Date: 201409
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Regional Jet 700 ER/LR (CRJ700)
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Taxi
Aircraft component: Exterior Pax/Crew Door
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Flight Attendant In Charge
Reporter qualification: Flight Attendant Current
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance
Detector: Person Flight Attendant
When detected: Taxi
Result: Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Logbook Entry; Incorrect / Not Installed / Unavailable Part; Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: Upon closing the main cabin door I noticed that the aircraft stairs were configured incorrectly. I notified the captain. On the CRJ-700; the main cabin door is the main source of egress in an emergency evacuation.  The configuration of the stairs on the inside of the cabin contain instructions for properly closing and opening the door.  In an emergency where the flight attendant is incapacitated; passengers must open the door.  The stairs on this aircraft were installed incorrectly and the instructions; placards; emergency lights and instructions are in the incorrect place; thereby potentially causing a delay in evacuating the aircraft in the event of an emergency.  Incorrect configuration of the main cabin door. This issue would have caused multiple cancellations and delays; however; I would insist on contacting Maintenance and checking the procedures before completing the flight.

Callback: Reporter stated that two of the raised steps on the main cabin door were not reinstalled to their original positions during a C-Check; after the main door had been reconnected to the CRJ-700 aircraft. With the door in the 'open' position; the second raised step from the bottom was swapped with the third step. The second step has a recessed handgrip in the step plate that is used to pull and guide the door during latch handle closing; opening and during emergency exiting. The third raised step from the bottom has placards for exit; door open/close procedures; emergency open procedures; and an emergency light. The steps were out of sequence.Reporter stated the Captain would not call Maintenance or write-up the incorrect step configuration due to lack of company Maintenance at the stations they were flying to. Other flight attendants told her the same condition had also been found on their CRJ-200 series aircraft; but no one was correcting or taking the situation seriously.  Contact was made with a Maintenance Manager who pulled the aircraft from service within three hours after being made aware of the situation. The discrepancy was corrected. Maintenance Manager noted that mechanics and Quality Assurance had missed the incorrect step configuration during reinstallation of the door. Reporter doesn't know if that issue has been addressed.



Synopsis: A Flight Attendant reports the steps on the Main Cabin Door of a CRJ-700 aircraft were incorrectly configured during a Maintenance C-Check. With cabin door open; the position of raised steps two and three from the bottom of the door had been swapped; affecting the location of the door open/close handgrip and instruction placards for door operations; emergency lights and emergency exiting of aircraft.