Narrative:

I was the inspector for the right wing and right main gear. A mechanic changed the #3 main tire; but left the hub cap loose. There were many factors contributing to this happening including: moving the aircraft in the middle of the job; the mechanic working the tire was called for a drug test during the job; a general hurried atmosphere. The mechanic signed off the jobcard and so did I. I did a walk around after the tire change; but did not find that the hub cap was loose. The aircraft made it two flight legs before the #3 hub cap came off.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An Inspector and Mechanic report on the chain of events that contributed to a #3 main gear tire hub cap departing a B737-700 aircraft.

Narrative: I was the Inspector for the right wing and right main gear. A Mechanic changed the #3 main tire; but left the hub cap loose. There were many factors contributing to this happening including: moving the aircraft in the middle of the job; the Mechanic working the tire was called for a drug test during the job; a general hurried atmosphere. The Mechanic signed off the jobcard and so did I. I did a walk around after the tire change; but did not find that the hub cap was loose. The aircraft made it two flight legs before the #3 hub cap came off.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.