L1011 HAS FUSELAGE PANEL BREAK AWAY AT TKOF.

Date: 1995-11 · Aircraft: L-1011 Tri-Star All Series

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|other-unspecified

Synopsis

L1011 HAS FUSELAGE PANEL BREAK AWAY AT TKOF.

Narrative

I'M SENDING THIS IN BECAUSE WE FLEW AN ACFT WITH UNK (BUT SUSPECTED) STRUCTURAL PROB. ON TKOF EWR A LOUD BANG WAS FOLLOWED BY HVY VIBRATION AT 3L DOOR AREA. VIBRATION AND NOISE WAS SO LOUD AS TO PRECLUDE NORMAL CONVERSATION. I (SO) WAS NOTIFIED ON CLBOUT BY FLT ATTENDANT OF THE NOISE. WE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING; NOR NOTICED ANY ABNORMAL INDICATIONS IN COCKPIT. I WENT AFT TO INVESTIGATE; WHERE I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED NOISE AND VIBRATION. I CALLED THE COCKPIT AND REQUESTED CAPT TO ILLUMINATE L WING AREA. MY VISION WAS MINIMAL; BUT I COULDN'T OBSERVE ANY PROBS. NO FLT CTL PROBS WERE EVER EXPERIENCED. I THEN INFORMED CAPT AND CONCERNED PAX THAT I FELT A PANEL WAS LOOSE; CAUSING THE NOISE AND VIBRATION. I TOLD THEM THAT THERE WAS NO CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF THE ACFT; ALTHOUGH I WAS CONCERNED; SINCE I COULDN'T THINK OF ANY ACCESS PANELS IN THIS AREA. AT AIRSPDS ABOVE 280 KIAS THE SOUND WAS DEAFENING; AND COULD BE HEARD ALL THE WAY TO THE COCKPIT. WE FLEW AT 280 KIAS UNTIL ARR IN ATL; WHERE WE SLOWED TO 250 KIAS. AT THIS TIME THE NOISE THEN BECAME DEAFENING ALL THE WAY TO TOUCHDOWN. POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED A 3 X 5 FT SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE; JUST AFT OF THE MAIN WHEEL WELL; AND JUST FORWARD OF L ATM; MISSING. THE FIBERGLASS HAD BEEN RIPPED AWAY; ALONG WITH SOME METAL FLANGING. THE AREA WAS TOTALLY EXPOSED. WE NEVER FELT THERE WAS ANY DANGER TO THE ACFT/PAX; BUT WE DID ELECT TO CONTINUE TO ATL WITH SUSPECTED; UNK STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.