B737-800
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Inflight Shutdown; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Declared Emergency; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
Departed and about a minute or two later; received call from Number 1 Flight Attendant about loud air leak from forward entry door which became louder as we climbed. [I] declared an emergency due to need to land overweight and returned. Maintenance adjusted lower door hinge seal and conducted overweight landing inspection. Aircraft was refueled and we again departed. Flight attendants could be made more aware of what an improperly closed or sealed door would look like.
B737-800 Captain is informed shortly after takeoff of an air leak around the forward entry door and elects to return to the departure airport for an over weight landing. Maintenance adjusted lower door hinge seal and the flight again departed.