Originally Posted by
GrUpGrDn
After reading the judges finding, more information comes to light. According to the MEL, "Ground personnel should be instructed to only assist during the closing of the door..." , "Stand clear of door when opening(door opens faster). If the PIC allowed the door to open unassisted, that door would have bounced off the ramp. Possibly causing damage to said door.
But if the MEL says to let it bounce...then maybe it's not that big a deal.
The PIC authority extends to taking into account extenuating circumstances, which combined with a legit MEL, might create a problem.
I'm not sure the PIC has carte-blanche to simply refuse an aircraft because he does not like a particular MEL. IMO he needs a good reason...other than just the exercise of his ath-or-i-tay.
Perhaps there's more to this story, but in any case it's always better to have a precedent (correct spelling) that errs on the side of caution.