Narrative:

I reported to work and began to preflight a B757. My company, in an effort to save cost, has stopped routine walkaround inspections by aircraft mechanics and relies on pilot walkaround inspections to identify discrepancies before an aircraft is dispatched, and mechanics to walkaround on layover checks. During my preflight of ship I noted a burned out position light which had already been mco'd in the aircraft log. I also noted a large patch on the left side forward fuselage and another large patch under the aft fuselage and a long abrasive scrape down the center of the aft keel. The scrape was the same color of the surrounding skin, it had considerable oil and dirt uniformly along its entire length. There was no shiny metal exposed and it did not give the appearance of freshly scraped metal. I looked carefully to determine the extent of the scrape and noted that the lower VHF antenna, just forward of the scrape, was undamaged. I checked to see that a visual line from the scrape to the bottom of the main landing gear intersected the lower limit of the antenna. I satisfied myself that any recent tail strike would have damaged the antenna which would then have to be replaced. My conclusion was that it was old damage and I thought that the area would be burnished and polished during the next calendar check. I saw no reason to enter my observation in the aircraft logbook because judging by its appearance it must surely have been observed by maintenance personnel during a layover check. We flew the airplane from atl to stt to stx and back to stt. The next 3 takeoffs and lndgs were normal. No unusual pitch attitudes were experienced, nor was anything unusual reported by any passenger or flight attendant. In st thomas the next morning with about 1 hour on the ground I became curious about the large patches on the forward and aft fuselage. I inspected the fuselage carefully trying to see if I could determine what damage had required such conspicuous repairs. I noticed on the aft patch several random cracks approximately 1 inch long and of minimum width, but noticeable because of the black oily appearance where water, soil, and oil had penetrated. I went to the cockpit and told the captain about the cracks that I noticed. He returned with me to inspect the area and then told me to enter a request to have the cracks inspected in the aircraft log. I am told that when maintenance inspected the aircraft they were alarmed, not by the cracks that I had reported, but by the scrape that I had not reported. I believe that routine walkarounds by qualified aircraft mechanics should be reinstated.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN LGT DID NOT RECORD A FUSELAGE SCRAPE WHEN RPTING FUSELAGE CRACKS IN THE ACFT LOG DURING PREFLT.

Narrative: I RPTED TO WORK AND BEGAN TO PREFLT A B757. MY COMPANY, IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE COST, HAS STOPPED ROUTINE WALKAROUND INSPECTIONS BY ACFT MECHS AND RELIES ON PLT WALKAROUND INSPECTIONS TO IDENT DISCREPANCIES BEFORE AN ACFT IS DISPATCHED, AND MECHS TO WALKAROUND ON LAYOVER CHKS. DURING MY PREFLT OF SHIP I NOTED A BURNED OUT POS LIGHT WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN MCO'D IN THE ACFT LOG. I ALSO NOTED A LARGE PATCH ON THE L SIDE FORWARD FUSELAGE AND ANOTHER LARGE PATCH UNDER THE AFT FUSELAGE AND A LONG ABRASIVE SCRAPE DOWN THE CTR OF THE AFT KEEL. THE SCRAPE WAS THE SAME COLOR OF THE SURROUNDING SKIN, IT HAD CONSIDERABLE OIL AND DIRT UNIFORMLY ALONG ITS ENTIRE LENGTH. THERE WAS NO SHINY METAL EXPOSED AND IT DID NOT GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF FRESHLY SCRAPED METAL. I LOOKED CAREFULLY TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF THE SCRAPE AND NOTED THAT THE LOWER VHF ANTENNA, JUST FORWARD OF THE SCRAPE, WAS UNDAMAGED. I CHKED TO SEE THAT A VISUAL LINE FROM THE SCRAPE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MAIN LNDG GEAR INTERSECTED THE LOWER LIMIT OF THE ANTENNA. I SATISFIED MYSELF THAT ANY RECENT TAIL STRIKE WOULD HAVE DAMAGED THE ANTENNA WHICH WOULD THEN HAVE TO BE REPLACED. MY CONCLUSION WAS THAT IT WAS OLD DAMAGE AND I THOUGHT THAT THE AREA WOULD BE BURNISHED AND POLISHED DURING THE NEXT CALENDAR CHK. I SAW NO REASON TO ENTER MY OBSERVATION IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK BECAUSE JUDGING BY ITS APPEARANCE IT MUST SURELY HAVE BEEN OBSERVED BY MAINT PERSONNEL DURING A LAYOVER CHK. WE FLEW THE AIRPLANE FROM ATL TO STT TO STX AND BACK TO STT. THE NEXT 3 TKOFS AND LNDGS WERE NORMAL. NO UNUSUAL PITCH ATTITUDES WERE EXPERIENCED, NOR WAS ANYTHING UNUSUAL RPTED BY ANY PAX OR FLT ATTENDANT. IN ST THOMAS THE NEXT MORNING WITH ABOUT 1 HR ON THE GND I BECAME CURIOUS ABOUT THE LARGE PATCHES ON THE FORWARD AND AFT FUSELAGE. I INSPECTED THE FUSELAGE CAREFULLY TRYING TO SEE IF I COULD DETERMINE WHAT DAMAGE HAD REQUIRED SUCH CONSPICUOUS REPAIRS. I NOTICED ON THE AFT PATCH SEVERAL RANDOM CRACKS APPROX 1 INCH LONG AND OF MINIMUM WIDTH, BUT NOTICEABLE BECAUSE OF THE BLACK OILY APPEARANCE WHERE WATER, SOIL, AND OIL HAD PENETRATED. I WENT TO THE COCKPIT AND TOLD THE CAPT ABOUT THE CRACKS THAT I NOTICED. HE RETURNED WITH ME TO INSPECT THE AREA AND THEN TOLD ME TO ENTER A REQUEST TO HAVE THE CRACKS INSPECTED IN THE ACFT LOG. I AM TOLD THAT WHEN MAINT INSPECTED THE ACFT THEY WERE ALARMED, NOT BY THE CRACKS THAT I HAD RPTED, BUT BY THE SCRAPE THAT I HAD NOT RPTED. I BELIEVE THAT ROUTINE WALKAROUNDS BY QUALIFIED ACFT MECHS SHOULD BE REINSTATED.

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.