ENG COWLING PANEL RPTED MISSING BY PAX. THE ACFT HAD FLOWN SEVERAL SEGMENTS SINCE IT HAD BEEN REMOVED.

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WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE KANSAS CITY AT XA30; BUT BECAUSE OF MAINT WE DIDN'T LEAVE UNTIL XB00 WHICH WOULD PUT US HOME AT XE00. EVERYONE WANTED TO GET HOME AND THE RAMPERS WERE LEAVING AND THE MECHS WERE HAVING TO FIX THE ACFT. THEY HAD BEEN WORKING ON THE ACFT FOR SEVERAL HRS AND I HAD BEEN WATCHING THEM. THEY WERE CONCENTRATING ON THE R ENG AND I HADN'T SEEN THEM WORKING ON ANY OTHER PORTION OF THE ACFT. I PERFORMED A PREFLT OF THE ACFT WHILE THEY WERE STILL WORKING. WHEN THEY WERE DONE; I INSPECTED THE R ENG AREA THEY HAD BEEN WORKING ON AND FOUND EVERYTHING IN ORDER. AFTER LNDG IN DDC; I PERFORMED ANOTHER WALKAROUND ALTHOUGH NOT QUITE AS INTENSE AS MY FIRST. FINALLY; AFTER GETTING HOME TO GCK; I PERFORMED 1 LAST WALKAROUND AND FOUND NOTHING. THE FLC THE NEXT MORNING ALSO NEVER FOUND ANYTHING AND FLEW TO DDC; WHERE A PAX DISCOVERED PART OF THE L ENG COWL WAS MISSING. THE PART WAS DISCOVERED IN KANSAS CITY ON THE MECH'S CART. I BELIEVE SEVERAL FACTORS CAUSED THIS MISHAP. WE WERE 1 1/2 HRS LATE LEAVING; IT WAS MY 9TH HR ON DUTY; THE ACFT WAS PARKED ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE RAMP AND THE TEMP WAS 3 DEGS C. WHEN THE MECHS WERE DONE; WE WERE BEING PUSHED TO LEAVE SO EVERYONE ELSE COULD GO HOME. THE PAX HAD BEEN LOADED ON THE ACFT AND WERE GETTING EXTREMELY COLD. I PERFORMED MY FINAL INSPECTION ON JUST THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT WHERE THEY HAD BEEN WORKING; BUT DID NOT REALIZE AT SOME POINT THEY HAD REMOVED A PIECE OF THE COWL ON THE L SIDE. ALSO THE POS OF THE MISSING PIECE WAS IN A DIFFICULT PLACE TO SEE; ESPECIALLY IN THE DARK. I BELIEVE IT WAS ALL THESE FACTORS COMBINED THAT CAUSED THIS SIT.