THE R SIDE PWR PLANT XMISSION COWLING FELL OFF THE AEROSPATIALE AS55 TWIN STAR HELI DURING APCH TO LNDG TRAINING FLT.

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ON THE STATED DATE AND TIME; WHILE ON A TRAINING FLT; THE R SIDE XMISSION COVER FOR AN EUROCOPTER AS355-F1 TWIN STAR DEPARTED THE ACFT WHILE INFLT IN THE TFC PATTERN AT LDJ. THE FLT WAS BEING CONDUCTED AS A PART 91 TRAINING FLT. NO FLT PLAN WAS FILED OR REQUIRED; BUT WAS FLT FOLLOWED BY COMPANY OPS. THE FLT WAS A FAMILIARIZATION FLT WITH A PROSPECTIVE NEW HIRE. DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION; I (TRAINING CAPT) WAS CALLED AWAY FROM THE ACFT TO ASSIST OUR MECHS WITH THE LIFTING AND TURNING OF A XMISSION FROM ANOTHER HELI. I THEN RETURNED AND MOVED ANOTHER SHIP OUT OF THE WAY SO THAT THE TRAINING ACFT COULD BE TOWED OUT OF THE HANGAR TO THE FLT LINE. THE ACFT WAS STARTED AND THE FOLLOWING MANEUVERS WERE PERFORMED: HOVER TAXI; HOVERING PEDAL TURNS 360 DEGS BOTH DIRECTIONS; TKOF; STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLT; AND 2 LEVEL 360 DEG TURNS AT 45 DEG BANK AT 90 KIAS -- ONE L AND ONE R. AFTER ENTERING A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 27 AT LDJ ARPT; I INSTRUCTED THE PLT AS TO THE FLT PATH I WANTED HIM TO FLY. AS HE SET UP THE APCH; SLOWING THE ACFT GENTLY; I TOLD HIM TO START HIS TURN ONTO THE BASE LEG. AS THE ACFT LEVELED OUT; I FELT SOMETHING HIT THE ACFT; WHICH CAUSED A MOMENTARY SHUDDERING. I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND NOTIFIED OPS THAT I BELIEVED I HAD SUFFERED A BIRD STRIKE (THERE IS A LANDFILL CLOSE TO THE ARPT AND SEAGULLS ARE COMMON TO THE ARPT AREA) AND TO HAVE THE MECH MEET THE ACFT TO INSPECT IT UPON LNDG. A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG WAS MADE. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE R SIDE XMISSION COVER HAD DEPARTED THE ACFT. THE COVER WAS LOCATED IN A VACANT LOT NEAR THE ARPT AND RECOVERED. THE CONDITION OF THE LATCHES SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THE LATCHES WERE NOT IN THE LOCKED POS. I CAN ONLY GUESS THAT I UNDID THE LATCHES AND WAS CALLED AWAY AND THEN FAILED TO CLOSE THEM; OR THAT I DID NOT CLOSE THEM PROPERLY. I CAN ONLY OFFER AS A CAUSE; THE FACT THAT I ALLOWED MYSELF TO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM A PREFLT AND AFTER HAVING DONE SO; NOT GO BACK AND START THE PREFLT ALL OVER AGAIN. THE PLT THAT I WAS TO FLY WITH ACCOMPANIED ME AND ASSISTED THE MECHS; TOO. HE ALSO; AT MY DIRECTION; ASSISTED ME IN MOVING THE ACFT. HE HAD NO TIME IN TYPE. HIS TOTAL HELI TIME WAS 3500 HRS MOSTLY IN BELL 206'S AND 412'S.