Narrative:

The initial part of our flight was very busy; with a lot of adverse weather around the airport and on our route of flight. After takeoff; there had been deviations for weather around the airport. Passing approximately 8-9000 feet; we received clearance to climb to 13000 feet. Shortly after passing 10;500 feet; we got indications that the cabin was not pressurizing. We requested and received a clearance to descend back to 9000 feet. A check of the flight deck showed that the cabin outflow valve was in the manual position. We repositioned the valve to automatic (the correct position for flight); and observed that the outflow valve did not move toward the closed position. About this time; one of our flight attendants toward the back of the aircraft called us; and told us that her door was making a loud; rushing air sound; and that she could see light through the door seal. After several minutes; the cabin remain unpressurized; as confirmed on the cabin altitude gauge; and the cabin outflow valve wasn't moving toward closed. We accomplished the appropriate checklist procedure for cabin not pressurizing; and returned to our departure airport for landing. Emphasis on checklist discipline could have prevented the initial part of the situation; caused by taking off with the cabin outflow in manual. Once the outflow valve was in the proper position (automatic); it appeared to us that there was an aircraft malfunction; because the cabin altitude gauge was matching aircraft altitude; the outflow was not moving toward closed; and one of the flt attendants was telling us about a leaking aircraft door.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An MD88 flight crew's failure to accomplish before takeoff checklists with care resulted in a takeoff with the cabin pressure controller in the manual vice automatic mode and contributed to their eventual failure to regain pressurization control. The flight returned to the departure airport.

Narrative: The initial part of our flight was very busy; with a lot of adverse weather around the airport and on our route of flight. After takeoff; there had been deviations for weather around the airport. Passing approximately 8-9000 feet; we received clearance to climb to 13000 feet. Shortly after passing 10;500 feet; we got indications that the cabin was not pressurizing. We requested and received a clearance to descend back to 9000 feet. A check of the flight deck showed that the cabin outflow valve was in the manual position. We repositioned the valve to AUTO (the correct position for flight); and observed that the outflow valve did not move toward the closed position. About this time; one of our flight attendants toward the back of the aircraft called us; and told us that her door was making a loud; rushing air sound; and that she could see light through the door seal. After several minutes; the cabin remain unpressurized; as confirmed on the cabin altitude gauge; and the cabin outflow valve wasn't moving toward closed. We accomplished the appropriate checklist procedure for cabin not pressurizing; and returned to our departure airport for landing. Emphasis on checklist discipline could have prevented the initial part of the situation; caused by taking off with the cabin outflow in manual. Once the outflow valve was in the proper position (AUTO); it appeared to us that there was an aircraft malfunction; because the cabin altitude gauge was matching aircraft altitude; the outflow was not moving toward closed; and one of the flt attendants was telling us about a leaking aircraft door.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.