 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
A convair 640 was operated for several days in non compliance with the flight crew and maintenance director carrying aircraft discrepancies off the logbook.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 557349 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200208 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : iad.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Convair 640 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground : maintenance ground : parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | maintenance : inspector |
| Qualification | technician : inspection authority technician : airframe technician : powerplant |
| Experience | maintenance lead technician : 5 maintenance supervisor : 8 maintenance technician : 25 |
| ASRS Report | 557349 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical maintenance problem : improper documentation maintenance problem : improper maintenance non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb other other : person 1 |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | other |
| Factors | |
| Maintenance | contributing factor : schedule pressure performance deficiency : logbook entry performance deficiency : repair performance deficiency : fault isolation |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Company Flight Crew Human Performance Maintenance Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Company |
| Situations | |
| Publication | MAINT MANUAL |
Narrative:
On jul/mon/02, was advised by technician in sbq that he had signed off a 'B' check on aircraft X and was told by the director of maintenance to ignore the PIREP of 'buffeting.' on jul/wed/02, second technician advised of buffeting on aircraft X that he was advised of by captain, but not written up in logbook on aircraft. On aug/wed/02, aircraft X was due an 'a' check and required an airworthiness release. Trim drum (elevator) was still not written up in aircraft logbook and not repaired. I was told that it was not written up, was being carried by the flight crew's and to proceed with the 'a' check and release. As of XA00 aug/thu/02, witnessed by the director of operations and assistant chief inspector. Trim drum was still not written up in aircraft logbook. Director of maintenance instructed maintenance to replace a blown diode in the landing gear down and locked indicator lights with a butt splice. The diode was removed, the ends of the existing wires spliced together with a 'butt' splice with no regard to possible fire hazard created, and I was instructed to release the aircraft. The blown diode, the butt splice were not entered in the aircraft logbook. The flight crew had been 'carrying' the fact that the 'down and locked' indicators (3 green) worked intermittently for over a month.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A CONVAIR 640 WAS OPERATED FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE FLC AND MAINT DIRECTOR CARRYING ACFT DISCREPANCIES OFF THE LOGBOOK.
Narrative: ON JUL/MON/02, WAS ADVISED BY TECHNICIAN IN SBQ THAT HE HAD SIGNED OFF A 'B' CHK ON ACFT X AND WAS TOLD BY THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT TO IGNORE THE PIREP OF 'BUFFETING.' ON JUL/WED/02, SECOND TECHNICIAN ADVISED OF BUFFETING ON ACFT X THAT HE WAS ADVISED OF BY CAPT, BUT NOT WRITTEN UP IN LOGBOOK ON ACFT. ON AUG/WED/02, ACFT X WAS DUE AN 'A' CHK AND REQUIRED AN AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE. TRIM DRUM (ELEVATOR) WAS STILL NOT WRITTEN UP IN ACFT LOGBOOK AND NOT REPAIRED. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT WRITTEN UP, WAS BEING CARRIED BY THE FLC'S AND TO PROCEED WITH THE 'A' CHK AND RELEASE. AS OF XA00 AUG/THU/02, WITNESSED BY THE DIRECTOR OF OPS AND ASSISTANT CHIEF INSPECTOR. TRIM DRUM WAS STILL NOT WRITTEN UP IN ACFT LOGBOOK. DIRECTOR OF MAINT INSTRUCTED MAINT TO REPLACE A BLOWN DIODE IN THE LNDG GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATOR LIGHTS WITH A BUTT SPLICE. THE DIODE WAS REMOVED, THE ENDS OF THE EXISTING WIRES SPLICED TOGETHER WITH A 'BUTT' SPLICE WITH NO REGARD TO POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD CREATED, AND I WAS INSTRUCTED TO RELEASE THE ACFT. THE BLOWN DIODE, THE BUTT SPLICE WERE NOT ENTERED IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK. THE FLC HAD BEEN 'CARRYING' THE FACT THAT THE 'DOWN AND LOCKED' INDICATORS (3 GREEN) WORKED INTERMITTENTLY FOR OVER A MONTH.
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.