At IAD on September 18, the pilots of a NW flight destined for Amsterdam used an escape hatch and rope ladder to leave the plane after an emergency was declared on-board.
According to the Washington Post, an unidentified crew member declared an emergency (the nature of the emergency was not given) but it was a false alarm. The pilots apparently quickly exited the plane, leaving the rest of the crew and passengers on-board to await the arrival of the FBI.
for full story,see:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2001Sep19.html