Narrative:

We were originally scheduled to operate aircraft Y on flts from ZZZ1 to ZZZ2 for the turn. Inbound aircraft was running about forty five minutes late and then arrived with a mechanical write up. Eventually we were swapped to aircraft X, however no one advised the crew until the passenger were told and were ready to board. The aircraft arrived with no maintenance discrepancies. A quick and efficient boarding was made. The trip was uneventful to ZZZ2 and back to ZZZ1. After blocking in at ZZZ1 and after about half of the passenger had deplaned the interphone rang. One of the aft flight attendants called to report that she had just noticed that both of the aft (row 22) over wing escape hatch plug doors 'looked backwards' because the arm rests were going the wrong way. I went back and confirmed that this was the case. Except for the arm rests, the doors appeared normal in every way. The signage and wording on the doors were normal. Maintenance was notified and subsequently I made a maintenance log entry concerning the matter. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the reporter stated the over wing doors were installed incorrectly and was found by an flight attendant who noted the armrests were backwards. The reporter said the swapping of the doors would not have interfered with the door operation, but did not open one to confirm this opinion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON-COMPLIANCE WITH OVER WING EMER EXIT DOORS INSTALLED IMPROPERLY. L DOORS ON R AND R DOORS ON L.

Narrative: WE WERE ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO OPERATE ACFT Y ON FLTS FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2 FOR THE TURN. INBOUND ACFT WAS RUNNING ABOUT FORTY FIVE MINUTES LATE AND THEN ARRIVED WITH A MECHANICAL WRITE UP. EVENTUALLY WE WERE SWAPPED TO ACFT X, HOWEVER NO ONE ADVISED THE CREW UNTIL THE PAX WERE TOLD AND WERE READY TO BOARD. THE ACFT ARRIVED WITH NO MAINT DISCREPANCIES. A QUICK AND EFFICIENT BOARDING WAS MADE. THE TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL TO ZZZ2 AND BACK TO ZZZ1. AFTER BLOCKING IN AT ZZZ1 AND AFTER ABOUT HALF OF THE PAX HAD DEPLANED THE INTERPHONE RANG. ONE OF THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED TO RPT THAT SHE HAD JUST NOTICED THAT BOTH OF THE AFT (ROW 22) OVER WING ESCAPE HATCH PLUG DOORS 'LOOKED BACKWARDS' BECAUSE THE ARM RESTS WERE GOING THE WRONG WAY. I WENT BACK AND CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS THE CASE. EXCEPT FOR THE ARM RESTS, THE DOORS APPEARED NORMAL IN EVERY WAY. THE SIGNAGE AND WORDING ON THE DOORS WERE NORMAL. MAINT WAS NOTIFIED AND SUBSEQUENTLY I MADE A MAINT LOG ENTRY CONCERNING THE MATTER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPTR STATED THE OVER WING DOORS WERE INSTALLED INCORRECTLY AND WAS FOUND BY AN FA WHO NOTED THE ARMRESTS WERE BACKWARDS. THE RPTR SAID THE SWAPPING OF THE DOORS WOULD NOT HAVE INTERFERED WITH THE DOOR OP, BUT DID NOT OPEN ONE TO CONFIRM THIS OPINION.

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.