FAA finds aircraft discrepancies during a ramp check.

Attributes
ACN	196887
Time
Date	199112
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mia
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Heavy Transport, Low Wing, 4 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 160 flight time total : 13000 flight time type : 300
ASRS Report	196887
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	observation : air carrier inspector
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

The crew departed the ramp to get some lunch. Arriving at the airplane about 2 hours later we were met by an FAA aviation safety inspector. He proceeded to look over the airplane and then he went inside the cockpit. He noticed that the steering wheel had 2 pieces of duct tape wrapped around it. He asked me about it and I told him that I had noticed the tape but I didn't think anything about it. He told our mechanic to remove the tape and we noticed a crack on the wheel. He asked me if I have written the discrepancy in the logbook and I told him that I had not made an entry in the logbook because I did not know that anything was wrong. The tape had covered the crack and everything, in my view, was perfectly normal. He also noticed that the crash ax was missing. We told him that the ax was there when boarded the plane at the start of our trip. The airplane was unattended for about 3 hours and evidently somebody stole the ax.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FAA FINDS ACFT DISCREPANCIES DURING A RAMP CHK.

Narrative: THE CREW DEPARTED THE RAMP TO GET SOME LUNCH. ARRIVING AT THE AIRPLANE ABOUT 2 HRS LATER WE WERE MET BY AN FAA AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR. HE PROCEEDED TO LOOK OVER THE AIRPLANE AND THEN HE WENT INSIDE THE COCKPIT. HE NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL HAD 2 PIECES OF DUCT TAPE WRAPPED AROUND IT. HE ASKED ME ABOUT IT AND I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD NOTICED THE TAPE BUT I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING ABOUT IT. HE TOLD OUR MECH TO REMOVE THE TAPE AND WE NOTICED A CRACK ON THE WHEEL. HE ASKED ME IF I HAVE WRITTEN THE DISCREPANCY IN THE LOGBOOK AND I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD NOT MADE AN ENTRY IN THE LOGBOOK BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THE TAPE HAD COVERED THE CRACK AND EVERYTHING, IN MY VIEW, WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL. HE ALSO NOTICED THAT THE CRASH AX WAS MISSING. WE TOLD HIM THAT THE AX WAS THERE WHEN BOARDED THE PLANE AT THE START OF OUR TRIP. THE AIRPLANE WAS UNATTENDED FOR ABOUT 3 HRS AND EVIDENTLY SOMEBODY STOLE THE AX.

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.