A D328 CREW DEPARTED WITH AN ACFT OBSERVED TO HAVE A COSMETIC ABNORMALITY TO ONE OF ITS GND SPOILERS.

Narrative

PRIOR TO DEP; A RAMPER INDICATED A POSSIBLE PROB WITH OUR L INBOARD GND SPOILER; SAYING THAT AS HE OBSERVED OUR 'FIRST FLT' CHKS THAT MORNING (APPROX 4 1/2 HRS AND 2 FLTS EARLIER); HE HAD SEEN WHAT HE THOUGHT 'MIGHT' BE A 'DING.' UPON PREFLT INSPECTION; THE FO DISCOVERED NO ABNORMALITY IN THE SPOILER. AS THE RAMPER BOARDED THE LAST PAX AND HANDED ME THE FINAL PAPERWORK (ABOUT 8 MINS BEFORE SCHEDULED DEP TIME); THE RAMPER INDICATED TO ME THAT THE SPOILER 'MIGHT' BE 'DINGED.' ALTHOUGH THE FO HAD MADE A BRIEF MENTION OF IT (IE; IT BEING THE RAMPER'S COMMENT MADE TO THE FO) UPON COMPLETING HIS PREFLT; THIS WAS THE FIRST INDICATION I HAD THAT THERE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A PROB. SO I INSTRUCTED MY FO TO VISUALLY OBSERVE THE SPOILER AS I DEPLOYED IT FROM INSIDE THE COCKPIT. ALL SYS AND EICAS INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL; AND IN MY OWN MIND I HAD MINIMIZED THE RAMPER'S CONCERNS; REASONING THAT HE WAS SIMPLY AN OVERLY CAUTIOUS STUDENT PLT; WHEREAS MY FO HAD ALREADY PREFLTED THE ACFT 3 TIMES THAT MORNING AND WAS AN EXPERIENCED PART 135 AND PART 121 PLT. MOREOVER; PRIOR TO OUR LAST LEG; THE ACFT HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO A ROUTINE MAINT INSPECTION AT OUR MAINT BASE; AND NO PROB HAD BEEN DISCOVERED. (ADDITIONALLY; I REASONED THAT IF THE RAMPER HAD TRULY BEEN CONCERNED AND HAD SEEN SOMETHING THAT REALLY CONSTITUTED DAMAGE TO THE SPOILER; HE WOULD NEVER HAVE ALLOWED US TO TAXI OUT ON THAT FIRST FLT; OR -- AT THE VERY LEAST -- HE WOULD HAVE MENTIONED IT TO US ON THE RADIO WHEN WE CALLED BACK OUR 'OUT' AND 'OFF' TIMES.) WHEN MY FO RETURNED TO THE FLT DECK; HE RPTED WHAT SOUNDED TO ME LIKE A COSMETIC ITEM. I THEN WALKED BEHIND THE WING TO LOOK FOR MYSELF BUT COULD SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SPOILER. AFTER ASKING BOTH THE FO AND THE RAMPER FOR A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY'D SEEN; I CONCLUDED IT WAS SIMPLY PEELING PAINT; SPD TAPE; OR SOME OTHER TYPE OF DISCOLORATION OF THE SPOILER'S SURFACE. HAVING SPENT THE PAST 3000 HRS IN JETSTREAM 32'S THAT LOOKED AS THOUGH THEY'D BEEN SALVAGED FROM THE BONEYARD AND HADN'T HAD FRESH PAINT IN A DECADE; THE THOUGHT OF FLAKING PAINT DID NOT GIVE RISE TO ANY CONCERN. THE FO AND I AGREED THAT THERE WAS NO SAFETY CONCERN IN THIS SIT; AND THAT THE SPOILER'S STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY APPEARED UNIMPAIRED. I MADE THE DECISION TO FLY THE ACFT; AND DID NOT CONTACT MAINT; AS I DID NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS ANY DISCREPANCY THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED BY AN A&P. AFTER LNDG; MAINT PERSONNEL APCHED OUR ACFT TO CHK A NAV LIGHT. WHILE THEY WERE THERE; I THOUGHT OF THE SPOILER AND ASKED THEM TO DOUBLECHK IT -- IF ONLY SO I COULD REASSURE THE 'NERVOUS STUDENT PLT' THAT A COUPLE OF AIRLINE PROFESSIONALS WOULD NOT MISS SOMETHING ON 3 CONSECUTIVE PREFLTS. TO MY DISMAY; THE MECHS FOUND A STRIP OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL MISSING FROM THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE SPOILER -- WHICH HAD PROBABLY COME OFF WHEN THE SPOILERS DEPLOYED UPON LNDG. IN HINDSIGHT; I OBVIOUSLY MADE A MISTAKE NOT HAVING A MECH COME AND CLOSELY INSPECT THE SPOILER AT THE FIRST INDICATION THAT IT WAS NOT 100% PERFECT. THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THAT POINT HAD GIVEN ME A SENSE OF COMPLACENCY THAT LED ME TO DISREGARD ONE OF MY OWN BASIC BELIEFS: THAT 'ANY' BLUISH; PEELING PAINT; WRINKLE; DING OR OTHER INDICATION THAT AN ACFT IS NOT ABSOLUTE PERFECT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT BY A MECH. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE FO'S SENSE OF COMPLACENCY AND OUR MAINT DEPT'S FAILURE TO VISUALLY INSPECT ALL ACFT SURFACES AS PART OF THE ROUTINE CHK.