Narrative:

On jun/sun/96 our brasilia was flown from ewr to hvn and arrived approximately XA30 hours. Crew was alerted by master warning panel 'service door open' during descent for landing at hvn. Emergency checklist was accomplished and aircraft landed. During postflt, a fueling access panel was observed open. The access door was twisted on the hinge and severely damaged and unsvcable. This particular door is approximately 8 inches by 14 inches and is mounted on 1 hinge and uses 2 fasteners to hold it closed. It provides access to single point refueling control switches. A logbook entry was made describing discrepancy and maintenance control supervisor on duty was notified at corp headquarters. The flight crew proceeded to hotel for scheduled rest. The following morning (jun/mon/96) crew returned to airport as assigned. The access panel had not been repaired. Captain called maintenance control supervisor and informed him of situation. The captain was informed by maintenance control that contract maintenance personnel were not available in new haven until AC00 (the morning flight was scheduled to depart at AA25). The maintenance control supervisor then spoke with the company gate agent handling the flight and directed him to remove the access panel and hinge assembly from the aircraft. Once the door was removed the captain was directed to make the appropriate logbook entries that would allow the aircraft to be operated 'legally' under our cdl's (confign deviation listings). The previous day's logbook entry was labeled as 'entered in error' and the morning flight was conducted from new haven to newark. This flight was conducted as a normal part 135 scheduled operation with 30 passenger on board. I am currently unaware of any provisions in the FARS (part 43 or part 135) that allows unlicensed gate agents to perform maintenance on airline operated aircraft. Feel free to contact me regarding this event. In the meantime, think twice before flying xyz. P.south. If this was a criminal event I apologize for submitting it on this form.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL ACCESS PANEL BROKEN AND WRITTEN UP IN LOGBOOK. NEXT MORNING, NO REPAIRS AVAILABLE, UNLICENSED GATE AGENT TAKES DOOR OFF TO APPARENTLY COMPLY WITH CONFIGN DEV LIST FOR DISPATCH PURPOSES. ALL THIS BY MAINT SUPVR REQUEST, PIC TOLD TO FALSIFY PREVIOUS ENTRY. ACFT OPERATED IN PAX SVC.

Narrative: ON JUN/SUN/96 OUR BRASILIA WAS FLOWN FROM EWR TO HVN AND ARRIVED APPROX XA30 HRS. CREW WAS ALERTED BY MASTER WARNING PANEL 'SVC DOOR OPEN' DURING DSCNT FOR LNDG AT HVN. EMER CHKLIST WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND ACFT LANDED. DURING POSTFLT, A FUELING ACCESS PANEL WAS OBSERVED OPEN. THE ACCESS DOOR WAS TWISTED ON THE HINGE AND SEVERELY DAMAGED AND UNSVCABLE. THIS PARTICULAR DOOR IS APPROX 8 INCHES BY 14 INCHES AND IS MOUNTED ON 1 HINGE AND USES 2 FASTENERS TO HOLD IT CLOSED. IT PROVIDES ACCESS TO SINGLE POINT REFUELING CTL SWITCHES. A LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS MADE DESCRIBING DISCREPANCY AND MAINT CTL SUPVR ON DUTY WAS NOTIFIED AT CORP HEADQUARTERS. THE FLC PROCEEDED TO HOTEL FOR SCHEDULED REST. THE FOLLOWING MORNING (JUN/MON/96) CREW RETURNED TO ARPT AS ASSIGNED. THE ACCESS PANEL HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. CAPT CALLED MAINT CTL SUPVR AND INFORMED HIM OF SIT. THE CAPT WAS INFORMED BY MAINT CTL THAT CONTRACT MAINT PERSONNEL WERE NOT AVAILABLE IN NEW HAVEN UNTIL AC00 (THE MORNING FLT WAS SCHEDULED TO DEPART AT AA25). THE MAINT CTL SUPVR THEN SPOKE WITH THE COMPANY GATE AGENT HANDLING THE FLT AND DIRECTED HIM TO REMOVE THE ACCESS PANEL AND HINGE ASSEMBLY FROM THE ACFT. ONCE THE DOOR WAS REMOVED THE CAPT WAS DIRECTED TO MAKE THE APPROPRIATE LOGBOOK ENTRIES THAT WOULD ALLOW THE ACFT TO BE OPERATED 'LEGALLY' UNDER OUR CDL'S (CONFIGN DEV LISTINGS). THE PREVIOUS DAY'S LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS LABELED AS 'ENTERED IN ERROR' AND THE MORNING FLT WAS CONDUCTED FROM NEW HAVEN TO NEWARK. THIS FLT WAS CONDUCTED AS A NORMAL PART 135 SCHEDULED OP WITH 30 PAX ON BOARD. I AM CURRENTLY UNAWARE OF ANY PROVISIONS IN THE FARS (PART 43 OR PART 135) THAT ALLOWS UNLICENSED GATE AGENTS TO PERFORM MAINT ON AIRLINE OPERATED ACFT. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME REGARDING THIS EVENT. IN THE MEANTIME, THINK TWICE BEFORE FLYING XYZ. P.S. IF THIS WAS A CRIMINAL EVENT I APOLOGIZE FOR SUBMITTING IT ON THIS FORM.

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.