORKING ON THE PROB. THE ACFT ARRIVED AT THE GATE AT XA58 CLEAN AND CATERED AND WE PROCEEDED TO TRY TO MAKE AN ON TIME ARR. I FOUND THE ELECTRIC HYD PUMPS ON, TURNED THEM OFF, PROCEEDED TO GET SETTLED IN WHEN THE MECH WHO HAD BEEN WORKING ON THE ACFT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND ASKED ME IF I WOULD PRESSURIZE THE #3 HYD SYS. I ASKED WHY AND HE SAID HE NEEDED TO RE-STOW THE RAT (RAM AIR TURBINE). THAT SET OFF THE ALARM BELLS IN ME. I TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT THE COCKPIT AND FOUND NUMEROUS SWITCHES (ABOUT 10 OR 15) OUT OF PLACE INCLUDING THE ENG DRIVEN HYD PUMPS, GENERATOR BREAKERS AND SO ON. AT THAT MOMENT, ONE OF MY CABIN TEAM CAME UP AND INFORMED ME THAT IT APPEARED THAT SOMEONE HAD WATCHED A MOVIE AS SHE HAD FOUND THE ENTIRE ENTERTAINMENT SYS ON, A MOVIE IN THE PLAYER, PLAYED TO THE END AND NOT REWOUND. I WAS LATER TOLD BY ANOTHER CABIN TEAM MEMBER THAT SOMEONE HAD MADE COFFEE IN THE GALLEY AND HAD FAILED TO CLEAN UP THEIR MESS. THE MECH TOLD ME THAT THE BATTERY SWITCH HAD BEEN LEFT ON AND THE BATTERIES, WHILE NOT DEAD, WOULD NOT START THE APU, SO THEY HAD TO PUT EXTERNAL PWR ON THE ACFT TO CHARGE THE BATTERIES BEFORE BRINGING THE AIRPLANE TO THE GATE. I SPOKE TO THE MAINT COORDINATOR WHO TOLD ME THAT THE BATTERIES AND RAT (RAM AIR TURBINE) WOULD BE OK, HAD THE MECH SIGN THE ACFT OFF AND WE PREPARED TO DEPART. I HAD ASKED TO AND SPOKEN WITH THE STATION MGRS AND GSA (GND SVC ADMINISTRATION) ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED AND THAT I CONSIDERED IT VERY SERIOUS. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THIS WHOLE THING, ESPECIALLY THE BATTERY, RAT (RAM AIR TURBINE) AND MOVED COCKPIT CTLS, ARE A SERIOUS VIOLATION OF BOTH SAFETY AND SECURITY ISSUES. WE NEED TO KNOW THAT AUTH AND POSSIBLY UNAUTH INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT IMPROPERLY SPENDING TIME ON UNATTENDED ACFT OVERNIGHT AT OUR STATIONS. ZZZ EMPLOYEES TOLD ME THAT THINGS LIKE THIS HAVE GONE ON BEFORE AND ALSO ASKED ME TO PURSUE THIS ISSUE AS WELL. AT THE LEAST, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A CANCELED FLT, AND AT WORST, SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY THE RAT (RAM AIR TURBINE) WHEN IT WAS DEPLOYED OR EVEN WORSE, HAD WE, THE COCKPIT CREW, NOT CAUGHT ALL OF THE REPOSITIONED CTLS IN THE FLT DECK, WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION WAS MADE BY COMPANY MGMNT, SECURITY AND THE FAA. THE RPTR SAID THE RESULT WAS THE OVERNIGHT COMPANY CLEANING CREW WAS TERMINATED FOR HAVING A PARTY IN THE CABIN AND UNAUTH USE OF THE MOVIES AND BUFFET UNITS. THE RPTR STATED THE MAINT CONTRACT WITH THE LCL FIXED BASE OPERATOR WAS CANCELED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE ACFT SYS AND REQUIRED OVERNIGHT CHKS AND SVCS. THE RPTR SAID IT WAS NOT A SECURITY BREAKDOWN AND BELIEVES IT WAS A MATTER OF POOR OR NO TRAINING AND LACK OF SUPERVISION.

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.