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After replacing flap transmitter and cannon plug, mechanic left his screwdriver in flap well. Supervisor was rushing the repair to finish before end of shift. When testing the spoilers, the handle met resistance, but supervisor forced the handle down resulting in damage to spoiler pulley and bracket from jammed screwdriver.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 336423 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199605 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : mdw |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | other personnel other |
| Qualification | other other : other |
| ASRS Report | 336423 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | other personnel other oversight : supervisor |
| Qualification | other other : other |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
I was called in on overtime to work a flap indication problem. The manager, mr. A, advised me I would be working alone and that he would (mr. A) help me. I was replacing flap transmitter and cannon plug. I was replacing flap transmitter when incident occurred. Transmitters were exchanged 3 times and mr. A was in a hurry. I was completing installation of transmitter when mr. A yelled from service door, 'all clear.' I had to jump off ladder to warn fueler to clear fuel panel. Mr. A then administered hydraulics and flaps started coming up. It was this interruption that I left my screwdriver in flap well, approximately 1 ft from flap transmitter. At this point, I was on my way to cockpit and when I arrived, flaps were close to being all the way up. At this point, mr. A was in right seat and mr. B was in left seat. At this point mr. A put spoiler to the down detent when the handle went only 75 percent of down detent. At this point I said, 'let me go see if anything is in the way.' mr. B said, 'bring them back up to see if there was problem.' it was at this point mr. A forced handle down. In my opinion, damage occurred when spoiler pulleys was forced down (broken pulleys) and flaps caused screwdriver to bend pulley bracket. It was when flaps went down and spoilers went up, I realized my screwdriver was lodged in flap well. Mr. A came down to right wing and I advised him that screwdriver was left in flap well. Mr. A assessed damage to spoiler pulley and pulley bracket. We then operated spoilers up and down to determine severity of damage. We then went into office where mr. A called maintenance control and mr. Z said just change pulley and straighten bracket. He (mr. A) changed etr to XX00 on may/xx/96. I worked all night, replaced pulley and straightened bracket as best as I could.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AFTER REPLACING FLAP XMITTER AND CANNON PLUG, MECH LEFT HIS SCREWDRIVER IN FLAP WELL. SUPVR WAS RUSHING THE REPAIR TO FINISH BEFORE END OF SHIFT. WHEN TESTING THE SPOILERS, THE HANDLE MET RESISTANCE, BUT SUPVR FORCED THE HANDLE DOWN RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO SPOILER PULLEY AND BRACKET FROM JAMMED SCREWDRIVER.
Narrative: I WAS CALLED IN ON OVERTIME TO WORK A FLAP INDICATION PROB. THE MGR, MR. A, ADVISED ME I WOULD BE WORKING ALONE AND THAT HE WOULD (MR. A) HELP ME. I WAS REPLACING FLAP XMITTER AND CANNON PLUG. I WAS REPLACING FLAP XMITTER WHEN INCIDENT OCCURRED. XMITTERS WERE EXCHANGED 3 TIMES AND MR. A WAS IN A HURRY. I WAS COMPLETING INSTALLATION OF XMITTER WHEN MR. A YELLED FROM SVC DOOR, 'ALL CLR.' I HAD TO JUMP OFF LADDER TO WARN FUELER TO CLR FUEL PANEL. MR. A THEN ADMINISTERED HYDS AND FLAPS STARTED COMING UP. IT WAS THIS INTERRUPTION THAT I LEFT MY SCREWDRIVER IN FLAP WELL, APPROX 1 FT FROM FLAP XMITTER. AT THIS POINT, I WAS ON MY WAY TO COCKPIT AND WHEN I ARRIVED, FLAPS WERE CLOSE TO BEING ALL THE WAY UP. AT THIS POINT, MR. A WAS IN R SEAT AND MR. B WAS IN L SEAT. AT THIS POINT MR. A PUT SPOILER TO THE DOWN DETENT WHEN THE HANDLE WENT ONLY 75 PERCENT OF DOWN DETENT. AT THIS POINT I SAID, 'LET ME GO SEE IF ANYTHING IS IN THE WAY.' MR. B SAID, 'BRING THEM BACK UP TO SEE IF THERE WAS PROB.' IT WAS AT THIS POINT MR. A FORCED HANDLE DOWN. IN MY OPINION, DAMAGE OCCURRED WHEN SPOILER PULLEYS WAS FORCED DOWN (BROKEN PULLEYS) AND FLAPS CAUSED SCREWDRIVER TO BEND PULLEY BRACKET. IT WAS WHEN FLAPS WENT DOWN AND SPOILERS WENT UP, I REALIZED MY SCREWDRIVER WAS LODGED IN FLAP WELL. MR. A CAME DOWN TO R WING AND I ADVISED HIM THAT SCREWDRIVER WAS LEFT IN FLAP WELL. MR. A ASSESSED DAMAGE TO SPOILER PULLEY AND PULLEY BRACKET. WE THEN OPERATED SPOILERS UP AND DOWN TO DETERMINE SEVERITY OF DAMAGE. WE THEN WENT INTO OFFICE WHERE MR. A CALLED MAINT CTL AND MR. Z SAID JUST CHANGE PULLEY AND STRAIGHTEN BRACKET. HE (MR. A) CHANGED ETR TO XX00 ON MAY/XX/96. I WORKED ALL NIGHT, REPLACED PULLEY AND STRAIGHTENED BRACKET AS BEST AS I COULD.
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.