AN ACR MLG HAS TO RETURN TO PHX WHEN IT IS NOTED THAT THEY HAD LOST ONE PART OF THEIR ENG COWLING AND WERE IN DANGER OF LOSING THE OTHER HALF OF THE SAME SECTION. THE OTHER HALF DROPPED OFF AT THE APCH END OF THE RWY.

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DEPARTED RWY 26L AT PHX FOR TUS JUST AFTER SUNDOWN. LEVELING OFF AT 8000 FT; WE RECEIVED THE BELL CALL TO OPEN THE COCKPIT DOOR. ONE OF OUR DEADHEADING FLT ATTENDANTS WAS THERE TO RPT THAT A PIECE OF THE #1 ENG COWLING HAD FALLEN OFF AFTER TKOF; AND THAT THE OUTBOARD/OPPOSITE SECTION OF COWLING WAS LOOSE. I HAD A DEADHEADING COMPANY CHK AIRMAN CONFIRM THIS. THE ACFT FLT CHARACTERISTICS WERE NORMAL AND THERE WAS NO OTHER APPARENT DAMAGE. I NOTIFIED DEP CTL THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO STAY AT 8000 FT ON THE DEP RTE AND SLOW TO 210 KTS; WITH A POSSIBLE TURN BACK TO PHX. THE FO CONTINUED FLYING AND TALKED TO DEP WHILE I CONFERRED WITH COMPANY MAINT AND DISPATCH. WE ALL AGREED ON A TURN BACK TO PHX. DEP CTL PROMPTLY VECTORED US BACK. I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER; BUT REQUESTED THAT CRASH/RESCUE EQUIP MEET US AFTER LNDG. ALSO; THAT OUR LNDG RWY BE INSPECTED FOR DEBRIS BEFORE ANY OTHER ARRS. I BRIEFED THE PAX AND CREW OVER THE PA ON WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THAT WE EXPECTED TO MAKE A SAFE LNDG IN A FEW MINS. THE FO MADE A NORMAL FLAPS 30 DEG APCH AND LNDG; EXCEPT FOR THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF COWLING FALLING OFF ON THE APCH END OF THE RWY. THE LNDG ROLLOUT WAS NORMAL; EXCEPT WE CHOSE NOT TO USE THE #1 REVERSER. THE 2 SECTIONS OF COWLING THAT FELL OFF OUR JT8D WERE THE SECTIONS JUST FORWARD OF THE THRUST REVERSER. THE LARGER COWLINGS FORWARD OF THE TWO THAT FELL OFF WERE OPEN DURING PREFLT AS MAINT WAS WORKING TO RESOLVE A FUEL HEATER PROB. AFTER MAINT RETURNED THE LOGBOOK TO US THEY COMMENTED THAT WE WERE GOOD TO GO. AFTER CLRING THE RWY AND SHUTTING DOWN THE #1 ENG; CRASH/RESCUE INSPECTED THE ACFT TO ENSURE IT WAS SAFE AND FIT TO CONTINUE TAXIING. DURING THIS TIME THE FO ANNOUNCED TO THE PAX TO REMAIN SEATED AND TALKED TO COMPANY TO LET THEM KNOW OF OUR SIT AND ARRANGE A GATE. JUST AS THE CRASH/RESCUE GAVE US THE OK TO TAXI; OUR FIRST FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED US THAT A PAX HAD A 106 DEG TEMP AND NEEDED PARAMEDICS. (THIS WAS APPARENTLY DUE TO A RECENT MEDICAL PROC THE ELDERLY MAN HAD HAD.) I MADE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WE WOULD BE TAXIING TO THE GATE; AND THAT ALL PAX SHOULD REMAIN SEATED UNTIL PARAMEDICS HAD ATTENDED TO THE ILL PAX. SHORTLY AFTER THE PARAMEDICS BOARDED; THEY ESCORTED THE GENTLEMAN TO THE BOARDING AREA. THEREAFTER; ALL PAX AND CREW DEPLANED UNEVENTFULLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 398823: AFTER THE SECOND ACFT CHANGE I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT AMID ALL THE CONFUSION THAT NORMALLY ACCOMPANIES SUCH CHANGES. THERE WERE MECHS IN THE COCKPIT AND GATE AGENTS UNDER PRESSURE TO GET THE FLT OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE MECHS WEREN'T TOO TALKATIVE BUT SOMEHOW I GOT A VAGUE IDEA THAT THEY WERE WORKING ON THE L PACK AND FUEL HEAT. SINCE I COULDN'T GET INTO THE COCKPIT; I WENT OUT TO DO THE WALKAROUND. WHEN I GOT TO THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT; THE L AIR CONDITIONING BAY WAS OPEN AND THE MAIN ENG COWLS WERE OPEN. I WALKED AROUND THE ENG THEN I SQUATTED DOWN TO LOOK INTO THE OPEN COWL AND AIR CONDITIONING BAY. EXCEPT FOR BEING OPEN; EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL TO ME. THE TAILPIPE AREA AND REVERSERS ALL LOOKED NORMAL AND I DIDN'T NOTICE ANY OPEN LATCHES AT THE AFT AREA OF THE ENG.