PAX ADVISED CAPT WING OF HIS ACFT HAD A CRACK. CAPT UNABLE TO DETECT A CRACK. FAA WAS ADVISED BY THE PAX AND FAA MADE MAINT INSPECTION OF ACFT. FAA CRITICAL OF CAPT FOR NO LOGBOOK WRITE UP.

Narrative

AS PAX WERE DEPLANING AN INDIVIDUAL APCHED ME AND SAID 'THERE IS A CRACK IN YOUR WING.' HE TWICE REFUSED MY REQUEST TO RETURN TO HIS SEAT AND SHOW ME WHAT HE OBSERVED. I WENT TO HIS SEAT AND INSPECTED THE WING; I HAD THE FO DO THE SAME. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED. A MECH ALSO PERFORMED AN ENRTE WALK AROUND; BUT HE HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE PAXS RPT. THE ACFT WAS REFUELED AND WE DEPARTED. THE NEXT DAY I WAS TELEPHONED BY A MGR OF MY AIRLINE. I WAS INFORMED THAT AT THAT MOMENT FAA INSPECTORS WERE SWARMING OVER THE ACFT INVOLVED AS A RESULT OF BEING NOTIFIED BY THE PAX. NO CRACK WAS FOUND. THE MGR INFORMED ME THAT THE FAA HAD RAISED THE ISSUE OF MY FAILURE TO MAKE LOG ENTRY AND REQUEST MAINT ACTION AT THE TIME THE PAX APCHED ME. I REVIEWED THE FARS AND THE AIRLINE FLT OPS MANUAL. I FIND NO GUIDANCE FOR THIS SITUATION IN EITHER. THE PAX HAD NO QUALIFICATIONS WHATEVER. AS CAPT; I MADE THE JUDGEMENT THAT NO DISCREPANCY EXISTED AND THEREFORE MADE NO LOG ENTRIES OR FURTHER INQUIRY. THE FACT THAT THE FAA AND THE AIRLINE'S MGMNT RESPONDED AT ALL; SUGGESTS TO ME THAT PERHAPS I SHOULD PASS THE LOGBOOK TO THE PAXS DURING FLT AND THEY CAN ENTER THEIR OPINIONS OF THE INTEGRITY OF THE ACFT.