Narrative:

A flight arrived from XXX airport into ZZZ airport at about XX00 pm. Aircraft is a B727-200. Day was apr thu 1997. #3 engine was shut down in flight due to a fire warning going off. Logbook entry was made by flight crew. I opened engine up and after checking out many parts of the engine and fire warning system I found the fuel heat valve duct separated from the flange that bolts onto the valve. This is a brazed attachment. This separated due to 2 of the mounting bolts that held the valve to the engine were missing or not installed. This was about 45 mins of time that took place. I then contacted abc maintenance control and told them to call a local certified welding company to come out to repair the duct. They came out about 20 mins later and looked at duct. They said it could be repaired on the engine without taking it off the engine. If the duct did need to be removed the flight probably would take a 6 hour delay. The welder checked out the type of metal of the duct and what it was brazed with. He seemed to know his work very well. He had been doing it for 20 yrs as a 121 certified aircraft welder. He cleaned everything up and brazed the duct back to the flange and I replaced the missing bolts that made it come apart. During this time 3 FAA inspectors drove up in a car. They introduced themselves to me and asked me what we were doing on the engine. I explained everything to all 3 inspectors. They asked me if what we're doing was a legal repair and did I have a maintenance manual reference for the repair. I told them that the welder had a repair reference for the repair. I told them if they wanted to look at it they were more than welcome. 2 out of the 3 FAA inspectors took a look at the duct repair after everything was put back together. They looked it over for about 5 mins and talked it over with me. They said it was a good repair. They asked me if I was going to leak check the duct. I told them I was and they wanted to stay around and watch. So I had the flight crew run the engine at the gate for about 5 mins while one other mechanic that was helping me out checked the duct for leaks. There were no leaks found. The engine was cowled and gate agent was told that they could start loading passenger. The FAA inspector wanted to know if he could have a copy of the logbook page after it was signed off. I told him that I would give him a copy of it. I signed the item off by the reference that the welder gave me. Reference was from the aircraft book. I did not look any reference up due to the fact the welding company does this all the time. 2 days later I was contacted by my director of maintenance. He told me that the FAA in ZZZ contacted the company YYY. They told him that the work that was done was an illegal repair and my maintenance manual reference was not the right one used. It should have been under maintenance manual, repair of the ducts. The repair was done right, but there is one part that said you need to pressure test duct with 300 psi of oil pressure after repair. My director of maintenance contacted P&west and they said that it was not necessary. That the duct could be tested next time the engine came off as long as it was leak checked after it was repaired and no air leaks were found. This was sent over to the company by a P&west engineer. The FAA is saying, they will not approve the repair. They want the duct replaced. This has gone back and forth for 5 days now. Everyday they ask for more information on this incident and I am thinking that they are going to violate me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 SHUT DOWN #3 ENG DUE TO A FIRE WARNING. FUEL HEAT PNEUMATIC TUBE WAS FOUND BROKEN AT VALVE FLANGE.

Narrative: A FLT ARRIVED FROM XXX ARPT INTO ZZZ ARPT AT ABOUT XX00 PM. ACFT IS A B727-200. DAY WAS APR THU 1997. #3 ENG WAS SHUT DOWN IN FLT DUE TO A FIRE WARNING GOING OFF. LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS MADE BY FLC. I OPENED ENG UP AND AFTER CHKING OUT MANY PARTS OF THE ENG AND FIRE WARNING SYS I FOUND THE FUEL HEAT VALVE DUCT SEPARATED FROM THE FLANGE THAT BOLTS ONTO THE VALVE. THIS IS A BRAZED ATTACHMENT. THIS SEPARATED DUE TO 2 OF THE MOUNTING BOLTS THAT HELD THE VALVE TO THE ENG WERE MISSING OR NOT INSTALLED. THIS WAS ABOUT 45 MINS OF TIME THAT TOOK PLACE. I THEN CONTACTED ABC MAINT CTL AND TOLD THEM TO CALL A LCL CERTIFIED WELDING COMPANY TO COME OUT TO REPAIR THE DUCT. THEY CAME OUT ABOUT 20 MINS LATER AND LOOKED AT DUCT. THEY SAID IT COULD BE REPAIRED ON THE ENG WITHOUT TAKING IT OFF THE ENG. IF THE DUCT DID NEED TO BE REMOVED THE FLT PROBABLY WOULD TAKE A 6 HR DELAY. THE WELDER CHKED OUT THE TYPE OF METAL OF THE DUCT AND WHAT IT WAS BRAZED WITH. HE SEEMED TO KNOW HIS WORK VERY WELL. HE HAD BEEN DOING IT FOR 20 YRS AS A 121 CERTIFIED ACFT WELDER. HE CLEANED EVERYTHING UP AND BRAZED THE DUCT BACK TO THE FLANGE AND I REPLACED THE MISSING BOLTS THAT MADE IT COME APART. DURING THIS TIME 3 FAA INSPECTORS DROVE UP IN A CAR. THEY INTRODUCED THEMSELVES TO ME AND ASKED ME WHAT WE WERE DOING ON THE ENG. I EXPLAINED EVERYTHING TO ALL 3 INSPECTORS. THEY ASKED ME IF WHAT WE'RE DOING WAS A LEGAL REPAIR AND DID I HAVE A MAINT MANUAL REF FOR THE REPAIR. I TOLD THEM THAT THE WELDER HAD A REPAIR REF FOR THE REPAIR. I TOLD THEM IF THEY WANTED TO LOOK AT IT THEY WERE MORE THAN WELCOME. 2 OUT OF THE 3 FAA INSPECTORS TOOK A LOOK AT THE DUCT REPAIR AFTER EVERYTHING WAS PUT BACK TOGETHER. THEY LOOKED IT OVER FOR ABOUT 5 MINS AND TALKED IT OVER WITH ME. THEY SAID IT WAS A GOOD REPAIR. THEY ASKED ME IF I WAS GOING TO LEAK CHK THE DUCT. I TOLD THEM I WAS AND THEY WANTED TO STAY AROUND AND WATCH. SO I HAD THE FLC RUN THE ENG AT THE GATE FOR ABOUT 5 MINS WHILE ONE OTHER MECH THAT WAS HELPING ME OUT CHKED THE DUCT FOR LEAKS. THERE WERE NO LEAKS FOUND. THE ENG WAS COWLED AND GATE AGENT WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD START LOADING PAX. THE FAA INSPECTOR WANTED TO KNOW IF HE COULD HAVE A COPY OF THE LOGBOOK PAGE AFTER IT WAS SIGNED OFF. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD GIVE HIM A COPY OF IT. I SIGNED THE ITEM OFF BY THE REF THAT THE WELDER GAVE ME. REF WAS FROM THE ACFT BOOK. I DID NOT LOOK ANY REF UP DUE TO THE FACT THE WELDING COMPANY DOES THIS ALL THE TIME. 2 DAYS LATER I WAS CONTACTED BY MY DIRECTOR OF MAINT. HE TOLD ME THAT THE FAA IN ZZZ CONTACTED THE COMPANY YYY. THEY TOLD HIM THAT THE WORK THAT WAS DONE WAS AN ILLEGAL REPAIR AND MY MAINT MANUAL REF WAS NOT THE RIGHT ONE USED. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER MAINT MANUAL, REPAIR OF THE DUCTS. THE REPAIR WAS DONE RIGHT, BUT THERE IS ONE PART THAT SAID YOU NEED TO PRESSURE TEST DUCT WITH 300 PSI OF OIL PRESSURE AFTER REPAIR. MY DIRECTOR OF MAINT CONTACTED P&W AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY. THAT THE DUCT COULD BE TESTED NEXT TIME THE ENG CAME OFF AS LONG AS IT WAS LEAK CHKED AFTER IT WAS REPAIRED AND NO AIR LEAKS WERE FOUND. THIS WAS SENT OVER TO THE COMPANY BY A P&W ENGINEER. THE FAA IS SAYING, THEY WILL NOT APPROVE THE REPAIR. THEY WANT THE DUCT REPLACED. THIS HAS GONE BACK AND FORTH FOR 5 DAYS NOW. EVERYDAY THEY ASK FOR MORE INFO ON THIS INCIDENT AND I AM THINKING THAT THEY ARE GOING TO VIOLATE ME.

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.