Narrative:

On departure; [we] heard a thump as we were rotating. Assumed it was just hitting a runway centerline light. In cruise; the lead flight attendant came to the cockpit and told us the passenger had observed rubber flying by his window on takeoff. All our indications were normal; no hydraulic or fuel leaks. Landing was normal. After parking at gate; mechanic got on the flight interphone and reported to me that a tire was blown and there was damage to the underside of the wing. I went down to observe damage and noted the tire tread was totally missing and there were several rubber streaks and punctures in the underside of the wing and one trailing edge flap.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A pilot reports hearing a 'thump' during departure rotation of their B747-400 aircraft. Passenger later notified Flight Attendant about seeing rubber flying past their window. All cockpit indications were normal. After arrival; Mechanic finds the right main wing landing gear; main tire tread cap was missing; inboard flap had large gash; with rubber marks and punctures in the lower wing.

Narrative: On departure; [we] heard a thump as we were rotating. Assumed it was just hitting a runway centerline light. In cruise; the Lead Flight Attendant came to the cockpit and told us the passenger had observed rubber flying by his window on takeoff. All our indications were normal; no hydraulic or fuel leaks. Landing was normal. After parking at gate; Mechanic got on the flight interphone and reported to me that a tire was blown and there was damage to the underside of the wing. I went down to observe damage and noted the tire tread was totally missing and there were several rubber streaks and punctures in the underside of the wing and one trailing edge flap.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.