Narrative:

I was preflting the aircraft when I noticed the #2 engine oil sight gage showed the oil level was even with the bottom bolts that hold the sight gage in place. While I was preflting the #2 engine compartment I asked a ramp agent (who happened to be standing next to me fueling the aircraft) to add a quart of oil to that engine. I patted the cowling to ensure the ramp agent understood that I wanted oil in the #2 engine and not in the other engine. The ramp agent nodded his head in agreement and said he would do it. While talking to the ramp agent I latched the 2 cowling latches and asked him if he minded if I left them in the latched position. He shook his head indicating that he didn't mind. When I left the #2 engine area the cowling was securely latched. While preflting around the rear of the aircraft I noticed the ramp agent had unhooked the fueling hose and was in the process of reeling the hose back onto its rack. By the time I moved on to preflight the area behind the left wing I noticed the ramp agent was gone. He was no longer in sight. Once more there was not a single ramp agent in sight. I climbed into the cockpit and had a clear view of the right side of the aircraft, including the area immediately surrounding the #2 engine. By this time passenger were starting to board and I was obtaining ATIS and clearance. I never saw him again outside that aircraft. When it came time for push-back I opted not to double-check the cowling latches because the last person in the vicinity of the #2 engine was me and I had no doubts that I had latched the cowling. I am certain that no one came anywhere near the #2 engine between my preflight and our push-back. Taxi for takeoff, takeoff, and climb out were uneventful. While level at 12000 ft en route to columbus the flight attendant called the cockpit to inform us a passenger had noticed 1 of our cowlings had become loose and moved out of position. Prior to that we had no adverse indications in the cockpit that anything was wrong. There were no problems with vibrations, noise, engine performance, etc. From my position it looked like the cowling was pinned by the forward latch and the rear of the cowling was being blown upward by wind force. The whole cowling is hinged at the top by a piano hinge. In normal operations the cowling is quite visible from my seat when I lifted to a fully open position. In this case a curved portion of the rear of the cowling was visible about 6 inches over top of the entire engine assembly. We pulled power back and slowed the aircraft below 200 KTS. The cowling position did not move with a slower airspeed. Due to the shape of the cowling that was visible to me I was convinced the forward latch was secure and would hold throughout flight. The captain and I decided the loose cowling posed no danger to the safety of our flight. We made no mention of the occurrence to ZID, columbus approach, or columbus tower. The landing was uneventful on runway 28R. After touch-down I visually inspected the cowling once again from my seat. The cowling was no longer visible. It apparently had settled down to its normal position with the absence of large wind forces. The captain went outside and inspected the #2 engine. He soon motioned for me to come outside and look at the cowling with him. The cowling was slightly bent out of its normal shape. The aft end was slightly higher than the forward end. We asked the ramp agents to bring us a rolling staircase so we could look at the cowling closer. I climbed up the steps and saw what I thought was only a minor bend in the cowling. I latched the rear latch first then pushed down on the cowling and latched the forward latch. The cowling shape was perfectly normal with both latches properly fastened. I used my aforementioned preflight technique of running my hand over both latch areas and pulling on the intake lip. The cowling looked and remained secured normally as if nothing had happened to it. In all honesty this cowling looked and fit better than quite a few saab cowlings I have operated. By this time all passenger were on board for the flight back to cvg. The captain and I saw nothing wrong with the security or fit of the cowling or surrounding area so we decided there was no need to call maintenance from columbus. Taxi, takeoff, and climb out of columbus was uneventful. While en route to cvg the captain and I decided to call maintenance base from the air so they could look at the cowling before the next flight. While the cowling appeared to be fully operational and airworthy it was difficult to close by hand by someone preflting from the ground. We were unaware that any structural damage had occurred to the cowling. Landing and taxi at cvg was uneventful. Maintenance personnel met us at the aircraft, but we had a short turnaround and aircraft change for a flight into dayton. The captain discussed the condition of the cowling with maintenance while I proceeded to print out our next dispatch release and preflight our next aircraft for the dayton flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB - THE FO DID NOT LATCH THE #2 ENG COWLING PROPERLY AND IT WAS DAMAGED INFLT.

Narrative: I WAS PREFLTING THE ACFT WHEN I NOTICED THE #2 ENG OIL SIGHT GAGE SHOWED THE OIL LEVEL WAS EVEN WITH THE BOTTOM BOLTS THAT HOLD THE SIGHT GAGE IN PLACE. WHILE I WAS PREFLTING THE #2 ENG COMPARTMENT I ASKED A RAMP AGENT (WHO HAPPENED TO BE STANDING NEXT TO ME FUELING THE ACFT) TO ADD A QUART OF OIL TO THAT ENG. I PATTED THE COWLING TO ENSURE THE RAMP AGENT UNDERSTOOD THAT I WANTED OIL IN THE #2 ENG AND NOT IN THE OTHER ENG. THE RAMP AGENT NODDED HIS HEAD IN AGREEMENT AND SAID HE WOULD DO IT. WHILE TALKING TO THE RAMP AGENT I LATCHED THE 2 COWLING LATCHES AND ASKED HIM IF HE MINDED IF I LEFT THEM IN THE LATCHED POS. HE SHOOK HIS HEAD INDICATING THAT HE DIDN'T MIND. WHEN I LEFT THE #2 ENG AREA THE COWLING WAS SECURELY LATCHED. WHILE PREFLTING AROUND THE REAR OF THE ACFT I NOTICED THE RAMP AGENT HAD UNHOOKED THE FUELING HOSE AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REELING THE HOSE BACK ONTO ITS RACK. BY THE TIME I MOVED ON TO PREFLT THE AREA BEHIND THE L WING I NOTICED THE RAMP AGENT WAS GONE. HE WAS NO LONGER IN SIGHT. ONCE MORE THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE RAMP AGENT IN SIGHT. I CLBED INTO THE COCKPIT AND HAD A CLR VIEW OF THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT, INCLUDING THE AREA IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING THE #2 ENG. BY THIS TIME PAX WERE STARTING TO BOARD AND I WAS OBTAINING ATIS AND CLRNC. I NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN OUTSIDE THAT ACFT. WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR PUSH-BACK I OPTED NOT TO DOUBLE-CHK THE COWLING LATCHES BECAUSE THE LAST PERSON IN THE VICINITY OF THE #2 ENG WAS ME AND I HAD NO DOUBTS THAT I HAD LATCHED THE COWLING. I AM CERTAIN THAT NO ONE CAME ANYWHERE NEAR THE #2 ENG BTWN MY PREFLT AND OUR PUSH-BACK. TAXI FOR TKOF, TKOF, AND CLB OUT WERE UNEVENTFUL. WHILE LEVEL AT 12000 FT ENRTE TO COLUMBUS THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT TO INFORM US A PAX HAD NOTICED 1 OF OUR COWLINGS HAD BECOME LOOSE AND MOVED OUT OF POS. PRIOR TO THAT WE HAD NO ADVERSE INDICATIONS IN THE COCKPIT THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THERE WERE NO PROBS WITH VIBRATIONS, NOISE, ENG PERFORMANCE, ETC. FROM MY POS IT LOOKED LIKE THE COWLING WAS PINNED BY THE FORWARD LATCH AND THE REAR OF THE COWLING WAS BEING BLOWN UPWARD BY WIND FORCE. THE WHOLE COWLING IS HINGED AT THE TOP BY A PIANO HINGE. IN NORMAL OPS THE COWLING IS QUITE VISIBLE FROM MY SEAT WHEN I LIFTED TO A FULLY OPEN POS. IN THIS CASE A CURVED PORTION OF THE REAR OF THE COWLING WAS VISIBLE ABOUT 6 INCHES OVER TOP OF THE ENTIRE ENG ASSEMBLY. WE PULLED PWR BACK AND SLOWED THE ACFT BELOW 200 KTS. THE COWLING POS DID NOT MOVE WITH A SLOWER AIRSPD. DUE TO THE SHAPE OF THE COWLING THAT WAS VISIBLE TO ME I WAS CONVINCED THE FORWARD LATCH WAS SECURE AND WOULD HOLD THROUGHOUT FLT. THE CAPT AND I DECIDED THE LOOSE COWLING POSED NO DANGER TO THE SAFETY OF OUR FLT. WE MADE NO MENTION OF THE OCCURRENCE TO ZID, COLUMBUS APCH, OR COLUMBUS TWR. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL ON RWY 28R. AFTER TOUCH-DOWN I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE COWLING ONCE AGAIN FROM MY SEAT. THE COWLING WAS NO LONGER VISIBLE. IT APPARENTLY HAD SETTLED DOWN TO ITS NORMAL POS WITH THE ABSENCE OF LARGE WIND FORCES. THE CAPT WENT OUTSIDE AND INSPECTED THE #2 ENG. HE SOON MOTIONED FOR ME TO COME OUTSIDE AND LOOK AT THE COWLING WITH HIM. THE COWLING WAS SLIGHTLY BENT OUT OF ITS NORMAL SHAPE. THE AFT END WAS SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE FORWARD END. WE ASKED THE RAMP AGENTS TO BRING US A ROLLING STAIRCASE SO WE COULD LOOK AT THE COWLING CLOSER. I CLBED UP THE STEPS AND SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS ONLY A MINOR BEND IN THE COWLING. I LATCHED THE REAR LATCH FIRST THEN PUSHED DOWN ON THE COWLING AND LATCHED THE FORWARD LATCH. THE COWLING SHAPE WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL WITH BOTH LATCHES PROPERLY FASTENED. I USED MY AFOREMENTIONED PREFLT TECHNIQUE OF RUNNING MY HAND OVER BOTH LATCH AREAS AND PULLING ON THE INTAKE LIP. THE COWLING LOOKED AND REMAINED SECURED NORMALLY AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED TO IT. IN ALL HONESTY THIS COWLING LOOKED AND FIT BETTER THAN QUITE A FEW SAAB COWLINGS I HAVE OPERATED. BY THIS TIME ALL PAX WERE ON BOARD FOR THE FLT BACK TO CVG. THE CAPT AND I SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SECURITY OR FIT OF THE COWLING OR SURROUNDING AREA SO WE DECIDED THERE WAS NO NEED TO CALL MAINT FROM COLUMBUS. TAXI, TKOF, AND CLBOUT OF COLUMBUS WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHILE ENRTE TO CVG THE CAPT AND I DECIDED TO CALL MAINT BASE FROM THE AIR SO THEY COULD LOOK AT THE COWLING BEFORE THE NEXT FLT. WHILE THE COWLING APPEARED TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL AND AIRWORTHY IT WAS DIFFICULT TO CLOSE BY HAND BY SOMEONE PREFLTING FROM THE GND. WE WERE UNAWARE THAT ANY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE HAD OCCURRED TO THE COWLING. LNDG AND TAXI AT CVG WAS UNEVENTFUL. MAINT PERSONNEL MET US AT THE ACFT, BUT WE HAD A SHORT TURNAROUND AND ACFT CHANGE FOR A FLT INTO DAYTON. THE CAPT DISCUSSED THE CONDITION OF THE COWLING WITH MAINT WHILE I PROCEEDED TO PRINT OUT OUR NEXT DISPATCH RELEASE AND PREFLT OUR NEXT ACFT FOR THE DAYTON FLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.