A SAAB 340 HAD PROP; COWLING AND FUSELAGE DAMAGE DISCOVERED DURING POSTFLT.

Narrative

AFTER SHUTDOWN AT THE GATE; FO OF OUTBOUND CREW DISCOVERED DAMAGE TO R PROP AND R SIDE OF FUSELAGE ADJACENT TO THE PROP. 1 PROP BLADE HAD DAMAGE ON THE BACK SIDE. FUSELAGE HAD A BASEBALL-SIZED DENT WITH ABOUT A 3-INCH GASH THROUGH THE FUSELAGE SKIN. R ENG COWLING WAS FOUND TO BE MISSING 3 FASTENERS. NO ABNORMALITIES WERE NOTICED BY THE CAPT OR FO DURING LNDG; ROLLOUT; OR TAXI TO THE GATE. AFTER PAX HAD DEPLANED; FLT ATTENDANT STATED TO CAPT AND FO THAT HE HAD HEARD A THUD ON THE R SIDE OF THE CABIN THAT STARTLED PAX DURING THE APCH AT ABOUT 3000-4000 FT. CAPT AND FO RECALLED HEARING A NOISE DURING APCH BUT HAD THOUGHT IT WAS THE FLT ATTENDANT STOWING THE SVC CART. DURING SHUTDOWN AT THE GATE; AN ACR CRJ RPTED FOD ON RWY 34 TO TWR. WHEN ACFT DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED; THE CAPT MADE A WRITE-UP IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK AND CONTACTED DISPATCH. DISPATCH WAS ADVISED OF THE DAMAGE AND THEN CONNECTED THE CAPT TO MAINT CTL. CAPT GAVE VERBAL DESCRIPTION OF ACFT DAMAGE. OUTBOUND CAPT TOOK DIGITAL PHOTOS OF DAMAGE AND E-MAILED TO MAINT CTL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 779466: WHILE DEPARTING THE ACFT TO BEGIN A POSTFLT INSPECTION; I WAS APCHED BY OUTBOUND FO REGARDING A HOLE IN THE R SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE FUSELAGE; I NOTED A BASEBALL SIZE DENT WITH AN APPROX 2 INCH SIZE CRACK IN THE SKIN OF THE ACFT. I ALSO NOTED SEVERAL GOUGES IN ONE OF THE BLADES ON THE #2 ENG ABOUT 1/2 WAY DOWN THE PROP. THERE WERE ALSO 3 FASTENER SCREWS MISSING FROM THE COWLING ABOVE THE ENG INTAKE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 779467 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATED THAT FASTENERS FROM THE ENG ENTERED AN OPENING BELOW THE ENG INTAKE; EXITED A NEARBY OPENING; HIT THE PROP AND WERE THROWN INTO THE FUSELAGE. THE PROP WAS REPLACED AND THE SKIN PATCHED. THE REPORTER DID NOT KNOW IF THE MECHANICAL FASTENERS FAILED OR IF HUMAN ERROR OCCURRED.