Narrative:

On apr/sat/00, we were sent to ZZZ for emergency field service to install a first officer's control column on a B737. When we arrived in ZZZ, the maintenance foreman told us the control column that was removed had been sent to the shop in yxy to be repaired and had not arrived yet in ZZZ. We were sent to a motel for the night and were called in the morning. When we received the phone call, we were told the control column had arrived and was ready to be installed. When we arrived at the aircraft, the control column was sitting by the aircraft in its shipping container. We verified the svcable parts tag with the control column it was attached to and proceeded to install the column per maintenance manual. This maintenance manual covered both the B737-300/500 series aircraft. All operations checks checked out good. After 2 weeks, we were informed that we installed a B737-300 control column on a B737-500 aircraft. It is and was our understanding that a -300 column was interchangeable with a -500 column. The -300/-500 columns are physically the same, the only variance being the dash number. Air carrier logistics had ordered the wrong control column and we inadvertently installed it per the maintenance manual. If the control column would have had an air carrier number, we would have been warned about the wrong part being installed prior to signing off the write-up.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-500 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE INCORRECT FO'S CTL COLUMN INSTALLED.

Narrative: ON APR/SAT/00, WE WERE SENT TO ZZZ FOR EMER FIELD SVC TO INSTALL A FO'S CTL COLUMN ON A B737. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN ZZZ, THE MAINT FOREMAN TOLD US THE CTL COLUMN THAT WAS REMOVED HAD BEEN SENT TO THE SHOP IN YXY TO BE REPAIRED AND HAD NOT ARRIVED YET IN ZZZ. WE WERE SENT TO A MOTEL FOR THE NIGHT AND WERE CALLED IN THE MORNING. WHEN WE RECEIVED THE PHONE CALL, WE WERE TOLD THE CTL COLUMN HAD ARRIVED AND WAS READY TO BE INSTALLED. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE ACFT, THE CTL COLUMN WAS SITTING BY THE ACFT IN ITS SHIPPING CONTAINER. WE VERIFIED THE SVCABLE PARTS TAG WITH THE CTL COLUMN IT WAS ATTACHED TO AND PROCEEDED TO INSTALL THE COLUMN PER MAINT MANUAL. THIS MAINT MANUAL COVERED BOTH THE B737-300/500 SERIES ACFT. ALL OPS CHKS CHKED OUT GOOD. AFTER 2 WKS, WE WERE INFORMED THAT WE INSTALLED A B737-300 CTL COLUMN ON A B737-500 ACFT. IT IS AND WAS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT A -300 COLUMN WAS INTERCHANGEABLE WITH A -500 COLUMN. THE -300/-500 COLUMNS ARE PHYSICALLY THE SAME, THE ONLY VARIANCE BEING THE DASH NUMBER. ACR LOGISTICS HAD ORDERED THE WRONG CTL COLUMN AND WE INADVERTENTLY INSTALLED IT PER THE MAINT MANUAL. IF THE CTL COLUMN WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACR NUMBER, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN WARNED ABOUT THE WRONG PART BEING INSTALLED PRIOR TO SIGNING OFF THE WRITE-UP.

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.