[Will H]

Some clarity and accuracy: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/wi...-deployed.html

Skytraders Chief Pilot and Director of Operations Terry Vickers confirms his company's A319 (above) was the aircraft involved in the Sunday incident at Cocos Islands off the northwestern coast of Australia. "There was a human error at the issue in closing the door which was combined with an erroenous cockpit indicator. The indicator in the cockpit said the stairs were retracted and the doors were closed," Vickers says.

During the cabin door closing procedure the stairs at the front left-hand side of the aircraft were left deployed and a cockpit warning indicator failed to alert the crew to the problem. Vickers explains that in normal operation, "You get an error in the cockpit if you start the engines with the stairs not retracted."

Vickers says the crew taxied at Cocos Islands airport for 50-100 metres before a flight attendant, "who could hear the the noise of the stairs scraping along," alerted the pilots to the problem. Vickers says that despite media reports he is not aware of ground personnel or onlookers rushing to the aircraft to alert the crew to the problem. Nor did the aircraft attempt to take off with the stairs deployed, Vickers adds.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/wi...-deployed.html