A PA32-260 PVT PLT LOSES THE R SIDE OF HIS ONE PIECE COWLING WHILE ON INITIAL CLBOUT FROM CRG; FL.

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DEPARTED CRG ON VFR FLT TO MIA WITH VFR FLT FOLLOWING. HANDED OFF TO DEP. SHORTLY AFTER ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH DEP AND DURING CLB; I HEARD A BANG. AN ENG COWLING ON R SIDE BENT UPWARDS AND TOWARDS WINDSHIELD. ENG COWLING ON A CHEROKEE 6 IS ALL 1 PIECE. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED DEP; BUT DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER. I WAS CLRED FOR IMMEDIATE RETURN TO CRG. CRG CLRED ME FOR IMMEDIATE LNDG. ON FINAL AT APPROX 500 FT AGL; R SIDE OF COWLING BROKE OFF AND FLEW PAST ME WITHOUT STRIKING THE PLANE. AFTER LNDG; GND PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO RETRIEVE THE PIECE THAT BROKE OFF. I BELIEVE I DID A THOROUGH PREFLT AND DID NOT DETECT THAT ANY LATCH WAS LOOSE. ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN WITHIN PREVIOUS 24 HRS WITHOUT INCIDENT. TO MY KNOWLEDGE; NO ONE HAD REMOVED COWLING DURING INTERVENING TIME. THE MECH WHO IS REPAIRING THE COWLING RPTED THE LATCHES SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE; BUT THAT THE CAM LOCKS ON THE FRONT OF THE COWLING (R SIDE) WERE MISSING TOTALLY. IN HIS VIEW; IT IS EQUALLY POSSIBLE THAT 1) CAM LOCKS FAILED ALLOWING COWLING TO COME UP; 2) LATCHES WERE NOT FULLY SECURE ALLOWING COWLING TO COME UP AND BREAKING THE CAM LOCKS; OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH. INCIDENT MAY INDICATE A NEED TO INSPECT THE CAM LOCKS AND COWLING LATCHES ON PA32-260'S FOR INTEGRITY.