Narrative:

I was the so on air carrier flight abc on nov/xx/97 from atl to ord. The flight from atl was ground delayed for 1 hour due to low ceilings and visibility at ord. The flight to ord was uneventful. The approach to runway 14L was begun on the autoplt, but the captain disconnected it, I believe because the ILS glidepath wasn't captured by the autoplt. He descended to recapture the glidepath and established the jet on course and glidepath. The captain saw that he was slightly right of centerline, but within the lateral confines of the runway. He made a correction to the left as we approached the threshold. We touched down just right of the centerline, with the nose slightly left. I sensed a bank but was looking outside so I'm unsure of how much bank we had. The captain leveled the wings and straightened the nose for the rollout. We kept the jet for the last leg of the trip, so I performed a throughflt check at ord. I did not note any abnormalities on the walkaround, except that it was very dark and the visibility was so poor that when I shined my flashlight on the plane I could actually see the fog moving past the beam. Normal aircraft servicing was being accomplished as I performed my walkaround. I told the captain and first officer about how bad the fog was upon my return to the flight deck. To the best of my recollection that is what transpired on the flight. The following morning the captain phoned me at home to ask me if I had noticed any scratches on the plane. I told him that besides the ones marked with 'dots' signifying previously written up marks, that I did not notice any. I told him that I would not have been surprised if a ground vehicle had hit us in chicago, as the visibility was the worst I had ever operated in, and several ground service vehicles were operating around the plane at speeds I thought were too fast for WX conditions and without flashing lights. The captain told me he would relay to the company my message that I didn't see any damage. That is the last I heard about this issue until dec/xx/97 when I was notified by an air carrier flight manager that there was an inquiry in progress. Notably, he mentioned that a postflt check on the jet at ewr by air carrier mechanics revealed no damage. Some time later a scratch in the #8 leading edge slat was discovered at ewr, and the slat as well as the flight data recorder were removed for inspection and analysis. This is my best recollection of the events surrounding flight abc on nov/xx/97.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A COMMERCIAL FIXED WING LGT RECEIVED DAMAGE TO THE R WING LEADING EDGE SLAT #8. THE DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED LATER AND A COMPANY INVESTIGATION IS IN PROGRESS TO DETERMINE CAUSE.

Narrative: I WAS THE SO ON ACR FLT ABC ON NOV/XX/97 FROM ATL TO ORD. THE FLT FROM ATL WAS GND DELAYED FOR 1 HR DUE TO LOW CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY AT ORD. THE FLT TO ORD WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE APCH TO RWY 14L WAS BEGUN ON THE AUTOPLT, BUT THE CAPT DISCONNECTED IT, I BELIEVE BECAUSE THE ILS GLIDEPATH WASN'T CAPTURED BY THE AUTOPLT. HE DSNDED TO RECAPTURE THE GLIDEPATH AND ESTABLISHED THE JET ON COURSE AND GLIDEPATH. THE CAPT SAW THAT HE WAS SLIGHTLY R OF CTRLINE, BUT WITHIN THE LATERAL CONFINES OF THE RWY. HE MADE A CORRECTION TO THE L AS WE APCHED THE THRESHOLD. WE TOUCHED DOWN JUST R OF THE CTRLINE, WITH THE NOSE SLIGHTLY L. I SENSED A BANK BUT WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE SO I'M UNSURE OF HOW MUCH BANK WE HAD. THE CAPT LEVELED THE WINGS AND STRAIGHTENED THE NOSE FOR THE ROLLOUT. WE KEPT THE JET FOR THE LAST LEG OF THE TRIP, SO I PERFORMED A THROUGHFLT CHK AT ORD. I DID NOT NOTE ANY ABNORMALITIES ON THE WALKAROUND, EXCEPT THAT IT WAS VERY DARK AND THE VISIBILITY WAS SO POOR THAT WHEN I SHINED MY FLASHLIGHT ON THE PLANE I COULD ACTUALLY SEE THE FOG MOVING PAST THE BEAM. NORMAL ACFT SVCING WAS BEING ACCOMPLISHED AS I PERFORMED MY WALKAROUND. I TOLD THE CAPT AND FO ABOUT HOW BAD THE FOG WAS UPON MY RETURN TO THE FLT DECK. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION THAT IS WHAT TRANSPIRED ON THE FLT. THE FOLLOWING MORNING THE CAPT PHONED ME AT HOME TO ASK ME IF I HAD NOTICED ANY SCRATCHES ON THE PLANE. I TOLD HIM THAT BESIDES THE ONES MARKED WITH 'DOTS' SIGNIFYING PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN UP MARKS, THAT I DID NOT NOTICE ANY. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF A GND VEHICLE HAD HIT US IN CHICAGO, AS THE VISIBILITY WAS THE WORST I HAD EVER OPERATED IN, AND SEVERAL GND SVC VEHICLES WERE OPERATING AROUND THE PLANE AT SPDS I THOUGHT WERE TOO FAST FOR WX CONDITIONS AND WITHOUT FLASHING LIGHTS. THE CAPT TOLD ME HE WOULD RELAY TO THE COMPANY MY MESSAGE THAT I DIDN'T SEE ANY DAMAGE. THAT IS THE LAST I HEARD ABOUT THIS ISSUE UNTIL DEC/XX/97 WHEN I WAS NOTIFIED BY AN ACR FLT MGR THAT THERE WAS AN INQUIRY IN PROGRESS. NOTABLY, HE MENTIONED THAT A POSTFLT CHK ON THE JET AT EWR BY ACR MECHS REVEALED NO DAMAGE. SOME TIME LATER A SCRATCH IN THE #8 LEADING EDGE SLAT WAS DISCOVERED AT EWR, AND THE SLAT AS WELL AS THE FLT DATA RECORDER WERE REMOVED FOR INSPECTION AND ANALYSIS. THIS IS MY BEST RECOLLECTION OF THE EVENTS SURROUNDING FLT ABC ON NOV/XX/97.

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.