Narrative:

I am writing to report a situation in which an aircraft was flown with passenger, that had minor damage to the elevator on the left side. This damage was caused by maintenance personnel in pdx while repairing tail deice boots on the aircraft. I was the captain assigned to the aircraft while repairs were already underway on it in pdx. The mechanic working on the aircraft accidentally ran his ladder into the elevator on the left side of the aircraft, knocking off static wicks and slightly damaging the trailing edge of the elevator. However, neither I nor the first officer were ever informed of this having occurred. When I first went out to the aircraft to help test the surface deice that was repaired, I noticed 2 static wicks were missing off the left side of the tail. When the mechanic returned to our operations room a short while later, he had signed off the repair of the tail deice discrepancy. He gave me our maintenance log and said he was finished and that the aircraft was ready to go. I asked him if the static wicks were on ok and he replied yes. I was under the belief that he had removed them as part of his inspection of the tail deice boots. No entry was made in the log about the damage to the elevator or the replacement of the static wicks, nor were we informed of it. Both the first officer and myself performed preflight and postflt inspections and could not see the damage to the elevator from the ground. We later repositioned the aircraft to our maintenance base in xyz. Maintenance personnel in xyz discovered the damage after receiving a phone call from the mechanic in pdx. It was only then that myself and the first officer were informed of the damage. I believe that the mechanic in pdx will be disciplined by the company at the very least.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE REPAIRING THE TAIL DEICE BOOTS ON RPTR B1900 ACFT, MECH DOING REPAIR ACCIDENTALLY DAMAGED THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE ELEVATOR AND KNOCKED OFF SOME STATIC WICKS. WHEN RPTR CAPT ASKED HIM IF THE ACFT WAS READY TO GO AND IF THE STATIC WICKS WERE REPLACED HE SAID YES. DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED AT THE NEXT ARPT BY MAINT PERSONNEL.

Narrative: I AM WRITING TO RPT A SIT IN WHICH AN ACFT WAS FLOWN WITH PAX, THAT HAD MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ELEVATOR ON THE L SIDE. THIS DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY MAINT PERSONNEL IN PDX WHILE REPAIRING TAIL DEICE BOOTS ON THE ACFT. I WAS THE CAPT ASSIGNED TO THE ACFT WHILE REPAIRS WERE ALREADY UNDERWAY ON IT IN PDX. THE MECH WORKING ON THE ACFT ACCIDENTALLY RAN HIS LADDER INTO THE ELEVATOR ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT, KNOCKING OFF STATIC WICKS AND SLIGHTLY DAMAGING THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE ELEVATOR. HOWEVER, NEITHER I NOR THE FO WERE EVER INFORMED OF THIS HAVING OCCURRED. WHEN I FIRST WENT OUT TO THE ACFT TO HELP TEST THE SURFACE DEICE THAT WAS REPAIRED, I NOTICED 2 STATIC WICKS WERE MISSING OFF THE L SIDE OF THE TAIL. WHEN THE MECH RETURNED TO OUR OPS ROOM A SHORT WHILE LATER, HE HAD SIGNED OFF THE REPAIR OF THE TAIL DEICE DISCREPANCY. HE GAVE ME OUR MAINT LOG AND SAID HE WAS FINISHED AND THAT THE ACFT WAS READY TO GO. I ASKED HIM IF THE STATIC WICKS WERE ON OK AND HE REPLIED YES. I WAS UNDER THE BELIEF THAT HE HAD REMOVED THEM AS PART OF HIS INSPECTION OF THE TAIL DEICE BOOTS. NO ENTRY WAS MADE IN THE LOG ABOUT THE DAMAGE TO THE ELEVATOR OR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE STATIC WICKS, NOR WERE WE INFORMED OF IT. BOTH THE FO AND MYSELF PERFORMED PREFLT AND POSTFLT INSPECTIONS AND COULD NOT SEE THE DAMAGE TO THE ELEVATOR FROM THE GND. WE LATER REPOSITIONED THE ACFT TO OUR MAINT BASE IN XYZ. MAINT PERSONNEL IN XYZ DISCOVERED THE DAMAGE AFTER RECEIVING A PHONE CALL FROM THE MECH IN PDX. IT WAS ONLY THEN THAT MYSELF AND THE FO WERE INFORMED OF THE DAMAGE. I BELIEVE THAT THE MECH IN PDX WILL BE DISCIPLINED BY THE COMPANY AT THE VERY LEAST.

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.