Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Troubleshooting; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
After gear retraction; at about 1;300 FT got Aural Warning and ECAM that the left overwing emergency exit was open. First Officer silenced bell; performed ECAM action and than we completed After Takeoff Checklist. ECAM limited to 10;000 FT MSL. Requested turn to return to the departure airport while First Officer reviewed COM2 info. Completed Approach and Landing checklists; called Stations Operations to inform them of return; did radio communication with Approach Control and Tower and landed. Take-off to landing 9 minutes. Very busy. Flight Attendant was asked before we requested return if door showed open on their panel. It did. They prepared the cabin for landing (easy since everyone was still buckled in from the take-off a minute before. They could resurface the runway so it doesn't knock out your fillings; but all the funding must be in the new terminal. Had this occurred later in the flight; I might have continued and monitored; but 45 seconds after take-off from an airport with gates and company maintenance it felt better to return than fly 1.5 hours to an airport with no spare gates and no company maintenance.
An Airbus A320 Series ECAM alerted left overwing emergency open after takeoff so the flight immediately returned to land at the departure airport.