A B767-200 LOSES THE OVERWING SLIDE FROM THE ACFT AFTER TKOF FROM ATL. SLIDE FALLS FROM ACFT AT AN ALT OF 12000- 14000 FT.

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FLT UNEVENTFUL UNTIL 12000 FT ON CLBOUT. FELT AN UNUSUAL 'BUMP;' FOLLOWED BY A 'L WING SLIDE' ADVISORY MESSAGE AND AN 'EMER DOOR' LIGHT ON OVERHEAD FAULT IDENT PANEL. AIRSPD 250 KTS. LEVELED OFF AT 14000 FT. PLT'S OPERATIONAL REF MANUAL WAS REFED; AND WE COORDINATED AN INSPECTION OF L OVERWING AREA WITH FLT ATTENDANTS. ALL APPEARED NORMAL. ZTL COOPERATED AND WE COORDINATED A RETURN TO ATL AFTER CONFERRING WITH DISPATCHER AND MAINT. NORMAL DSCNT; APCH; AND LNDG. POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED A MISSING L SLIDE DOOR AND SLIDE AND SOME DAMAGE TO L WING FILET AREA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE FLT DEPARTED ATL AND HEADED W TO MSY. PASSING THROUGH 12000 FT; A BUMP WAS FELT BUT NO LOUD NOISES. THE L WING SLIDE LIGHT CAME ON. IT WAS SURMISED THAT WAS THE TIME THE SLIDE DEPARTED THE ACFT. THE FLC TRIED LOOKING OUT THE CABIN WINDOW TO VERIFY WHAT THE WARNING LIGHT WAS INDICATING; BUT THE DOOR PANEL IS TOO CLOSE TO THE FUSELAGE NEARBY THE WING ROOT TO PERMIT OBSERVATION. UPON LNDG; THE ACFT WAS INSPECTED AND NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS FOUND; EXCEPT FOR THE MISSING SLIDE DOOR AND THE SLIDE WHICH CAME LOOSE. UPON CLOSE INSPECTION; IT WAS DISCOVERED BY MECHS THAT A LOCKING CAM SEEMED TO BE WORN. THIS IS THOUGHT TO BE THE REASON THE DOOR CAME OFF; PERMITTING THE SLIDE TO THEN VIBRATE LOOSE AND FREE FALL TO THE GND. RPTR WAS VERY COMPLIMENTARY OF ZTL FOR THE RAPID VECTORS TO RETURN TO POINT OF DEP.