# Incident 20020428011729I: Boeing 7375H4, Chicago, IL, April 28, 2002 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 28, 2002, 22:25 local time - Place: Chicago, IL - Airport: Chicago Midway - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Final Approach - Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121) - Operator: SWAA - Location: 41.7856° N, 87.7527° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHICAGO MIDWAY INTL (MDW), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7856&lon=-87.7527&mi=10 - Aircraft: N508SW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N508SW-2018-04-18) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Boeing 737-5H4 (registry code 138449D, https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-5h4) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: CFM International CFM56 series (registry code 13802, https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BOEING 7375H4 - People aboard: 94 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 7,000 total, 3,000 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020428011729I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON APRIL 29, 2002, 0523 CDT THE O'HARE FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO) RECEIVED A REPORT FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGIONAL CONTROL CENTER NOTIFYING THE OFFICE THAT ON 04-28-02, AT 2225 CDT, RESIDENTS AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REPORTED AN AIRCRAFT PART FELL ON THEIR PROPERTY. CHICAGO POLICE EVIDENCE TECHNICIANS TOOK POSSESSION OF THE AIRCRAFT PART. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES' (SWA) PERSONNEL TOOK PICTURES OF THE PART TO AID IN IDENTIFICATION. THE REPORT INDICATED THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. IN ADDITION THE REPORT INDICATED THAT AT 0710 CDT, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IDENTIFIED THE OBJECT AS A PIECE OF A FLAP FAIRING FROM A SWA FLIGHT #775, A BOEING 737-500 WHICH HAD LANDED ON RUNWAY 31C AT THE CHICAGO MIDWAY AIRPORT. TWO AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTORS (ASI) FROM THE CHICAGO O'HARE FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (ORD FSDO) WERE DISPATCHED TO INVESTIGATE THIS COMPLAINT. IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT SWAA FLIGHT #775, A BOEING 737-5H4, REGISTRATION NUMBER N508SW WAS ON FINAL APPROACH TO CHICAGO MIDWAY (MDW) RUNWAY 31C, ON APRIL 28, 2002, AT APPROXIMATELY 2225 CDT. THE INCIDENT LOCATION IS ON THE APPROACH PATH TO MDW RUNWAY 31C, ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE MILES FROM RUNWAY N1C. THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED AFTER LANDING AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RIGHT INBOARD FLAP INBOARD SEAL PLATE WAS MISSING. SWAA MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL DEFERRED THE MISSING SEAL PLATE WAS MISSING. SWAA MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL DEFERRED THE MISSING SEAL PLATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SWAA AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATION DEVIATION LIST (CDL) PARAGRAPH 57-53-3. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED AND APPROVED FOR RETURN TO SERVICE. SEE WIZARD LOG PAGE #1687465, MAINTENANCE TRACKING #79629. ON SITE INTERVIEWS WITH THE RESIDENT AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REVEALED THE HOME AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMI^WAS THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. AN INTERVIEW WITH THAT HOMEOWNER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REVEALED THAT WHILE HE WAS INSIDE HIS HOME AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMI^ HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM HIS ROOF. HE WALKED OUTSIDE AND OBSERVED ON THE SIDEWALK NEXT TO HIS HOUSE A PART THAT APPEARED TO BE AN AIRPLANE PART ALONG WITH SHINGLES FROM HIS ROOF. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT WHEN SHE HEARD THE NOISE SHE WALKED OUTSIDE AND OBSERVED THE PART LYING ON HER SIDEWALK. INSPECTION OF THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONDUCTED BY INVESTIGATING ASI'S REVEALED TWO MISSING AND SEVERAL DAMAGED SHINGLES AND A HOLE APPROXIMATELY TWO INCHES WIDE AND ONE INCH DEEP. THE DAMAGE APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED WHEN THE FALLING AIRCRAFT PART STRUCK THE HOME'S ROOF. THE MISSING SEAL PLATE WAS RECOVERED BY THE INVESTIGATING ASIS FROM THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT. INSPECTION OF THE SEAL PLATE REVEALED THE SHEARED HEADS OF THREE OF THE FOUR RETAINING BOLTS WERE STILL CAPTURED BETWEEN THE SEAL PLATE THE FLAP MOUNT. THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUED AT SWA WHERE THE BOLT SHANK AND THREAD BODIES WERE RECOVERED FROM THE SWA MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. AGAIN ONLY THREE OF THE FAILED BOLTS WERE FOUND AND RECEIVED FROM SWA MAINTENANCE. WHEN QUESTIONED, MAINTENANCE INDICATED THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WORKED THAT AIRCRAFT DISCREPANCY DID REMOVE FOUR BOLT THREAD BODIES FROM THE INBOARD FLAP MOUNT BUT THE FORTH BOLT COULD NOT BE FOUND. THE SEAL PLATE AND THE THREE RECOVERED BOLTS WERE RETURNED TO SWA AS REQUESTED BY THE SWA CMO FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY SWA AND THE BOEING AIRCRAFT COMPANY. REPORTING ASI AWAITING THE INVESTIGATION REPORT FROM THE CMO/SWA AND BOEING'S SHARED INVESTIGATION. THE CHDO WILL COORDINATE FINDINGS, NO FURTHER ACTION BY REPORTING ASI. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. 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