THE ACFT CARGO DOOR SEAM WAS DAMAGED ON A DC-9. THE FLC CONTINUED THE FLT; IN SPITE OF A MECH'S AND LEAD AGENT'S INFERENCE THAT THE FLT SHOULD BE CANCELED.

Narrative

AT APPROX XA20 MAR/SUN/95; A (OTHER COMMERCIAL) AIRLINES MECH CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND ASKED IF WE HAD A MECHANICAL. HIS VISIT WAS UNSOLICITED. HE SAID; 'ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE IT?' I SAID THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF ANY ACFT DISCREPANCY; AND HE LEFT. I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT OUR FLT (AIRLINES FLT NUMBER) WAS CANCELED. I WENT OUTSIDE THE ACFT AND FOUND OUR LEAD AGENT (RAMP) TO ASK HIM WHY THE CANCELLATION HAD OCCURRED. HE INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD CALLED FOR THE MECH BECAUSE HE NOTICED THAT AN AREA BY THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE NORMAL. I ACCOMPANIED HIM TO THE AREA AND NOTICED THAT 1 SQUARE INCH AREA ALONG THE AFT CARGO DOOR SEAM HAD BEEN IMPACTED AND HAD CAUSED ABOUT A 1/2 INCH CRACK; AND THE METAL HAD BEEN BENT UP; AT ABOUT A 10 DEG ANGLE. I THEN WENT TO OPS AND FOUND THE MECH ON THE TELEPHONE TALKING TO OUR COMPANY MAINT CTL. I DID NOT SPEAK TO HIM; AND HE LEFT THE OFFICE AFTER HANGING UP THE PHONE. REALIZING THAT THERE WAS GND WORK BEING LAID FOR CANCELLATION; I CALLED THE COMPANY DUTY DIRECTORY AND MAINT CTL DIRECTOR. I RELATED TO THEM THAT IT DID NOT APPEAR THAT THIS DISCREPANCY WAS WORTHY OF GNDING THE ACFT. I FELT THAT BASED ON MY YRS OF EXPERIENCE THAT THE AREA IN QUESTION ON THIS ACFT DID NOT REPRESENT SOMETHING WHICH WOULD AFFECT THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. THE ANSWER TO ME WAS THAT IF; IN MY OPINION; THE ACFT WAS STRUCTURALLY SOUND; AND THERE WAS NO ACFT LOGBOOK ENTRY; THAT IT WAS MY DECISION TO TAKE THE FLT. I INFORMED THEM; AND WITH THEIR CONCURRENCE; THAT I WOULD INDEED CONDUCT THE FLT FROM LGA TO CLE. UPON ARR IN CLE; I HAD MAINT MEET THE ACFT. THE MECH AND I INSPECTED THE AREA; IN QUESTION. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT; IN FACT; STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY HAD BEEN MAINTAINED AT THE SITE; HOWEVER REPAIRS WOULD HAVE TO BE AFFECTED. I THEN WROTE UP THE DISCREPANCY IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK INDICATING THAT IMPACT HAD DAMAGED A 1 SQUARE INCH AREA AT THE AFT PORTION; OF THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT DOOR. IN SUMMARY; I WOULD CONCLUDE THAT IN NO WAY WAS I ACTING IN A CARELESS OR RECKLESS MANNER. THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE ACFT WAS NOT COMPROMISED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 299699: THE CAPT INITIATED A CONFERENCE CALL WITH MAINT CTL AND SYS CTL. IT WAS AGREED UPON THAT DISCREPANCY DID NOT PRESENT SAFETY OF FLT CONCERNS; AND ACFT FLEW FROM LGA-CLE WITHOUT INCIDENT.