A B757-200 WAS FOUND TO HAVE A 12 INCH SCRATCH IN THE FUSELAGE SKIN BELOW DOOR #1R. HAD RPTED DAMAGE STICKERS ATTACHED. NO RECORD OF SKIN DAMAGE FOUND IN MAINT HISTORY.

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WE WERE WAITING FOR PUSHBACK FROM THE GATE. DEP TIME HAD COME AND GONE AND NO CUSTOMER SVC AGENT HAD CHKED WITH US ABOUT CLOSING THE DOOR FOR DEP. WE INQUIRED WITH OUR FLT ATTENDANTS AND EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT THAT A MAINT ISSUE WAS BEING ADDRESSED. WE HAD NOT BEEN ADVISED BY MAINT THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING. THE MAINT ISSUE WAS A SCRATCH ON THE SIDE OF THE ACFT THAT THE CATERERS HAD BROUGHT TO THE ATTN OF OUR RAMP WHO ADVISED MAINT. (PLTS WERE NOT NOTIFIED!) THE SCRATCHES ON THE FUSELAGE ON DOOR 1R AND NEAR DOOR 1R ALSO HAD THE STICKERS ON THEM; COMMON TO SCRATCHES AND DENTS THAT HAD BEEN ENTERED INTO THE MAINT RECORD. RESEARCH BY MAINT FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO ENTRY IN THE HISTORY OF THE AIRPLANE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE SCRATCHES OR THE EXISTENCE OF THE STICKERS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. THIS LEADS ME TO COME UP WITH 2 CONCLUSIONS FOR THIS: 1) SOMEONE DAMAGED THE ACFT (CATERERS) AT SOME TIME IN THE PAST AND INSTALLED STICKERS TO COVER UP THE DAMAGE. THE STICKERS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE MAINT LOGBOOK IN THE COCKPIT OR COULD BE TAKEN FROM OTHER ACTUAL DAMAGED AREAS WITH EXISTING STICKERS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. 2) MAINT AFFIXED THE STICKERS AND FAILED TO ENTER IT INTO THE LOG RECORD. THIS EVENT REQUIRES INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED; AS THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE SINCE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE RENDERING THE ACFT UNAIRWORTHY COULD BE COVERED BY THOSE WISHING TO AVOID PUNISHMENT. THIS COULD LEAD TO SEVERAL THINGS; THE MOST SERIOUS BEING A HULL LOSS. THE READING OF THE LOG ITEM RELATED TO THIS INCIDENT IS AS FOLLOWS: GRIPE: CATERING RPTED A 12 INCH LONG SCRATCH IN FUSELAGE DIRECTLY BELOW DOOR 1RH. ACTION: APR -- FOUND OLD DAMAGE THAT HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED; ALTHOUGH 2 EACH STICKERS INSTALLED; THERE WAS NO HISTORY; BURNISHED AND EVALUATED PER SRM 53-00-01 AND FOUND TO BE WITHIN LIMITS FOR FURTHER SVC. AREA TREATED WITH ALODINE.