Narrative:

I was assigned a job by the lead mechanic that said there were 4 loose rivets in the #1 engine intake. The write-up was deferred from XXX per the maintenance manual. When I looked up the maintenance manual, it said up to 4 loose rivets may be deferred if you seal them. I went out to the aircraft and no rivets were sealed. While looking for the 4 loose rivets I found 8 loose rivets just by looking. I reported this to the lead and asked him if I could leave the debris, from drilling out the loose rivets, inside the nose cowl. Another mechanic, who overheard the conversation said that you have to remove the nose cowl, place it on a soft surface and roll it around to remove the debris. The lead and I called the controller, who confirmed exactly what the mechanic said, so we started to prepare to remove the nose cowl. When the foreman found out he brought the lead and I back into the office and called a different controller. The foreman told the controller that we would be wasting time because we can't be sure that all the debris is out just by rolling the cowl, and that we should just seal 4 of the 8 rivets, redefer the item and change the nose cowl later. The controller agreed, and hung up. I told the foreman that, '4 loose rivets was the maximum allowed by the maintenance manual.' he yelled, 'just go seal 4 rivets and you don't have to sign anything.' I left the office and discussed the situation with the lead. We were not comfortable letting the plane go with loose, unsealed, rivets in the intake. We thought the best way to go would be to get an eva from engineering and seal all the loose rivets and change the nose cowl at the next maintenance opportunity. We went back in the office and told the foreman. Again he yelled, 'just do what I tell you and seal 4 rivets' then he told the lead 'go do what you got to do,' so the lead updated the write-up and said that there were 8 loose rivets. I was on my way out to seal 4 rivets when the foreman pulled up in a van and said that he can't find an engineer to write an eva. So he took the plane OTS, and told me to take the nose cowl off. He also said he was bringing in a mechanic from another work area to help us. This is a mechanic who is known for doing whatever management says (right or wrong). This mechanic started drilling out the rivets, and on closer inspection found more rivets. In total 16 (cherry maximum) rivets were drilled out and replaced. While he was doing that, me and 2 other mechanics were removing the nose cowl. It was nearing the end of our shift as we got the nose cowl off. Just then 2 mechanics, that agreed to work overtime on the aircraft, came into the area. One of them said to the foreman, you only have to remove the debris from nose cowls with blow-in doors. The foreman was furious because he thought we took the nose cowl off for no reason. I told him that both controllers we talked to knew what aircraft we were talking about and I read right from the maintenance manual which states, 'all debris must be removed from the nose cowl especially from nose cowls with blow-in doors,' but he was still mad and took me off the job. He told me to go get some gas for some equipment that ran out of gas during the night. There is a small access panel at about 7 O'clock on the nose cowl for access to the anti-ice duct, but it doesn't give any access to the area where the rivets were drilled out. The foreman told the mechanic from the other work area to vacuum out the entire nose cowl from that little access panel and, of course, he did it. He stuck a vacuum in there for about 5 seconds. They never rolled the nose cowl. Then they started putting the nose cowl back on, with the debris from 16 drilled out cherry maximum rivets still inside it. My shift was over. Normally I would just put my initials and file number on the write-up and let the mechanics who finish the job complete the sign off but I wasn't comfortable with what was going on, so I asked the mechanics and several people in the office how to sign for what I did only, in the computer. If there is a way to do it, no one knows how to do it, so I left at the end of myshift without signing for anything.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISAGREEMENT BTWN MECHS AND SUPVR ON PROPER REPAIR OF LOOSE RIVETS IN NOSE COWL.

Narrative: I WAS ASSIGNED A JOB BY THE LEAD MECH THAT SAID THERE WERE 4 LOOSE RIVETS IN THE #1 ENG INTAKE. THE WRITE-UP WAS DEFERRED FROM XXX PER THE MAINT MANUAL. WHEN I LOOKED UP THE MAINT MANUAL, IT SAID UP TO 4 LOOSE RIVETS MAY BE DEFERRED IF YOU SEAL THEM. I WENT OUT TO THE ACFT AND NO RIVETS WERE SEALED. WHILE LOOKING FOR THE 4 LOOSE RIVETS I FOUND 8 LOOSE RIVETS JUST BY LOOKING. I RPTED THIS TO THE LEAD AND ASKED HIM IF I COULD LEAVE THE DEBRIS, FROM DRILLING OUT THE LOOSE RIVETS, INSIDE THE NOSE COWL. ANOTHER MECH, WHO OVERHEARD THE CONVERSATION SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE NOSE COWL, PLACE IT ON A SOFT SURFACE AND ROLL IT AROUND TO REMOVE THE DEBRIS. THE LEAD AND I CALLED THE CTLR, WHO CONFIRMED EXACTLY WHAT THE MECH SAID, SO WE STARTED TO PREPARE TO REMOVE THE NOSE COWL. WHEN THE FOREMAN FOUND OUT HE BROUGHT THE LEAD AND I BACK INTO THE OFFICE AND CALLED A DIFFERENT CTLR. THE FOREMAN TOLD THE CTLR THAT WE WOULD BE WASTING TIME BECAUSE WE CAN'T BE SURE THAT ALL THE DEBRIS IS OUT JUST BY ROLLING THE COWL, AND THAT WE SHOULD JUST SEAL 4 OF THE 8 RIVETS, REDEFER THE ITEM AND CHANGE THE NOSE COWL LATER. THE CTLR AGREED, AND HUNG UP. I TOLD THE FOREMAN THAT, '4 LOOSE RIVETS WAS THE MAX ALLOWED BY THE MAINT MANUAL.' HE YELLED, 'JUST GO SEAL 4 RIVETS AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN ANYTHING.' I LEFT THE OFFICE AND DISCUSSED THE SIT WITH THE LEAD. WE WERE NOT COMFORTABLE LETTING THE PLANE GO WITH LOOSE, UNSEALED, RIVETS IN THE INTAKE. WE THOUGHT THE BEST WAY TO GO WOULD BE TO GET AN EVA FROM ENGINEERING AND SEAL ALL THE LOOSE RIVETS AND CHANGE THE NOSE COWL AT THE NEXT MAINT OPPORTUNITY. WE WENT BACK IN THE OFFICE AND TOLD THE FOREMAN. AGAIN HE YELLED, 'JUST DO WHAT I TELL YOU AND SEAL 4 RIVETS' THEN HE TOLD THE LEAD 'GO DO WHAT YOU GOT TO DO,' SO THE LEAD UPDATED THE WRITE-UP AND SAID THAT THERE WERE 8 LOOSE RIVETS. I WAS ON MY WAY OUT TO SEAL 4 RIVETS WHEN THE FOREMAN PULLED UP IN A VAN AND SAID THAT HE CAN'T FIND AN ENGINEER TO WRITE AN EVA. SO HE TOOK THE PLANE OTS, AND TOLD ME TO TAKE THE NOSE COWL OFF. HE ALSO SAID HE WAS BRINGING IN A MECH FROM ANOTHER WORK AREA TO HELP US. THIS IS A MECH WHO IS KNOWN FOR DOING WHATEVER MGMNT SAYS (RIGHT OR WRONG). THIS MECH STARTED DRILLING OUT THE RIVETS, AND ON CLOSER INSPECTION FOUND MORE RIVETS. IN TOTAL 16 (CHERRY MAX) RIVETS WERE DRILLED OUT AND REPLACED. WHILE HE WAS DOING THAT, ME AND 2 OTHER MECHS WERE REMOVING THE NOSE COWL. IT WAS NEARING THE END OF OUR SHIFT AS WE GOT THE NOSE COWL OFF. JUST THEN 2 MECHS, THAT AGREED TO WORK OVERTIME ON THE ACFT, CAME INTO THE AREA. ONE OF THEM SAID TO THE FOREMAN, YOU ONLY HAVE TO REMOVE THE DEBRIS FROM NOSE COWLS WITH BLOW-IN DOORS. THE FOREMAN WAS FURIOUS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT WE TOOK THE NOSE COWL OFF FOR NO REASON. I TOLD HIM THAT BOTH CTLRS WE TALKED TO KNEW WHAT ACFT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AND I READ RIGHT FROM THE MAINT MANUAL WHICH STATES, 'ALL DEBRIS MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE NOSE COWL ESPECIALLY FROM NOSE COWLS WITH BLOW-IN DOORS,' BUT HE WAS STILL MAD AND TOOK ME OFF THE JOB. HE TOLD ME TO GO GET SOME GAS FOR SOME EQUIP THAT RAN OUT OF GAS DURING THE NIGHT. THERE IS A SMALL ACCESS PANEL AT ABOUT 7 O'CLOCK ON THE NOSE COWL FOR ACCESS TO THE ANTI-ICE DUCT, BUT IT DOESN'T GIVE ANY ACCESS TO THE AREA WHERE THE RIVETS WERE DRILLED OUT. THE FOREMAN TOLD THE MECH FROM THE OTHER WORK AREA TO VACUUM OUT THE ENTIRE NOSE COWL FROM THAT LITTLE ACCESS PANEL AND, OF COURSE, HE DID IT. HE STUCK A VACUUM IN THERE FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS. THEY NEVER ROLLED THE NOSE COWL. THEN THEY STARTED PUTTING THE NOSE COWL BACK ON, WITH THE DEBRIS FROM 16 DRILLED OUT CHERRY MAX RIVETS STILL INSIDE IT. MY SHIFT WAS OVER. NORMALLY I WOULD JUST PUT MY INITIALS AND FILE NUMBER ON THE WRITE-UP AND LET THE MECHS WHO FINISH THE JOB COMPLETE THE SIGN OFF BUT I WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT WAS GOING ON, SO I ASKED THE MECHS AND SEVERAL PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE HOW TO SIGN FOR WHAT I DID ONLY, IN THE COMPUTER. IF THERE IS A WAY TO DO IT, NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DO IT, SO I LEFT AT THE END OF MYSHIFT WITHOUT SIGNING FOR ANYTHING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.