Narrative:

First officer returns from walkaround and tells me there is a panel missing off leading edge of wing root on right side. Said he had talked to mechanic and aircraft had come from hangar and had been cleared. I called maintenance and asked for a lead mechanic to meet me at aircraft. He advised me that 3 people had walked around aircraft prior to my first officer. This is the 2ND time in 2 months this has happened; ie; aircraft coming from hangar and being cleared with panel missing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advises the missing panels were well beyond anything remotely deferrable. His eyeball estimate was that the panels; located on the underside of the wing between the fuselage and the right engine; were roughly two ft wide by four or six ft in length. In one case a plastic bag of fasteners was safety wired to one of the fastener locations awaiting reinstallation. Reporter addressed some concern regarding the air carrier's replacement of line mechanics -- who routinely do pre and post flight walkarounds -- with unlicensed pushback crews -- unqualified to do so -- may have influenced the apparent maintenance shortcomings. Reporter was openly and outspokenly distressed at the deterioration in the maintenance operation at his company. He felt this incident was a particularly gross example of what he sees as a general malaise towards their responsibilities; a malaise he feels resulted from reductions in personnel and pay; coupled with increases in responsibility and workload.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-200 CAPT RPTS RECEIVING AN ACFT CLRED BY MAINT WITH A MISSING WING SKIN PANEL. RPTS A SIMILAR INCIDENT TWO MONTHS PREVIOUS TO THIS EVENT.

Narrative: FO RETURNS FROM WALKAROUND AND TELLS ME THERE IS A PANEL MISSING OFF LEADING EDGE OF WING ROOT ON R SIDE. SAID HE HAD TALKED TO MECHANIC AND ACFT HAD COME FROM HANGAR AND HAD BEEN CLRED. I CALLED MAINT AND ASKED FOR A LEAD MECHANIC TO MEET ME AT ACFT. HE ADVISED ME THAT 3 PEOPLE HAD WALKED AROUND ACFT PRIOR TO MY FO. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME IN 2 MONTHS THIS HAS HAPPENED; IE; ACFT COMING FROM HANGAR AND BEING CLRED WITH PANEL MISSING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISES THE MISSING PANELS WERE WELL BEYOND ANYTHING REMOTELY DEFERRABLE. HIS EYEBALL ESTIMATE WAS THAT THE PANELS; LOCATED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WING BETWEEN THE FUSELAGE AND THE R ENG; WERE ROUGHLY TWO FT WIDE BY FOUR OR SIX FT IN LENGTH. IN ONE CASE A PLASTIC BAG OF FASTENERS WAS SAFETY WIRED TO ONE OF THE FASTENER LOCATIONS AWAITING REINSTALLATION. RPTR ADDRESSED SOME CONCERN REGARDING THE ACR'S REPLACEMENT OF LINE MECHANICS -- WHO ROUTINELY DO PRE AND POST FLT WALKAROUNDS -- WITH UNLICENSED PUSHBACK CREWS -- UNQUALIFIED TO DO SO -- MAY HAVE INFLUENCED THE APPARENT MAINT SHORTCOMINGS. RPTR WAS OPENLY AND OUTSPOKENLY DISTRESSED AT THE DETERIORATION IN THE MAINT OP AT HIS COMPANY. HE FELT THIS INCIDENT WAS A PARTICULARLY GROSS EXAMPLE OF WHAT HE SEES AS A GENERAL MALAISE TOWARDS THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES; A MALAISE HE FEELS RESULTED FROM REDUCTIONS IN PERSONNEL AND PAY; COUPLED WITH INCREASES IN RESPONSIBILITY AND WORKLOAD.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.