Narrative:

A flight from slc-boi. I did a normal exterior preflight and did not observe anything unusual. After preflight, maintenance did a double tire change on the right main landing gear. They signed the airworthiness release and we departed for boi. Climbing through approximately 16000 ft, the crew heard a thump, which we all associated with turbulence. After initial descent into boi, the flight attendant reported to the cockpit that she felt a stronger than usual vibration in the floor approximately 4 rows aft of the aft overwing exit. There was no heat or smoke associated with the vibration and she couldn't determine if it was on the right or left side of aircraft. The landing gear extended normally and the landing was uneventful. As passenger were deplaning at the gate, a boise operations person entered the cockpit and reported seeing damage to the underside of the right wing near the landing gear. All 3 pilots went outside and observed the right main landing gear door missing with aircraft damage (scrapes and holes) in the underside of the wing/fairing/coupling area. The return flight to slc was canceled and the appropriate agencies were notified. It wasn't until after landing and seeing the damage that the crew put 2+2 together and realized the thump passing through 16000 ft was probably the door departing the airplane. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the door that was lost was the fuselage folding section that was most likely opened on the ground by maintenance. Reporter indicated that no warning lights were noted in the cockpit that would indicate that the gear and door sequencing were other than normal prior to the door separating.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 LOSES PART OF R MAIN GEAR DOOR INFLT AFTER A TIRE CHANGE IN SLC.

Narrative: A FLT FROM SLC-BOI. I DID A NORMAL EXTERIOR PREFLT AND DID NOT OBSERVE ANYTHING UNUSUAL. AFTER PREFLT, MAINT DID A DOUBLE TIRE CHANGE ON THE R MAIN LNDG GEAR. THEY SIGNED THE AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE AND WE DEPARTED FOR BOI. CLBING THROUGH APPROX 16000 FT, THE CREW HEARD A THUMP, WHICH WE ALL ASSOCIATED WITH TURB. AFTER INITIAL DSCNT INTO BOI, THE FLT ATTENDANT RPTED TO THE COCKPIT THAT SHE FELT A STRONGER THAN USUAL VIBRATION IN THE FLOOR APPROX 4 ROWS AFT OF THE AFT OVERWING EXIT. THERE WAS NO HEAT OR SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIBRATION AND SHE COULDN'T DETERMINE IF IT WAS ON THE R OR L SIDE OF ACFT. THE LNDG GEAR EXTENDED NORMALLY AND THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AS PAX WERE DEPLANING AT THE GATE, A BOISE OPS PERSON ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND RPTED SEEING DAMAGE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE R WING NEAR THE LNDG GEAR. ALL 3 PLTS WENT OUTSIDE AND OBSERVED THE R MAIN LNDG GEAR DOOR MISSING WITH ACFT DAMAGE (SCRAPES AND HOLES) IN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WING/FAIRING/COUPLING AREA. THE RETURN FLT TO SLC WAS CANCELED AND THE APPROPRIATE AGENCIES WERE NOTIFIED. IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER LNDG AND SEEING THE DAMAGE THAT THE CREW PUT 2+2 TOGETHER AND REALIZED THE THUMP PASSING THROUGH 16000 FT WAS PROBABLY THE DOOR DEPARTING THE AIRPLANE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE DOOR THAT WAS LOST WAS THE FUSELAGE FOLDING SECTION THAT WAS MOST LIKELY OPENED ON THE GND BY MAINT. RPTR INDICATED THAT NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE NOTED IN THE COCKPIT THAT WOULD INDICATE THAT THE GEAR AND DOOR SEQUENCING WERE OTHER THAN NORMAL PRIOR TO THE DOOR SEPARATING.

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.