Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Manuals; Procedure
We received the inbound aircraft shortly after noon at an out station. The inbound flight crew was leaving the aircraft heading for the hotel van and said 'good aircraft'. We proceeded to board the aircraft and perform preflight duties. Approximately 5 minutes later the First Officer advised me that there was something 'like' speed tape that was covering the static ports on the First Officer side of the aircraft. I exited the aircraft and followed the First Officer to the right side of the aircraft and saw what appeared to be silver 'speed tape' covering the static ports. I called the Chief Pilot's office for advice and was told that she was the only person there at the time. I then contacted SOC and explained what was going on; so they patched me through to Maintenance Control. I spoke a Controller and explained that we discovered tape covering the static ports on the First Officer side of the aircraft and I asked if there was any reason why it should be there. He advised that there should NOT be anything covering the static ports. We both began putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The aircraft apparently came out of maintenance that morning; but he couldn't immediately say why that the static ports would have been covered up with tape. Later he said that they were possibly doing a check of the CATII system and might have needed to test the Pitot/Static system. I told the Maintenance Controller that; obviously; we were not going to fly the aircraft with tape covering the ports. I asked him if it was safe for us to remove the tape to fly our flight to our next destination; a Maintenance base. He advised us 'yes' it was OK to remove the tape; and we did not see any damage or tape residue in the RVSM area. I asked him if he would notify the overnight Maintenance about the possible error on their part and he said that he would. The rest of the preflight was uneventful and all systems were indicating normal.Apparently; Maintenance forgot to remove the tape. The preflight crew that morning apparently missed the tape covering the static ports; and subsequent post flights. We; however; have no proof where the tape originated. We simply found it on our preflight.
During a turnaround preflight; an EMB-145 crew discovered silver colored speed tape covering the First Officer static ports after the aircraft had flown a series of flights since being released following overnight maintenance.