TAKE-OFF with DOORS OPEN and SLIDES DEPLOYED
For those of you who like a good story this is one even if the telling is average.
MEA (Middle East Airlines) during a stage of the war in Lebanon used to base its crews and aircraft on the Island of Cyprus.
One day a number of MEA staff were being dead-headed with the aircraft to Cyprus. After boarding, on a remote stand, a gunmen boarded the aircraft and demanded to be taken .... somewhere .. The pilots said they couldn't get out of the parking bay. The gunman insisted. At some stage during this process the passengers (MEA staff) decided to exit the aircraft via the slides. So that left the doors open (not sure how many but more than one) with sides deployed. The cunning FE suggested closing the doors and just jumped ship. Engines were started. The Captain reversed out of the bay. And proceed to the end of the runway (doors open slides flapping). In the lined up position the Captain told the Hijacker the aircraft couldn't take off with the doors open and that they would crash ! The hijacker insisted they depart. So with hope and prayers they started their take-off run, slides deflated, doors blew almost closed (stayed ajar) and with flapping slides they left the ground. SO THAT MAY ANSWER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF DOOR OPEN IN FLIGHT (IN A 707 AT LEAST) BOEING BUILDS THEM WELL. Anyway the flight went to Cyprus returned to Lebanon and the hijacker was picked up by his militia buddies after landing back at Beirut.
I must apologize as I cannot recollect the details of the event as described to me by my father many years ago, but you get the idea. If anyone is interested or wants to challenge the (general) authenticity of the story I am more than happy to get the details and proof if i can.
Later