Narrative:

Aircraft damage on aircraft X I was flying. We ferried flight to ZZZ1 and upon arrival was told by the crew desk that we would ferry aircraft X; which was at an adjoining gate; from ZZZ1 to ZZZ3. I inquired at operations as to the maintenance status of the aircraft and was told it had flown the previous evening from ZZZ3 and had a damaged #1 engine. I asked what kind of damage? I was told by operations that the previous flight crew informed operations that during takeoff from ZZZ3 they had to swerve to miss a wooden sawhorse which was on the runway. (I am not making this up.) they were not sure whether they had hit the sawhorse and asked the flight attendants if they heard anything during takeoff. The flight attendants said no; so the flight continued to ZZZ1. Upon arrival; the engine was confirmed to have been damaged on takeoff. I asked if the engine had been repaired and was informed that it had not and we were to just ferry it back to ZZZ2 for repair there. I then went to look at the engine and found a dent in the right lower corner of the front of the cowling approximately 10-12 inches long and about 1 inch deep. I also found on the engine cowling a hole behind the dent about 12 inches in diameter that looked like the cowling had been hit with a sledgehammer. The edges were jagged and there were broken pieces visible inside the cowling including a yellow electrical connector of some type. I went back to operations and called the dispatcher and told him what I found and he relayed this information to the aircraft planner who conferred with maintenance control about what I had found. I also asked if a borescope had been performed on the engine to see if there was any interior damage. I was told that they had not done that. The dispatcher told me that the planner told him that 'the engine was surrounded by kevlar and that should protect the engine if it should start to come apart during our scheduled ferry flight.' I thought he must be kidding. I told dispatcher that we would not be taking the aircraft and in my opinion only a flight test crew should fly the aircraft after some repairs were made to the plane. I asked to speak to the fodm and explained the situationuation and he agreed that neither we nor any other line crew should fly the airplane until adequate repairs had been made. We then deadheaded on another flight to continue our trip. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he was amazed with the amount of damage at the #1 engine nose inlet leading edge. The dent was approximately 18-24 inches long and approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inch deep. Also; the hole on the outboard side of the engine fan cowl; just aft of the nose inlet was approximately 12 inches wide and jagged with broken pieces visible inside the cowling. Reporter also stated he did not see any flight write-ups for engine malfunctions; given the extent of damage. He believes a lack of communication between his company's maintenance control and dispatch as to the extent of the engine damage contributed to not having maintenance at least make a temporary repair prior to expecting him to do a ferry flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS A-320 CAPTAIN REPORTS OF BEING ASKED TO FERRY A COMPANY ACFT THAT HAD ENGINE INLET DAMAGE AND A 12 INCH HOLE ON THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE #1 ENGINE.

Narrative: ACFT DAMAGE ON ACFT X I WAS FLYING. WE FERRIED FLT TO ZZZ1 AND UPON ARR WAS TOLD BY THE CREW DESK THAT WE WOULD FERRY ACFT X; WHICH WAS AT AN ADJOINING GATE; FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ3. I INQUIRED AT OPS AS TO THE MAINT STATUS OF THE ACFT AND WAS TOLD IT HAD FLOWN THE PREVIOUS EVENING FROM ZZZ3 AND HAD A DAMAGED #1 ENG. I ASKED WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE? I WAS TOLD BY OPS THAT THE PREVIOUS FLT CREW INFORMED OPS THAT DURING TKOF FROM ZZZ3 THEY HAD TO SWERVE TO MISS A WOODEN SAWHORSE WHICH WAS ON THE RWY. (I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.) THEY WERE NOT SURE WHETHER THEY HAD HIT THE SAWHORSE AND ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANTS IF THEY HEARD ANYTHING DURING TKOF. THE FLT ATTENDANTS SAID NO; SO THE FLT CONTINUED TO ZZZ1. UPON ARR; THE ENG WAS CONFIRMED TO HAVE BEEN DAMAGED ON TKOF. I ASKED IF THE ENG HAD BEEN REPAIRED AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT HAD NOT AND WE WERE TO JUST FERRY IT BACK TO ZZZ2 FOR REPAIR THERE. I THEN WENT TO LOOK AT THE ENG AND FOUND A DENT IN THE R LOWER CORNER OF THE FRONT OF THE COWLING APPROX 10-12 INCHES LONG AND ABOUT 1 INCH DEEP. I ALSO FOUND ON THE ENG COWLING A HOLE BEHIND THE DENT ABOUT 12 INCHES IN DIAMETER THAT LOOKED LIKE THE COWLING HAD BEEN HIT WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER. THE EDGES WERE JAGGED AND THERE WERE BROKEN PIECES VISIBLE INSIDE THE COWLING INCLUDING A YELLOW ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR OF SOME TYPE. I WENT BACK TO OPS AND CALLED THE DISPATCHER AND TOLD HIM WHAT I FOUND AND HE RELAYED THIS INFO TO THE ACFT PLANNER WHO CONFERRED WITH MAINT CTL ABOUT WHAT I HAD FOUND. I ALSO ASKED IF A BORESCOPE HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE ENG TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY INTERIOR DAMAGE. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD NOT DONE THAT. THE DISPATCHER TOLD ME THAT THE PLANNER TOLD HIM THAT 'THE ENG WAS SURROUNDED BY KEVLAR AND THAT SHOULD PROTECT THE ENG IF IT SHOULD START TO COME APART DURING OUR SCHEDULED FERRY FLT.' I THOUGHT HE MUST BE KIDDING. I TOLD DISPATCHER THAT WE WOULD NOT BE TAKING THE ACFT AND IN MY OPINION ONLY A FLT TEST CREW SHOULD FLY THE ACFT AFTER SOME REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE PLANE. I ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE FODM AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATIONUATION AND HE AGREED THAT NEITHER WE NOR ANY OTHER LINE CREW SHOULD FLY THE AIRPLANE UNTIL ADEQUATE REPAIRS HAD BEEN MADE. WE THEN DEADHEADED ON ANOTHER FLT TO CONTINUE OUR TRIP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED HE WAS AMAZED WITH THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE AT THE #1 ENG NOSE INLET LEADING EDGE. THE DENT WAS APPROX 18-24 INCHES LONG AND APPROX 1/4 - 1/2 INCH DEEP. ALSO; THE HOLE ON THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE ENG FAN COWL; JUST AFT OF THE NOSE INLET WAS APPROX 12 INCHES WIDE AND JAGGED WITH BROKEN PIECES VISIBLE INSIDE THE COWLING. REPORTER ALSO STATED HE DID NOT SEE ANY FLT WRITE-UPS FOR ENG MALFUNCTIONS; GIVEN THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE. HE BELIEVES A LACK OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HIS COMPANY'S MAINT CONTROL AND DISPATCH AS TO THE EXTENT OF THE ENGINE DAMAGE CONTRIBUTED TO NOT HAVING MAINT AT LEAST MAKE A TEMPORARY REPAIR PRIOR TO EXPECTING HIM TO DO A FERRY FLIGHT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.