Originally Posted by dckozak

We were told when I went through 74 school that a Pan Am crew successfully evacuated from the top hatch with inertial reels during an (attempted) ground hijacking in Karachi, Pakistan.
Considering the hight of the 747 upper deck and the (presumed) age of the Pan Am crew, I'm sure they felt any risk and fear of using these devises was preferable to the alternative outside the cockpit door.