What happened
On September 15, 2011, during pre-flight preparations at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, the crew of a Boeing 767-300 operated by PLL LOT SA identified damage to one of the aircraft's brake assemblies. Prior to this discovery, the aircraft had been cleared for flight following a walk-around inspection performed by JFK airport ground maintenance personnel, with the clearance documented in the aircraft's technical logs.
Upon detecting the defect, the damaged brake assembly and the associated wheel were replaced. While the maintenance work allowed the aircraft to proceed with its scheduled flight to Warsaw (EPWA), the necessary repairs resulted in a departure delay.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the operator, focused on how the damaged component was initially overlooked during the ground maintenance inspection. The inquiry examined the technical logs and the sequence of inspections performed by the JFK airport technical staff prior to the crew's discovery of the defect.