MD80 ACFT HAS SLAT LUBRICATING ACCESS DOORS MISSING AFTER TWO LEGS OF FLT WITH SAME FLC. PROB NOTICED BY GND CREW.

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THIS CONCERNS COMPANY FLT ABC JAN/XX/98; IAH-SLC AND FLT XYZ SLC-IAH ON JAN/YY/98. I PERFORMED THE PRE-TKOF WALKAROUND; JAN/XX/98; AS DID THE MAINT CREW AT NIGHT. I PERFORMED THE WALKAROUND ON JAN/YY/98; ALSO; BEFORE SUN UP AND VIEWED THE EXTERIOR OF THE ACFT A SECOND TIME AFTER PERFORMING THE OVERWING ICE INSPECTION. WE ARRIVED IN IAH WITHOUT NOTICING ANY ABNORMALITIES AND PERCEIVED TO HAVE A NORMAL FLT. UPON RETURNING TO THE ACFT IN IAH FOR THE CONTINUATION OF FLT Y; WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS AN ACFT SWAP DUE TO A MECHANICAL PROB. GND CREWS HAD DISCOVERED TWO MISSING SLAT LUBRICATING ACCESS PANELS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE R WING NEAR THE WINGTIP. THIS WAS MY FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF THIS SIT AS I DID NOT OBSERVE IT ON THE WALKAROUND OR NOTICE ANY ABNORMAL FLYING CHARACTERISTICS. I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE THESE PANELS CAME OFF OR FOR HOW LONG THEY WERE MISSING. TO MY KNOWLEDGE; THEY HAVE NOT AS YET BEEN FOUND. THE REST OF THE TRIP PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY IN ANOTHER ACFT AS THE PREVIOUS ACFT WAS TAKEN OTS AT THAT TIME.