Narrative:

En route to oma at FL290 a loud noise was heard followed by a spoiler deploy light on our annunciator panel. Shortly after, one of our cabin attendants called on the flight interphone and stated that the passenger heard an explosion and saw a flash of light. Checking our instrumentation we saw no evidence of an explosion or of system failures. We referenced our QRH. After completing this the captain called xyz, our cabin attendant, and asked him if he knew what a spoiler was and he acknowledged that he did. The captain asked him to shine a flashlight on the wing to see if our spoiler was up to support our spoiler deploy light. His reply was no spoiler was up but part of the upper wing surface was missing. With this information the captain called our maintenance coordinator by UHF radio and relayed all the information we had available. He requested that we divert to mci, but the captain suggested that we continue to oma. The aircraft was flyable with no apparent system damage and was just as capable of proceeding to destination as it was to divert. The maintenance coordinator contacted our dispatcher and it was decided to continue to oma. At the moment we heard the noise we were approximately 50 mi northeast of mci. By the time all communications were complete we were more than half way between mci and oma. A normal letdown and landing occurred in oma. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the panel was on the upper wing surface just forward of the left inboard ground spoiler and appeared to be a composite material. The reporter said the rivets for the panel were intact around the outer perimeter of the missing panel. The reporter stated the maintenance action taken was to replace the panel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 IN CRUISE AT FL290 EXPERIENCED THE L WING UPPER SURFACE COMPOSITE PANEL FORWARD OF THE L INBOARD GND SPOILER DEPART THE ACFT.

Narrative: ENRTE TO OMA AT FL290 A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD FOLLOWED BY A SPOILER DEPLOY LIGHT ON OUR ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. SHORTLY AFTER, ONE OF OUR CABIN ATTENDANTS CALLED ON THE FLT INTERPHONE AND STATED THAT THE PAX HEARD AN EXPLOSION AND SAW A FLASH OF LIGHT. CHKING OUR INSTRUMENTATION WE SAW NO EVIDENCE OF AN EXPLOSION OR OF SYS FAILURES. WE REFED OUR QRH. AFTER COMPLETING THIS THE CAPT CALLED XYZ, OUR CABIN ATTENDANT, AND ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW WHAT A SPOILER WAS AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE DID. THE CAPT ASKED HIM TO SHINE A FLASHLIGHT ON THE WING TO SEE IF OUR SPOILER WAS UP TO SUPPORT OUR SPOILER DEPLOY LIGHT. HIS REPLY WAS NO SPOILER WAS UP BUT PART OF THE UPPER WING SURFACE WAS MISSING. WITH THIS INFO THE CAPT CALLED OUR MAINT COORDINATOR BY UHF RADIO AND RELAYED ALL THE INFO WE HAD AVAILABLE. HE REQUESTED THAT WE DIVERT TO MCI, BUT THE CAPT SUGGESTED THAT WE CONTINUE TO OMA. THE ACFT WAS FLYABLE WITH NO APPARENT SYS DAMAGE AND WAS JUST AS CAPABLE OF PROCEEDING TO DEST AS IT WAS TO DIVERT. THE MAINT COORDINATOR CONTACTED OUR DISPATCHER AND IT WAS DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO OMA. AT THE MOMENT WE HEARD THE NOISE WE WERE APPROX 50 MI NE OF MCI. BY THE TIME ALL COMS WERE COMPLETE WE WERE MORE THAN HALF WAY BTWN MCI AND OMA. A NORMAL LETDOWN AND LNDG OCCURRED IN OMA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE PANEL WAS ON THE UPPER WING SURFACE JUST FORWARD OF THE L INBOARD GND SPOILER AND APPEARED TO BE A COMPOSITE MATERIAL. THE RPTR SAID THE RIVETS FOR THE PANEL WERE INTACT AROUND THE OUTER PERIMETER OF THE MISSING PANEL. THE RPTR STATED THE MAINT ACTION TAKEN WAS TO REPLACE THE PANEL.

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.