The story starts with an Air New Zealand 747 losing a 10Kg (22 lb) chunk of flap. Turns out that there were only four screws (of the 125) holding this bad boy down... and that the flap was marked with red tape to indicate that it was under repair. [A HREF=http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,129162-1-7,00.html]Story here.[/A]Okay, two questions...When there's red tape all over a wing panel, wouldn't you think that the PIC is ultimately responsbile for taking note of that before departure?Let's say you are the PIC and you notice said red markings on a wing. Would you not think something along the lines of "Wow. Wonder what the heck the story might be with that there big red X. Perhaps I should track down somebody in the maintenance department and see if somebody can figger this out for me. Maybe they put that there for a reason."Now for my opinion (stow your flame until you're done reading):Although the PIC is responsible for preflighting the aircraft (and at least taking a cursory look at the aircraft with a beast like the 747), I think the maintenance crew needs a solid smackdown. They never should have let this one out to the gate with only four screws to hold down a 22-pound piece of hardware on a flap.Flame away if you must... Dennis Miller's disclaimer applies.

Interesting reading, to say the least!What's the deal on the UA "jumbo" backing into a terminal building at Auckland last weekend (related site on your website reference)? Did the ground tractor push a brand new 777 into a terminal?Bruce.(used to live in New Zealand)