B737-300 CREW HAD A LIGHTNING STRIKE. THE CAPT THEN AUTHORIZED A 1-TIME FLT TO A MAINT STATION; WITH CONCURRENCE OF THE ACR MAINT CTLR. THE ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM SVC AT THE DEST STATION BECAUSE OF DAMAGE.

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STATIC DISCHARGE/AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE. AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE ASSOCIATED WITH A STATIC DISCHARGE/LIGHTING STRIKE. PREFLT: FIRST FLT OF A 2 DAY TRIP. WX AROUND BWI ARPT WAS LIGHT RAIN WITH 800-1000 FT CEILINGS. STANDING IN THE JETWAY; I SAW SOME DARK CLOUDS W OF THE FIELD. I CALLED DISPATCH TO GET A BIG PICTURE SYNOPSIS ON THE WX PATTERN AROUND BWI. THE DISPATCHER TOLD ME THAT THE RAIN WAS MOVING FROM THE W AROUND 25 MPH AND THAT MY RTE OF FLT TO PVD WAS ONLY RPTING SOME RAIN SHOWERS WITH NO SIGNIFICANT WX ENRTE. ENRTE TO PVD: PASSING APPROX 15000 FT IN LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CONDITIONS; WE EXPERIENCED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A STATIC DISCHARGE CONDITION. WHAT LED ME TO THE CONCLUSION OF A STATIC DISCHARGE VERSUS A LIGHTNING STRIKE WAS THE MILDNESS OF THE DISCHARGE. ALSO; ALL NAV INSTS AND RADIOS WORKED NORMALLY. NO PWR OUTAGES WERE NOTED. ACTIONS TAKEN AFTER LNDG IN PVD: I PERSONALLY DID A THOROUGH WALKAROUND. I FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE. MY INITIAL SUSPICION OF A STATIC DISCHARGE VERSUS A LIGHTNING STRIKE WAS CONFIRMED BY MY VISUAL INSPECTION. MAINT CTL COORD: I CALLED DISPATCH AND GOT MAINT CTL ON THE PHONE. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THE ACTIONS I TOOK BEFORE CALLING THEM. THE MAINT CTL CTLR I TALKED TO WAS MAINT CTLR #1. THE DISPATCHER WAS ALSO CONTACTED. I TOLD MAINT CTL THAT I NEEDED A NEW AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE FOR THE STATIC DISCHARGE OCCURRENCE. MAINT CTLR #1 TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD FAX ME AN AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE FORM THAT I COULD FILL OUT AUTHORIZING A 1-TIME FLT TO A MAINT BASE. OUR NEXT LEG WAS TO TPA. I QUESTIONED THIS PROC SINCE I HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE OR READ ABOUT IT IN THE COMPANY MANUAL. MAINT CTLR #1 ASSURED ME THAT THIS WAS A 'COMMON PRACTICE.' AFTER HANGING UP WITH MAINT CTLR #1; I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION AS FAR AS THE WRITE-UP IN THE LOGBOOK. I CALLED MAINT CTL VIA DISPATCH A SECOND TIME. THIS TIME A MAINT CTL CTLR NAMED MAINT CTLR #2 (NOT SURE ABOUT THIS NAME) ANSWERED. I EXPLAINED MY SIT TO HIM AND HE STATED THE SAME THING AS MAINT CTLR #1 -- THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROC TO HAVE THE CAPT AUTH A 1-TIME FLT TO A MAINT BASE. NOW I HAD TALKED TO DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL TWICE ON THE SUBJECT. AFTER COMPLETING THE FORM THAT MAINT CTL FAXED TO PVD OPS; I LEFT A COPY IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK AND ALSO TO PVD OPS TO FAX TO MAINT CTL AS MAINT CTLR #2 INSTRUCTED ME TO DO. ENRTE TO TPA: ON THE FLT DOWN TO TPA; I STARTED READING THE COMPANY MANUAL TO FIND THIS METHOD OF AUTHORIZING AN AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE BY THE CAPT. HAVING FOUND NO REF FOR IT; I STARTED HAVING THAT FEELING OF 'YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER' AND 'WHAT DID THOSE GUYS TALK ME INTO' FEELING. TPA MAINT: ON THE INBOUND RANGE CALL TO TPA; I ASKED FOR MAINT TO MEET US AT THE GATE. MAINT CTLR #1 IN MAINT CTL TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD GIVE TPA A HEADS UP ON OUR PROB; BUT I REQUESTED MAINT TO COME OUT BECAUSE WE ARRIVED IN TPA 15 MINS EARLY. BY THIS TIME ANOTHER TPA MECH HAD ARRIVED AT THE GATE. I EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE AGREED TO DO A WALKAROUND HIMSELF AND IF HE FOUND THE ACFT AIRWORTHY HE WOULD SIGN OFF ANOTHER AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE. FINALLY A MECH IN TPA THAT SEEMED TO HAVE SOME SENSE IN THIS ORDEAL. MECH CAME BACK AND TOLD ME THAT I DID SUSTAIN A MILD LIGHTNING STRIKE AND THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF THIS WAS AROUND THE DOOR WHERE THE JETWAY COMES UP TO THE AIRPLANE. REFLECTING BACK TO MY WALKAROUND IN PVD; I DID NOT SEE THIS LIGHTNING DAMAGE. EVIDENTLY; THE POS OF THE EXTENDED JETWAY IN PVD PREVENTED ME FROM SEEING IT. MECH PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT HE CANNOT SIGN OFF AN AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE SINCE THEY NEED TO TAKE IT TO THE HANGAR FOR MORE INSPECTIONS. I CALLED MAINT CTL AGAIN AND EXPLAINED THE OUTCOME OF THE WALKAROUND. NOW MAINT CTL TOLD ME TO WRITE IT UP AS A LIGHTNING STRIKE. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD WRITE IT UP AS A STATIC DISCHARGE; WHICH WAS MY INITIAL PRESUMPTION. I EMPHATICALLY ASKED ABOUT THIS 1-TIME RELEASE THAT I HAD SIGNED FROM PVD-TPA. AGAIN; I WAS ASSURED THAT IT WAS LEGAL TO DO THAT. THE ACFT WAS THEN TURNED OVER TO TPA MAINT FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. SUMMARY: I INITIATED THE REQUEST FOR AN AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE IN PVD. I AM QUESTIONING THE METHOD BY WHICH THIS AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE WAS ISSUED TO ME. LESSON LEARNED: CALL CONTRACT MAINT AND HAVE THEM AND MAINT CTL ACCOMPLISH THE PAPERWORK AND LEGALITIES. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 557723: WE WERE ON DEP FROM BWI ON THE SWANN 3 PROCEEDING DIRECT RBU. CLBING THROUGH 15000 FT AGL IN MODERATE RAIN; WE NOTICED A LOUD POP AND A SMALL FLASH OF LIGHT OFF THE NOSE. WE ATTRIBUTED IT TO A STATIC DISCHARGE DUE TO THE UNSTABLE AIR. THERE WERE NO TSTMS IN THE AREA. THERE WERE NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS IN THE COCKPIT RADIOS OR NAV EQUIP. AFTER LNDG IN PVD; THE CAPT PERFORMED A WALKAROUND BUT DID NOT NOTICE ANY DAMAGE. HE CALLED DISPATCH/MAINT CTL. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT; HE SAID WE WERE OK TO FLY TO TAMPA ON A 1-TIME RELEASE AND THAT MAINT WAS FAXING HIM A FORM TO SIGN AND PUT IN THE LOGBOOK; WHICH HE DID; AND FAXED A COPY BACK TO MAINT CTL. WHEN WE LANDED IN TPA; MAINT FOUND EVIDENCE OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE AND REMOVED THE ACFT FROM SVC. IN RETROSPECT; EVEN THOUGH WE WERE FOLLOWING PROCS CONTACTING DISPATCH/MAINT CTL; THE FAXED FORM WAS NOT A NORMAL PROC. WE THOUGHT ALL PLAYERS WERE IN THE LOOP AND WE WERE GOOD TO GO. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE CONTRACT MAINT IN PVD PERFORM AN INSPECTION AND AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE.