B727 CREW DEPARTED WITH TAPE COVERING THE ACFT STATIC PORTS.

Narrative

ON JUL/XA/99; I WAS CONDUCTING MY PREFLT ON A B727-200. UPON ENTERING THE COCKPIT; I CHKED THE MAINT LOG AND THE FLT LOG AND FOUND THE AUX PITOT TUBE HAD BEEN REPAIRED AND REPLACED; AND THE AUX PITOT STATIC SYS LEAK CHK HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND SIGNED OFF BY A MECH. I THEN PROCEEDED WITH MY WALKAROUND. AS I WALKED AROUND TO THE R SIDE OF THE NOSE; I NOTICED THERE WAS A VERT LINE; NOT TOO DISTINCT; ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FORWARD STATIC PORT. I STEPPED BACK TO COMPARE IT TO THE AFT STATIC PORT; AND IT APPEARED THE SAME. THE AREA SURROUNDING THESE STATIC PORTS IS GRAY IN COLOR FROM THE UNPAINTED ALUMINUM. THE STATIC HOLES WERE INDEED VISIBLE AND THERE APPEARED TO BE NO DIFFERENCE BTWN STATIC PORTS. NEAR COMPLETION OF THE WALKAROUND; ON THE CAPT'S SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE; I LOOKED AGAIN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STATIC PORTS WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE STATIC PORTS ON THE FO'S SIDE. THEY WERE IDENTICAL. WE COMPLETED ALL CHKLISTS AND PROCEEDED TO TAXI FOR TKOF. ON THE TKOF ROLL; EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. AFTER ROTATION; OUT OF 200 FT; THE FO NOTICED AIRSPD DECREASING. GPWS WAS SOUNDING 'TERRAIN; TERRAIN; PULL UP.' WE LEVELED THE ACFT AND NOTICED THE ALTIMETER DID NOT CLB FROM FIELD ELEVATION AND AIRSPD WAS DECREASING UNTIL LEVELOFF. WE DECLARED EMER AND RETURNED TO OUR DEP ARPT. WE DUMPED FUEL AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE STATIC PORTS; WE FOUND THEY WERE TAPED OVER WITH GRAY TAPE (200 KT TAPE) AND WERE PRESSED TIGHTLY TO MAKE A GOOD SEAL. AS A SUGGESTION; I WOULD RECOMMEND NOT USING GRAY TAPE TO COVER STATIC PORTS OR HAVE WRITTEN ON TAPE WITH BOLD LETTERING WITH ANOTHER COLOR 'REMOVE BEFORE FLT;' AND THE RESIDUE LEFT FROM THE TAPE SHOULD BE CLEANED OFF SO THERE ARE NO LINES OR DISCOLORATION LEFT BEHIND.