RPTR FO MISSED SEEING A TEAR IN A DEICING BOOT DURING PREFLT WALKAROUND. AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR ASKED FLC ABOUT THE DEICE BOOT AND IF IT WAS MEL'ED. RPTR ATTRIBUTES LIGHT CONDITIONS AS TO WHY THE TEAR WASN'T SEEN. ALSO; THE ACFT HAD JUST COME FROM THE MAINT HANGAR. ACR MECH THOUGHT THE BOOT MUST HAVE BLOWN DURING ENG RUN-UP.

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BEFORE OUR FLT XX; I WAS PERFORMING THE ORIGINATING PREFLT WALKAROUND. THE ACFT WAS PARKED WITH ITS TAIL FACING THE E. DURING MY WALKAROUND I FAILED TO NOTICE THAT A TEAR APPROX 3-4 INCHES HAD DEVELOPED ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING'S DEICING BOOT. THE TEAR; WHICH APPARENTLY OCCURRED WHEN MAINT PERFORMED THE RUN-UP CHKS; WAS LARGE ENOUGH TO MAKE THE ENTIRE DEICE SYS UNUSABLE. AFTER I FINISHED WITH THE WALKAROUND; I RETURNED TO THE FLT DECK TO PREPARE FOR THE FLT WHEN AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR CAME ONTO THE PLANE. HE ASKED US IF THE DEICE SYS WAS MEL'ED BECAUSE THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE BOOT! THIS HAD NOT BEEN DONE BECAUSE OUR MAINT; THE CAPT AND I; ALL FAILED TO NOTICE THE TEAR. FOR MYSELF; I BELIEVE WITH THE RISING SUN IN THE E CASTING A SHADOW ON THE BLACK BOOT CAUSED ME TO MISS SEEING THE TEAR. THE IRONIC PART WAS THAT IT WAS JUST LIGHT ENOUGH WITH THE RISING SUN NOT TO NEED A FLASHLIGHT (WHICH I HAD IN HAND); BUT HAD IT BEEN SLIGHTLY DARKER THE FLASHLIGHT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE EFFECTIVE IN REVEALING THE TEAR. THE FAA INSPECTOR WAS VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW WHY AN ACFT HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF AS AIRWORTHY; DIRECTLY OUT OF THE HANGAR AND COULD STILL HAVE SUCH AN OBVIOUS DEFICIENCY. OUR MECH MAINTAINED THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN BLOWN DURING THE RUN-UP CHKS WHICH HAPPEN AFTER THE PLANE LEAVES THE HANGAR; ON ITS WAY TO REPOS FOR REVENUE ON THE RAMP. I BELIEVE THE SYS WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE IS A VERY SUFFICIENT METHOD OF CHKS AND DOUBLE CHKS. THIS JUST SEEMS TO BE AN UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT FORTUNATELY WAS BOTH CORRECTED AND NOT ANYTHING MORE SERIOUS.