Narrative:

First officer and I met the inbound flight at the gate in abq for a crew change. We were flying the last leg of our pairing abq-phx. The first officer goes outside for the exterior preflight. An FAA maintenance inspector met the first officer with his identification and said that he was here for a routine ramp inspection and would be following the first officer on his preflight inspection. The inspector questioned the first officer about a dent he found on the #1 engine cowling on the left (outer) side rear towards the top. The first officer told the inspector that he assumed that the dent was noted by our maintenance in a dent log already because it was apparent to him by the coloration and shading of the metal that the dent had occurred some time ago. The first officer came in the cockpit to continue his preflight with the inspector where I was busy in my seat doing my preflight. The first officer told me about the dent and, at that time, the inspector asked me where and what is the dent log since he said he was not familiar with it. I explained to him that, to the best of my knowledge, our maintenance in dal keeps a log of all dents of aircraft that have been brought to their attention, either by their own inspections or by pilot preflts recording the location, size, and airworthy condition. The inspector never asked me if this dent in question was already noted in the dent log by maintenance. He looked through the aircraft logbook while we all discussed how nice the WX was in abq. We said our good-byes and the inspector leaves out the jetway door and disappears on the ramp about 5 mins before departure. After that, I went outside to inspect the dent myself. I agreed with the first officer that the dent had been there a while, and that it was not a safety of flight item since the inbound flight crew had reported to us that the airplane operated normally. Since the maintenance inspector left without questioning me further about the dent or waiting to see if it was actually noted by our maintenance prior to departure, I assumed everything was okay by him. Also, being an FAA maintenance inspector, if he thought the dent made the airplane not airworthy, that it would be his job to ground the airplane at that time. We departed abq for phx and, upon approaching phx I radioed maintenance to meet the aircraft to show them the dent in question. At the gate in phx I went outside to show the first officer taking over the airplane, while he was doing his walk-around, the dent in question. I told him that maintenance was coming out to look at it and see if it had been noted in the dent log since an FAA inspector had questioned it in abq. The first officer I was flying with met maintenance and showed him where the dent was and explained that, if it was not already noted, that it should be because the FAA inspector questioned it in abq. After 8 days later, the assistant chief pilot informs me that, according to the inspector in abq, we had told him the dent was already noted by maintenance and, in fact, upon calling our maintenance, he found it was not. The first officer and I never stated that the dent was already recorded to the inspector. I think the assumption by him came with my explanation of what and where is a dent log.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MISUNDERSTANDING BTWN AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR AND THE FLC OF AN MLG ACR ACFT REGARDING THE RECORD OF A DENT IN ONE OF THE ENG COWLINGS.

Narrative: FO AND I MET THE INBOUND FLT AT THE GATE IN ABQ FOR A CREW CHANGE. WE WERE FLYING THE LAST LEG OF OUR PAIRING ABQ-PHX. THE FO GOES OUTSIDE FOR THE EXTERIOR PREFLT. AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR MET THE FO WITH HIS ID AND SAID THAT HE WAS HERE FOR A ROUTINE RAMP INSPECTION AND WOULD BE FOLLOWING THE FO ON HIS PREFLT INSPECTION. THE INSPECTOR QUESTIONED THE FO ABOUT A DENT HE FOUND ON THE #1 ENG COWLING ON THE L (OUTER) SIDE REAR TOWARDS THE TOP. THE FO TOLD THE INSPECTOR THAT HE ASSUMED THAT THE DENT WAS NOTED BY OUR MAINT IN A DENT LOG ALREADY BECAUSE IT WAS APPARENT TO HIM BY THE COLORATION AND SHADING OF THE METAL THAT THE DENT HAD OCCURRED SOME TIME AGO. THE FO CAME IN THE COCKPIT TO CONTINUE HIS PREFLT WITH THE INSPECTOR WHERE I WAS BUSY IN MY SEAT DOING MY PREFLT. THE FO TOLD ME ABOUT THE DENT AND, AT THAT TIME, THE INSPECTOR ASKED ME WHERE AND WHAT IS THE DENT LOG SINCE HE SAID HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, OUR MAINT IN DAL KEEPS A LOG OF ALL DENTS OF ACFT THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTN, EITHER BY THEIR OWN INSPECTIONS OR BY PLT PREFLTS RECORDING THE LOCATION, SIZE, AND AIRWORTHY CONDITION. THE INSPECTOR NEVER ASKED ME IF THIS DENT IN QUESTION WAS ALREADY NOTED IN THE DENT LOG BY MAINT. HE LOOKED THROUGH THE ACFT LOGBOOK WHILE WE ALL DISCUSSED HOW NICE THE WX WAS IN ABQ. WE SAID OUR GOOD-BYES AND THE INSPECTOR LEAVES OUT THE JETWAY DOOR AND DISAPPEARS ON THE RAMP ABOUT 5 MINS BEFORE DEP. AFTER THAT, I WENT OUTSIDE TO INSPECT THE DENT MYSELF. I AGREED WITH THE FO THAT THE DENT HAD BEEN THERE A WHILE, AND THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFETY OF FLT ITEM SINCE THE INBOUND FLC HAD RPTED TO US THAT THE AIRPLANE OPERATED NORMALLY. SINCE THE MAINT INSPECTOR LEFT WITHOUT QUESTIONING ME FURTHER ABOUT THE DENT OR WAITING TO SEE IF IT WAS ACTUALLY NOTED BY OUR MAINT PRIOR TO DEP, I ASSUMED EVERYTHING WAS OKAY BY HIM. ALSO, BEING AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR, IF HE THOUGHT THE DENT MADE THE AIRPLANE NOT AIRWORTHY, THAT IT WOULD BE HIS JOB TO GND THE AIRPLANE AT THAT TIME. WE DEPARTED ABQ FOR PHX AND, UPON APCHING PHX I RADIOED MAINT TO MEET THE ACFT TO SHOW THEM THE DENT IN QUESTION. AT THE GATE IN PHX I WENT OUTSIDE TO SHOW THE FO TAKING OVER THE AIRPLANE, WHILE HE WAS DOING HIS WALK-AROUND, THE DENT IN QUESTION. I TOLD HIM THAT MAINT WAS COMING OUT TO LOOK AT IT AND SEE IF IT HAD BEEN NOTED IN THE DENT LOG SINCE AN FAA INSPECTOR HAD QUESTIONED IT IN ABQ. THE FO I WAS FLYING WITH MET MAINT AND SHOWED HIM WHERE THE DENT WAS AND EXPLAINED THAT, IF IT WAS NOT ALREADY NOTED, THAT IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE THE FAA INSPECTOR QUESTIONED IT IN ABQ. AFTER 8 DAYS LATER, THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT INFORMS ME THAT, ACCORDING TO THE INSPECTOR IN ABQ, WE HAD TOLD HIM THE DENT WAS ALREADY NOTED BY MAINT AND, IN FACT, UPON CALLING OUR MAINT, HE FOUND IT WAS NOT. THE FO AND I NEVER STATED THAT THE DENT WAS ALREADY RECORDED TO THE INSPECTOR. I THINK THE ASSUMPTION BY HIM CAME WITH MY EXPLANATION OF WHAT AND WHERE IS A DENT LOG.

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.