Narrative:

Immediately after lift-off, EICAS 'right wing slide' with associated master caution and overhead 'emergency doors' annunciator illuminated. Advised ewr tower of possible problem and requested permission to remain in pattern which was granted. All aircraft indications appeared normal. Requested deadheading pilot to check overwing exits and cabin for any observable abnormalities and directed first officer to review checklist (no appropriate procedures) and then to contact ewr maintenance control. I consulted with ewr maintenance. After discussing situation, I decided to continue to iah. After level off, I personally inspected overwing exits and observable overwing area and noted no abnormalities. Just after touchdown in iah, tower reported that we appeared to have an escape chute deployed over the right wing. I cleared the runway, shut down right engine and received ground control permission to park. Shut down on ramp area, iah operations was alerted and maintenance responded to aircraft which was subsequently towed to gate where passenger disembarked. Maintenance advised me that a mechanic observing the landing thought he saw chute deploy on touchdown. During tow-in, a deadheading captain queried passenger to see if any abnormalities or observations had been made. He reported several passenger noted hearing 'unusual bumps' about 10 mins prior to touchdown. This would have approximately coincided with first flap extension during approach. Another passenger thought he saw 'something' over the wing in-flight. Nothing abnormal was ever reported to cabin crew during flight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: at lift-off, from newark, the flight crew received a caution inhibited indication. The flight crew entered downwind to return to land, but subsequently chose a vector clearance. After discussing the indication with maintenance, it was determined that the flight crew had received a false alarm. The mechanics were certain that the system sensing would have activated the squib for slide deployment. The captain sent a jumpseating crew member back, and he later walked back to see if there was anything unusual occurring. In fact, he actually moved the passenger out of that exit row and pressed his face against the window to see if he could detect anything that would offer a clue. In the absence of any further evidence of a problem, the flight was continued to the scheduled destination. At no time was the FAA involved. The B757 aircraft incurred damage as a result of this incident. There were minor holes in the trailing edge flap skin, and minor abrasions in the fuselage fairing. Aircraft repair turn around time was 6 hours. The captain is still uncertain as to when the slide actually deployed. The crew did not experience a pressurization problem or exhibit any handling problems.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SHORTLY AFTER A B757'S TOUCHDOWN, AN ATCT LCL CTLR INFORMED THE FLC OF A DEPLOYED SLIDE. THE FLC HAD RECEIVED A CAUTION ANNUNCIATOR DURING DEP FROM THE ORIGINATING ARPT, BUT DISCOUNTED ITS VALIDITY WHEN NO OTHER EVIDENCE COULD BE FOUND.

Narrative: IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFT-OFF, EICAS 'R WING SLIDE' WITH ASSOCIATED MASTER CAUTION AND OVERHEAD 'EMER DOORS' ANNUNCIATOR ILLUMINATED. ADVISED EWR TWR OF POSSIBLE PROB AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO REMAIN IN PATTERN WHICH WAS GRANTED. ALL ACFT INDICATIONS APPEARED NORMAL. REQUESTED DEADHEADING PLT TO CHK OVERWING EXITS AND CABIN FOR ANY OBSERVABLE ABNORMALITIES AND DIRECTED FO TO REVIEW CHKLIST (NO APPROPRIATE PROCS) AND THEN TO CONTACT EWR MAINT CTL. I CONSULTED WITH EWR MAINT. AFTER DISCUSSING SIT, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO IAH. AFTER LEVEL OFF, I PERSONALLY INSPECTED OVERWING EXITS AND OBSERVABLE OVERWING AREA AND NOTED NO ABNORMALITIES. JUST AFTER TOUCHDOWN IN IAH, TWR RPTED THAT WE APPEARED TO HAVE AN ESCAPE CHUTE DEPLOYED OVER THE R WING. I CLRED THE RWY, SHUT DOWN R ENG AND RECEIVED GND CTL PERMISSION TO PARK. SHUT DOWN ON RAMP AREA, IAH OPS WAS ALERTED AND MAINT RESPONDED TO ACFT WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TOWED TO GATE WHERE PAX DISEMBARKED. MAINT ADVISED ME THAT A MECH OBSERVING THE LNDG THOUGHT HE SAW CHUTE DEPLOY ON TOUCHDOWN. DURING TOW-IN, A DEADHEADING CAPT QUERIED PAX TO SEE IF ANY ABNORMALITIES OR OBSERVATIONS HAD BEEN MADE. HE RPTED SEVERAL PAX NOTED HEARING 'UNUSUAL BUMPS' ABOUT 10 MINS PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. THIS WOULD HAVE APPROX COINCIDED WITH FIRST FLAP EXTENSION DURING APCH. ANOTHER PAX THOUGHT HE SAW 'SOMETHING' OVER THE WING INFLT. NOTHING ABNORMAL WAS EVER RPTED TO CABIN CREW DURING FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AT LIFT-OFF, FROM NEWARK, THE FLC RECEIVED A CAUTION INHIBITED INDICATION. THE FLC ENTERED DOWNWIND TO RETURN TO LAND, BUT SUBSEQUENTLY CHOSE A VECTOR CLRNC. AFTER DISCUSSING THE INDICATION WITH MAINT, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FLC HAD RECEIVED A FALSE ALARM. THE MECHS WERE CERTAIN THAT THE SYS SENSING WOULD HAVE ACTIVATED THE SQUIB FOR SLIDE DEPLOYMENT. THE CAPT SENT A JUMPSEATING CREW MEMBER BACK, AND HE LATER WALKED BACK TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING UNUSUAL OCCURRING. IN FACT, HE ACTUALLY MOVED THE PAX OUT OF THAT EXIT ROW AND PRESSED HIS FACE AGAINST THE WINDOW TO SEE IF HE COULD DETECT ANYTHING THAT WOULD OFFER A CLUE. IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY FURTHER EVIDENCE OF A PROB, THE FLT WAS CONTINUED TO THE SCHEDULED DEST. AT NO TIME WAS THE FAA INVOLVED. THE B757 ACFT INCURRED DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT. THERE WERE MINOR HOLES IN THE TRAILING EDGE FLAP SKIN, AND MINOR ABRASIONS IN THE FUSELAGE FAIRING. ACFT REPAIR TURN AROUND TIME WAS 6 HRS. THE CAPT IS STILL UNCERTAIN AS TO WHEN THE SLIDE ACTUALLY DEPLOYED. THE CREW DID NOT EXPERIENCE A PRESSURIZATION PROB OR EXHIBIT ANY HANDLING 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.