Flight crew missed seeing left main gear by panel missing and gear overheat test on preflight.

Attributes
ACN	300835
Time
Date	199503
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : slc
State Reference	UT
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : msp
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
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 : 100 flight time total : 14300 flight time type : 70
ASRS Report	300835
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

During a scheduled flight from origination to destination and back to origination, the aircraft to be flown came out of maintenance for return to service. The mechanic's failed to install the left main landing gear bay panel on the aircraft to be flown. Not knowing the part missing, the flight crew arrived at the aircraft to start their preflight inspections. The first officer failed to see the left main gear bay panel missing off the aircraft during the preflight inspection. While the captain went through the interior preflight inspections, the main landing gear overheat test was overlooked on the preflight inspection. The flight went out and back uneventfully. Once back at the origination point, the captain discovered the main landing gear bay overheat test was not functioning properly, notified maintenance to the aircraft and wrote up the discrepancy. Maintenance discovered the part missing, inspected the aircraft, and replaced the missing part, and returned the aircraft to service.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC MISSED SEEING L MAIN GEAR BY PANEL MISSING AND GEAR OVERHEAT TEST ON PREFLT.

Narrative: DURING A SCHEDULED FLT FROM ORIGINATION TO DEST AND BACK TO ORIGINATION, THE ACFT TO BE FLOWN CAME OUT OF MAINT FOR RETURN TO SVC. THE MECH'S FAILED TO INSTALL THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR BAY PANEL ON THE ACFT TO BE FLOWN. NOT KNOWING THE PART MISSING, THE FLC ARRIVED AT THE ACFT TO START THEIR PREFLT INSPECTIONS. THE FO FAILED TO SEE THE L MAIN GEAR BAY PANEL MISSING OFF THE ACFT DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION. WHILE THE CAPT WENT THROUGH THE INTERIOR PREFLT INSPECTIONS, THE MAIN LNDG GEAR OVERHEAT TEST WAS OVERLOOKED ON THE PREFLT INSPECTION. THE FLT WENT OUT AND BACK UNEVENTFULLY. ONCE BACK AT THE ORIGINATION POINT, THE CAPT DISCOVERED THE MAIN LNDG GEAR BAY OVERHEAT TEST WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, NOTIFIED MAINT TO THE ACFT AND WROTE UP THE DISCREPANCY. MAINT DISCOVERED THE PART MISSING, INSPECTED THE ACFT, AND REPLACED THE MISSING PART, AND RETURNED THE ACFT TO SVC.

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.