A BA41 JETSTREAM WAS FLOWN 2 FLTS WITH 18 FASTENERS MISSING FROM THE R ENG COWLING.

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IT CAME TO MY ATTN THAT A RAMP CHK WAS PERFORMED BY THE FAA ON ACFT X (JETSTREAM 41) WHILE ON THE RAMP AT ST LOUIS LAMBERT INTL ARPT ON THE MORNING OF APR ZZ 1997. THE INSPECTION REVEALED THAT 18 SCREWS WERE MISSING FROM THE R ENG COWLING. THE NIGHT PRIOR (APR YY 1997); AFTER A METICULOUS PREFLT INSPECTION WHICH DID NOT REVEAL ANY MISSING SCREWS; I TOOK THE AIRPLANE FROM ST LOUIS TO BLOOMINGTON; IL; WHERE IT STAYED OVERNIGHT. IT WAS ONLY THE NEXT DAY (APR ZZ 1997) THAT ANOTHER CREW BROUGHT THE ACFT BACK FROM BLOOMINGTON TO ST LOUIS AND THAT THE FAA RAMP CHK REVEALED THE MISSING SCREWS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: FLEW THE AIRPLANE FROM BMI TO STL AND LATER HEARD THE AIRPLANE HAD FLOWN 2 FLTS WITH 18 FASTENERS MISSING FROM THE R ENG COWLING. MY FO DID NOT DISCOVER THE MISSING FASTENERS ON HIS PREFLT WALKAROUND CHK. I CHKED WITH MAINT AND WAS TOLD THAT PRIOR TO THE FLT STL TO BMI THE R ENG GEARBOX WAS REPLACED. THE FO ON THE STL TO BMI ALSO DID NOT OBSERVE THE MISSING FASTENERS.