A DHC8-200 DURING A LINE CHK WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE A CARGO COMPARTMENT PANEL MISSING. PAPERWORK AUDIT REVEALS NO WRITE-UP AND NO RECORD OF REMOVAL.

Narrative

DURING A LINE CHK IN JUNE; A MECH DISCOVERED A MISSING PANEL IN THE CARGO BAY. IN REVIEW OF THE RECORDS FOR ACFT; IT APPEARS THAT THE LAST TIME ANY SIGNIFICANT MAINT WAS PERFORMED IN THIS AREA WAS ON MAY/XA/06. THE ACFT WAS IN FOR AN 'A' CHK. THE MECH WHO SIGNED FOR REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE CARGO COMPARTMENT SMOKE DETECTOR; MR X; TALKED WITH THE MECH AND SHE SAID SHE NEVER REMOVED THIS PANEL ONLY THE SMOKE DETECTOR AND SHE DID NOT RECALL THIS PANEL BEING REMOVED AT THE TIME SHE WAS WORKING IN THE AREA. MR X REVIEWED THE 'A' CHK PACKAGE; AND ACFT HISTORY FOR ANY DISCREPANCIES IN THIS AREA SINCE MAY/XA/06 AND THERE ARE NONE ON FILE. SINCE MAY; THIS ACFT HAS ONLY ROUTINE OVERNIGHT CHK AT A MAINT BASE 1 TIME. IN JUNE; THERE ARE NO RECORDS OF ANY WORK PERFORMED IN THIS AREA. MR Y WAS THE LEAD MECH WHO ALSO SIGNED FOR THE AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE OF THE ACFT. MR Y AND MR X SPOKE REGARDING HIS WALKAROUND FOR THE AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE OF THE ACFT AND HE INDICATED HE DID LOOK INTO THE CARGO BAY AREA AND THERE WERE NO MISSING PANELS AT THAT TIME. THE ACFT WAS WORKED IN JUNE DURING THE DAY FOR OVERHEAD BIN LOOSE DISCREPANCY. MR X TALKED WITH ANOTHER TECHNICIAN REGARDING HIS MAINT FOR THE OVERHEAD DISCREPANCY. ONCE AGAIN HE DENIED ANY REMOVAL OF THE PANEL IN THE CARGO BAY AND HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE MISSING PANEL. IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE SOMEBODY REMOVED THIS PANEL AND DID NOT SIGN FOR IT DURING THE 'A' CHK OR OTHER MAINT.