Narrative:

I was assigned to work on aircraft for replacement of the rear boost pump canister, on the right wing of the aircraft. On this day when I got to the area, most of the hilocks were removed, there was only about 15-20 hilocks left to be taken out. Some were already mushroomed on top where the collars would go. So I continued to try and remove the rest of the hilocks. I first tried to take a rivet gun with a flat set and knock them down through the wing from inside the tank. After trying to do this to all the hilocks only 5 or so would move down. The others either moved very little or not at all. For the ones that did go down I tried to use a tool we have here, which is a pair of vice grips attached to a slide hammer. I was only able to get three to come out this way. So of the ones I could, I cut the head off as flush to the skin as I could. These hilocks were extremely tight. Of the ones that didn't move I drilled the heads off. After this I drilled a small hole up through the hilocks. Then I used a punch set in the rivet gun to push the hilocks up the other way. This worked on all but about 10. The ones that didn't go were extremely tight. So I drilled very carefully a little more up the hilocks and tried to use the punch set again. On two of the hilocks the punch slipped off the hilock and made contact with the outer wing skin. None of the hilock would either go up or down. So the only thing to do was to try and drill the rest of the hilock out. The wing is a layered aluminum skin. The hilock are titanium. I tried to drill as straight through the hilock as possible. I drilled all of the hilocks except three. By this time it was getting close to the end of my shift, so I quit working to clean up. I didn't think the area where the punch came in contact with the wing was very bad, because the eo call to install oversize hilocks and to recounter sink the holes. I thought when we did this it would clean up the contact that it made. I saw this as a straight forward job and it was late and I didn't write a turnover, also there were no turnover left for me from the previous shift that took out the other hilocks. All I was trying to do was get the hilocks out so I could get the canister casting out. The damage that was caused was not done with any purpose or malice. As for not writing a turnover I thought it was a straight forward process of what needed to be done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MECH RPT REGARDING ATTEMPT TO REPLACE REAR BOOST PUMP CANISTER RESULTING IN SOME SKIN DAMAGE.

Narrative: I WAS ASSIGNED TO WORK ON ACFT FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR BOOST PUMP CANISTER, ON THE R WING OF THE ACFT. ON THIS DAY WHEN I GOT TO THE AREA, MOST OF THE HILOCKS WERE REMOVED, THERE WAS ONLY ABOUT 15-20 HILOCKS LEFT TO BE TAKEN OUT. SOME WERE ALREADY MUSHROOMED ON TOP WHERE THE COLLARS WOULD GO. SO I CONTINUED TO TRY AND REMOVE THE REST OF THE HILOCKS. I FIRST TRIED TO TAKE A RIVET GUN WITH A FLAT SET AND KNOCK THEM DOWN THROUGH THE WING FROM INSIDE THE TANK. AFTER TRYING TO DO THIS TO ALL THE HILOCKS ONLY 5 OR SO WOULD MOVE DOWN. THE OTHERS EITHER MOVED VERY LITTLE OR NOT AT ALL. FOR THE ONES THAT DID GO DOWN I TRIED TO USE A TOOL WE HAVE HERE, WHICH IS A PAIR OF VICE GRIPS ATTACHED TO A SLIDE HAMMER. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO GET THREE TO COME OUT THIS WAY. SO OF THE ONES I COULD, I CUT THE HEAD OFF AS FLUSH TO THE SKIN AS I COULD. THESE HILOCKS WERE EXTREMELY TIGHT. OF THE ONES THAT DIDN'T MOVE I DRILLED THE HEADS OFF. AFTER THIS I DRILLED A SMALL HOLE UP THROUGH THE HILOCKS. THEN I USED A PUNCH SET IN THE RIVET GUN TO PUSH THE HILOCKS UP THE OTHER WAY. THIS WORKED ON ALL BUT ABOUT 10. THE ONES THAT DIDN'T GO WERE EXTREMELY TIGHT. SO I DRILLED VERY CAREFULLY A LITTLE MORE UP THE HILOCKS AND TRIED TO USE THE PUNCH SET AGAIN. ON TWO OF THE HILOCKS THE PUNCH SLIPPED OFF THE HILOCK AND MADE CONTACT WITH THE OUTER WING SKIN. NONE OF THE HILOCK WOULD EITHER GO UP OR DOWN. SO THE ONLY THING TO DO WAS TO TRY AND DRILL THE REST OF THE HILOCK OUT. THE WING IS A LAYERED ALUMINUM SKIN. THE HILOCK ARE TITANIUM. I TRIED TO DRILL AS STRAIGHT THROUGH THE HILOCK AS POSSIBLE. I DRILLED ALL OF THE HILOCKS EXCEPT THREE. BY THIS TIME IT WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE END OF MY SHIFT, SO I QUIT WORKING TO CLEAN UP. I DIDN'T THINK THE AREA WHERE THE PUNCH CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE WING WAS VERY BAD, BECAUSE THE EO CALL TO INSTALL OVERSIZE HILOCKS AND TO RECOUNTER SINK THE HOLES. I THOUGHT WHEN WE DID THIS IT WOULD CLEAN UP THE CONTACT THAT IT MADE. I SAW THIS AS A STRAIGHT FORWARD JOB AND IT WAS LATE AND I DIDN'T WRITE A TURNOVER, ALSO THERE WERE NO TURNOVER LEFT FOR ME FROM THE PREVIOUS SHIFT THAT TOOK OUT THE OTHER HILOCKS. ALL I WAS TRYING TO DO WAS GET THE HILOCKS OUT SO I COULD GET THE CANISTER CASTING OUT. THE DAMAGE THAT WAS CAUSED WAS NOT DONE WITH ANY PURPOSE OR MALICE. AS FOR NOT WRITING A TURNOVER I THOUGHT IT WAS A STRAIGHT FORWARD PROCESS OF WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.

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.