CAL 747 takes off with improperly closed door.

[Juud]

Since we are in ultimate anorak-mode on this thread......

Anybody who has ever worked on a B747 300 or 400 in pax configuration knows that its ventilation system is insufficient to remove heavy concentrations of smoke. Which is why it has the smoke removal procedure best described by preset.
It is a procedure thought up by Boeing company and about as iffy as the 747 all pax ditching procedure where a hapless FA is supposed to walk out onto the wing in her stockinged feet to attach a ditching rope to an attachment point on the wing. It can maybe work in theory, but it's a bloody unlikely scenario.

mr Winterland, who opens and closes aircraft doors in normal operation is not mandated by Boeing. Where you work it's done by ground staff, where I work it's done by the FA who is responsible for that particular door.
Same goes for how to tie the door(s) that are cracked for smoke removal. Some companies have webbed strops, others have lengths of general purpose rope.
As to the assertion made by some here that an improperly closed door is a non-event, lets add some shading to that shall we?
From the cockpit it's a non-event. You know that it won't kill anybody and you are sat away from the noise that such a door produces. Ensconced behind your reinforced door, loaded with training to deal with all manner of deeply scary situations, a leaky door is a non-event.

Now let's look at it from a cabin point of view. FA sits right next to the door, as do a few rows of pax. You take off and the door starts creaking and making a hell of a noise. WTF!
It gets really unfunny right there.

A seasoned FA knows that most door noise will disappear once the AC is fully pressurised. The same seasoned FA also recognises non-standard door noise and will check that the door handle is in fully closed position and if not, try to push it down. If that doesn't help, sometimes a good whack at the door does the trick. As does stuffing loose bits of doorseal back into the frame.
These actions need to be accomplished calmly but quickly and while talking reassuringly to a large-ish number of mesmerised and completely pax who are convinced they will be sucked out of the AC any second now.
Trust me guys, in the cabin it is a bit of an event.


mr IGh, what is the relevance of your post to this thread?
We are discussing open doors in flight on a 747, and you pop up with the fact that a similar procedure was not FAA approved on the DC-9.