This document is a semester thesis submitted by Jesús Ignacio Maldonado Covarrubias to ETH Zurich in June 2011. The thesis investigates the dimensioning of an access panel for the fixed leading edge of a commercial aircraft. The objectives are to analyze an initial access panel design using finite element analysis, evaluate it against criteria such as strength and stability, and perform optimizations to reduce the panel's mass. The work is broken down into tasks such as creating CAD and FE models, analyzing different stiffener configurations, and conducting a design improvement study. The document outlines the problem definition, reviews relevant literature, describes the analytical and FE modeling approaches, and presents the results and conclusions of the study.