Narrative:

On apr/xx/97, aircraft was in ZZZ for maintenance, a service check, and an APU combuster change. I was assigned the service check and a new mechanic was assigned the APU combuster change. During the combuster change, on the operations check, leak check of the new unit, it was discovered that the new unit was no good. So he reinstalled the old unit as no extra combusters were available. When the aircraft was finished we did the paperwork as he is not airworthy release on B737. I filled out the parts control tag to indicate a bad from stock part, and see no error with this record. I believe I also filled out a non routine log page to write a squawk against the new combuster. This log states 'combuster bad from stock' as the write-up and 'returned to stores as bad from stock' as the correction. A separate job card was issued with the aircraft work package. The write-up on this log called for the time change for the combuster. As the combuster was not replaced it was indicated on this log that the work card was deferred. I don't have access to this paperwork, it is the missing link. I requested it from records to try to find out why the part change didn't get rescheduled. And I'm not sure how, but somehow log was read to mean that the unit had been removed and replaced. South/north was installed then immediately removed from the aircraft. So it seems correct to put this south/north in the 'off' block of the non routine. I don't know how the forced or unsuccessful part change was issued. It seems that after the card deferral wasn't successful in relaying the information it was then changed without reading the log page by records or stores. The result of all this is the combuster remained on the aircraft for a month overrunning the unit by 248 hours when records notified maintenance to replace the combuster with a new one. A contributing factor on the missing log page may have been that at the end of the day I was trying to teach a new mechanic the paperwork procedures and how to work our computer system to enter the logs. It would be helpful to find the job cards for the service check to see how that log page was filled out. It should have read 'item deferred.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 WAS OPERATED 248 HRS OVER THE TIME LIMIT FOR THE APU COMBUSTER DUE TO PAPERWORK AND COMPUTER ERROR.

Narrative: ON APR/XX/97, ACFT WAS IN ZZZ FOR MAINT, A SVC CHK, AND AN APU COMBUSTER CHANGE. I WAS ASSIGNED THE SVC CHK AND A NEW MECH WAS ASSIGNED THE APU COMBUSTER CHANGE. DURING THE COMBUSTER CHANGE, ON THE OPS CHK, LEAK CHK OF THE NEW UNIT, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE NEW UNIT WAS NO GOOD. SO HE REINSTALLED THE OLD UNIT AS NO EXTRA COMBUSTERS WERE AVAILABLE. WHEN THE ACFT WAS FINISHED WE DID THE PAPERWORK AS HE IS NOT AIRWORTHY RELEASE ON B737. I FILLED OUT THE PARTS CTL TAG TO INDICATE A BAD FROM STOCK PART, AND SEE NO ERROR WITH THIS RECORD. I BELIEVE I ALSO FILLED OUT A NON ROUTINE LOG PAGE TO WRITE A SQUAWK AGAINST THE NEW COMBUSTER. THIS LOG STATES 'COMBUSTER BAD FROM STOCK' AS THE WRITE-UP AND 'RETURNED TO STORES AS BAD FROM STOCK' AS THE CORRECTION. A SEPARATE JOB CARD WAS ISSUED WITH THE ACFT WORK PACKAGE. THE WRITE-UP ON THIS LOG CALLED FOR THE TIME CHANGE FOR THE COMBUSTER. AS THE COMBUSTER WAS NOT REPLACED IT WAS INDICATED ON THIS LOG THAT THE WORK CARD WAS DEFERRED. I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THIS PAPERWORK, IT IS THE MISSING LINK. I REQUESTED IT FROM RECORDS TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHY THE PART CHANGE DIDN'T GET RESCHEDULED. AND I'M NOT SURE HOW, BUT SOMEHOW LOG WAS READ TO MEAN THAT THE UNIT HAD BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED. S/N WAS INSTALLED THEN IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM THE ACFT. SO IT SEEMS CORRECT TO PUT THIS S/N IN THE 'OFF' BLOCK OF THE NON ROUTINE. I DON'T KNOW HOW THE FORCED OR UNSUCCESSFUL PART CHANGE WAS ISSUED. IT SEEMS THAT AFTER THE CARD DEFERRAL WASN'T SUCCESSFUL IN RELAYING THE INFO IT WAS THEN CHANGED WITHOUT READING THE LOG PAGE BY RECORDS OR STORES. THE RESULT OF ALL THIS IS THE COMBUSTER REMAINED ON THE ACFT FOR A MONTH OVERRUNNING THE UNIT BY 248 HRS WHEN RECORDS NOTIFIED MAINT TO REPLACE THE COMBUSTER WITH A NEW ONE. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR ON THE MISSING LOG PAGE MAY HAVE BEEN THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY I WAS TRYING TO TEACH A NEW MECH THE PAPERWORK PROCS AND HOW TO WORK OUR COMPUTER SYS TO ENTER THE LOGS. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO FIND THE JOB CARDS FOR THE SVC CHK TO SEE HOW THAT LOG PAGE WAS FILLED OUT. IT SHOULD HAVE READ 'ITEM DEFERRED.'

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.