Regional Jet 900 (CRJ900)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Maintenance Action
Human Factors
After shutting aircraft down; First Officer performed post flight walk around. He came in and told me he thought we had lost 2 inspection panels (one on each wing) and asked me to look. I looked from the top of the Jetway and couldn't see anything; so I went down and looked from the back of wing; still couldn't see anything. The First Officer said take a few steps back and stand on your toes; sure enough I could just barely see a hole at the very top of the left wing. Same on the right wing. I tried looking from the cabin and could just barely see them when I put my face against the window. I'm 6ft tall and I could barely see them when I knew to be looking for them. My First Officer said that he just happened to step a few steps back from his normal preflight route and noticed something looked different. I went back to the aircraft made a wright up and called Maintenance Control. I was told that the aircraft had over nighted and had those panels off to service gear pivot points. The black markings for the escape path go through these panels making them harder to see. Due to the location and height of the wing; short of having stands or ladders to climb on during pre and post flights; I don't think there's much that could help crew members to see these panels.
A CRJ-900 Captain reported that two upper wing service panels were missing; one off each wing; after an overnight landing gear pivot point service. The aircraft had previously flown several flights that day.