Narrative:

Aircraft was flown on first round trip to gnv, no incidents. Upon preflight inspection on atl ramp before next round trip found right inboard flap to be misaligned with trailing edge of wing and did not match left inboard flap panel. Both alignment and material made of: left flap composite, right flap metal. Mechanics found flap track and roller to be damaged on right flap, also that right flap was off another aircraft. Flap was removed and replaced with correct flap. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter had flown the aircraft and noted that every time the flaps were lowered it was necessary to re-trim the ailerons. After the flight the reporter lowered the flaps and inspected them when he found the misaligned flaps. Maintenance inspected the flap, removed the metal one and found significant damage to the rollers and the flap track. The damage was attributed to the installation of the metal flap instead of the composite flap which was the proper one for that model. The E-120 brasilia later models are equipped with the composite material while the earlier models were metal. The reporter said that he had seen the dissimilar flaps on other aircraft, but seemed to have been corrected recently. Reporter has spoken with his company chief pilot and recommended that proper serial number flaps be installed only on the proper serial number aircraft. Should the same maintenance problem occur in the future, it has potential for much more serious problems.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. FLAP ROLLERS AND TRACK DAMAGE CAUSED BY INCORRECT FLAP INSTALLATION.

Narrative: ACFT WAS FLOWN ON FIRST ROUND TRIP TO GNV, NO INCIDENTS. UPON PREFLT INSPECTION ON ATL RAMP BEFORE NEXT ROUND TRIP FOUND R INBOARD FLAP TO BE MISALIGNED WITH TRAILING EDGE OF WING AND DID NOT MATCH L INBOARD FLAP PANEL. BOTH ALIGNMENT AND MATERIAL MADE OF: L FLAP COMPOSITE, R FLAP METAL. MECHS FOUND FLAP TRACK AND ROLLER TO BE DAMAGED ON R FLAP, ALSO THAT R FLAP WAS OFF ANOTHER ACFT. FLAP WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH CORRECT FLAP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR HAD FLOWN THE ACFT AND NOTED THAT EVERY TIME THE FLAPS WERE LOWERED IT WAS NECESSARY TO RE-TRIM THE AILERONS. AFTER THE FLT THE RPTR LOWERED THE FLAPS AND INSPECTED THEM WHEN HE FOUND THE MISALIGNED FLAPS. MAINT INSPECTED THE FLAP, REMOVED THE METAL ONE AND FOUND SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE ROLLERS AND THE FLAP TRACK. THE DAMAGE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE INSTALLATION OF THE METAL FLAP INSTEAD OF THE COMPOSITE FLAP WHICH WAS THE PROPER ONE FOR THAT MODEL. THE E-120 BRASILIA LATER MODELS ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL WHILE THE EARLIER MODELS WERE METAL. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE HAD SEEN THE DISSIMILAR FLAPS ON OTHER ACFT, BUT SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN CORRECTED RECENTLY. RPTR HAS SPOKEN WITH HIS COMPANY CHIEF PLT AND RECOMMENDED THAT PROPER SERIAL NUMBER FLAPS BE INSTALLED ONLY ON THE PROPER SERIAL NUMBER ACFT. SHOULD THE SAME MAINT PROB OCCUR IN THE FUTURE, IT HAS POTENTIAL FOR MUCH MORE SERIOUS PROBS.

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.