e6bpilot

I would honestly just chalk this one up to "random occurrence". Yes, a cause should definitely try to be determined and maybe some recommendations come out of it, but SWA flies 4500 flights a day (sometimes more) 365 days a year. This is the very first time I have heard of this happening in a decade of being here. That's like a one in 17 million occurrence. It isn't like cowlings are popping open all over the system. Stuff happens every day that makes you go "that was weird". It isn't really a cause for concern.
To me, it seems pretty obvious when the cowl latches are open. You have to be completely ignoring the airplane from many different angles in order to not see them hanging down. I could see maybe at night in the rain multiple people missing them, but my bet is that something happened to the cowl locks that made them fail or maybe some chain of events took place where they got opened after a walk around (maybe mech filling oil and got distracted, just spitballing). In any case, glad everything ended well and the parts stayed on the airplane until it was on the ground. I don't think we need to go looking for a problem where there isn't one, however.

sailingfun

The aircraft was in maintenance the night before.

Sliceback

You don't open the cowling to fill oil. Latches can not be latched but not hanging down. Hanging down is easy to see.

Ockham's razor - if it was as simple as the latches not being closed it most likely wasn't checked on the walk-around. That's the most common answer in previous events.

e6bpilot

Ah you're right about the oil. I forgot they don't open cowlings for that.

I agree that it's the simplest explanation. I still think that other than "double check those cowl latches", it doesn't warrant a whole lot of anything if that is what the cause was.

Has anyone ever seen a cowl latch open on the training center walk around slides that we do every single year in cqt? Serious question. I don't ever recall seeing them or that being addressed in training or by a check airman on IOE. It is in the book, but I probably haven't looked at that portion since new hire training.

rickair7777

Yes, I've seen training slides showing open latches. For an airplane which has PSEU sensors and an ECAM message for the latches.

AirBear

https://viewfromthewing.com/southwes...ing-in-denver/

SWA says it was Mx error. The article also mentions that AA paints the latches florescent orange so they're easier to see when open.

HostileCombover

Why would they say something else?