Narrative:

While taxiing for takeoff at kona international, flight attendant rang cockpit to inform me that a passenger heard an unusual thumping noise coming from the left hand main landing gear. I did not consider this a problem, and elected to depart. I believed it was safe to continue because: a similar noise reported to me earlier by another company pilot after taxi-in at honolulu international. The company pilot was deadheading in from hilo. I performed a visual inspection and found nothing unusual. The subsequent taxi-out for takeoff to kona was longer than usual and no passenger or cabin crew member reported a thumping sound. Upon arrival at honolulu, I wrote the problem up as a maintenance discrepancy. Maintenance jacked up the left hand main landing gear and re-torqued the wheel assembly. The aircraft was subsequently dispatched. I don't know if maintenance action corrected the problem. Lesson learned here was to get maintenance to look at problem especially at a maintenance base (hnl). Don't know why I didn't write problem up in honolulu. Perhaps it was due to desire to stay on time and complete our last round trip for the day. At a minimum I was not thinking.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING TAXI OUT, A PAX RPTED A THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR OF AN MLG.

Narrative: WHILE TAXIING FOR TKOF AT KONA INTL, FLT ATTENDANT RANG COCKPIT TO INFORM ME THAT A PAX HEARD AN UNUSUAL THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM THE L HAND MAIN LNDG GEAR. I DID NOT CONSIDER THIS A PROB, AND ELECTED TO DEPART. I BELIEVED IT WAS SAFE TO CONTINUE BECAUSE: A SIMILAR NOISE RPTED TO ME EARLIER BY ANOTHER COMPANY PLT AFTER TAXI-IN AT HONOLULU INTL. THE COMPANY PLT WAS DEADHEADING IN FROM HILO. I PERFORMED A VISUAL INSPECTION AND FOUND NOTHING UNUSUAL. THE SUBSEQUENT TAXI-OUT FOR TKOF TO KONA WAS LONGER THAN USUAL AND NO PAX OR CABIN CREW MEMBER RPTED A THUMPING SOUND. UPON ARR AT HONOLULU, I WROTE THE PROB UP AS A MAINT DISCREPANCY. MAINT JACKED UP THE L HAND MAIN LNDG GEAR AND RE-TORQUED THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DISPATCHED. I DON'T KNOW IF MAINT ACTION CORRECTED THE PROB. LESSON LEARNED HERE WAS TO GET MAINT TO LOOK AT PROB ESPECIALLY AT A MAINT BASE (HNL). DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T WRITE PROB UP IN HONOLULU. PERHAPS IT WAS DUE TO DESIRE TO STAY ON TIME AND COMPLETE OUR LAST ROUND TRIP FOR THE DAY. AT A MINIMUM I WAS NOT THINKING.

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.