Narrative:

I was working the line as inspector and was told that passengers were getting wet from rain leaking in the aircraft. They sent the plane to hangar to pressure and I was told to come back to hangar. I asked my lead to watch aircraft. I went out and mechanics were pressurizing the plane. A mechanic told me there was leaks at upper skin lap, I went up on man lift and the upper skin lap mod at str 4R from sta 727 to 907 was leaking very bad. We used snoop leak detector. I went to get my lead and show him, when he saw the leaks he told me and to check every lap on the aircraft. So the mechanic drove us around the aircraft and every lap mod we checked was leaking. The qc supervisor came out to the bottom of man lift and told us to come down. We were looking at what I thought was a crack and he was waving his arms for us to come down. When we came down, he was yelling at me to get off the aircraft, and that all I had to look at was 18 def, I told him we didn't know where it was leaking and he told me to get off the aircraft and not to check any laps that this aircraft had to go, and we didn't have any right to be checking the aircraft. I am sending this report in because every skin lap mod that we looked at was leaking as I am writing this the aircraft was pushed out of the hangar and back to c-bay. I don't know what repair they did, but I don't think they had time to do anything. Supplemental information from acn 564643: I was working as an inspector on aircraft Y. I was told to help a mechanic who was assigned line inspector, he came in and asked our lead and myself to come out and look at this. He told us that aircraft X had come over from the line. When asked what was wrong he said that the passengers were getting wet, when I went and we got on the man lift behind the rh wing we went to stringer 4R, mechanic said look at this leak he then sprayed leak detector on the skin lap at stringer 4 and bubbles were coming out from under the skin lap mod. Mechanic was told to leak check every skin lap on the aircraft, he told me to help write up the leaks that we find. Told the mechanic to get more leak detector so we can leak check all the skin lap mods, we started to leak check on the right side and work our way around to the left side, we found several leaks. I asked how do you want to write all the leaks up, he said since there are so many, we will just write up leak skin lap from front to back. We were working on the right hand side of the fuselage. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the fuselage was pressurized and checked with a soap type leak detector and when applied to the lap joints was creating bubbles 8 to 9 inches. The reporter said this airplane had the interior lap joints sealed by an outside vendor and the sealant used had hardened prior to its penetrating the lap joint. The reporter stated one other airplane had this experience and the vendor either resealed the airplane or made some settlement. The reporter said the behavior of the quality control supervisor was way out of line and tearing up the lap joint non routine cards was wrong. The reporter stated at that point a report was filled out with the details of the lap joint leaks and was immediately sent off by facsimile. The reporter said the scheduled airplane never got to the terminal and was taken out of service for repair.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-200 HAD A RPT OF WATER LEAKING ON PASSENGERS SEATED AT 18 D, E, F. INSPECTORS FOUND ALL FUSELAGE LAP JOINTS LEAKING EXCESSIVELY.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING THE LINE AS INSPECTOR AND WAS TOLD THAT PASSENGERS WERE GETTING WET FROM RAIN LEAKING IN THE ACFT. THEY SENT THE PLANE TO HANGAR TO PRESSURE AND I WAS TOLD TO COME BACK TO HANGAR. I ASKED MY LEAD TO WATCH ACFT. I WENT OUT AND MECHS WERE PRESSURIZING THE PLANE. A MECH TOLD ME THERE WAS LEAKS AT UPPER SKIN LAP, I WENT UP ON MAN LIFT AND THE UPPER SKIN LAP MOD AT STR 4R FROM STA 727 TO 907 WAS LEAKING VERY BAD. WE USED SNOOP LEAK DETECTOR. I WENT TO GET MY LEAD AND SHOW HIM, WHEN HE SAW THE LEAKS HE TOLD ME AND TO CHECK EVERY LAP ON THE ACFT. SO THE MECH DROVE US AROUND THE ACFT AND EVERY LAP MOD WE CHECKED WAS LEAKING. THE QC SUPVR CAME OUT TO THE BOTTOM OF MAN LIFT AND TOLD US TO COME DOWN. WE WERE LOOKING AT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A CRACK AND HE WAS WAVING HIS ARMS FOR US TO COME DOWN. WHEN WE CAME DOWN, HE WAS YELLING AT ME TO GET OFF THE ACFT, AND THAT ALL I HAD TO LOOK AT WAS 18 DEF, I TOLD HIM WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE IT WAS LEAKING AND HE TOLD ME TO GET OFF THE ACFT AND NOT TO CHECK ANY LAPS THAT THIS ACFT HAD TO GO, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY RIGHT TO BE CHECKING THE ACFT. I AM SENDING THIS RPT IN BECAUSE EVERY SKIN LAP MOD THAT WE LOOKED AT WAS LEAKING AS I AM WRITING THIS THE ACFT WAS PUSHED OUT OF THE HANGAR AND BACK TO C-BAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT REPAIR THEY DID, BUT I DON'T THINK THEY HAD TIME TO DO ANYTHING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 564643: I WAS WORKING AS AN INSPECTOR ON ACFT Y. I WAS TOLD TO HELP A MECH WHO WAS ASSIGNED LINE INSPECTOR, HE CAME IN AND ASKED OUR LEAD AND MYSELF TO COME OUT AND LOOK AT THIS. HE TOLD US THAT ACFT X HAD COME OVER FROM THE LINE. WHEN ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG HE SAID THAT THE PASSENGERS WERE GETTING WET, WHEN I WENT AND WE GOT ON THE MAN LIFT BEHIND THE RH WING WE WENT TO STRINGER 4R, MECH SAID LOOK AT THIS LEAK HE THEN SPRAYED LEAK DETECTOR ON THE SKIN LAP AT STRINGER 4 AND BUBBLES WERE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE SKIN LAP MOD. MECH WAS TOLD TO LEAK CHK EVERY SKIN LAP ON THE ACFT, HE TOLD ME TO HELP WRITE UP THE LEAKS THAT WE FIND. TOLD THE MECH TO GET MORE LEAK DETECTOR SO WE CAN LEAK CHECK ALL THE SKIN LAP MODS, WE STARTED TO LEAK CHECK ON THE R SIDE AND WORK OUR WAY AROUND TO THE L SIDE, WE FOUND SEVERAL LEAKS. I ASKED HOW DO YOU WANT TO WRITE ALL THE LEAKS UP, HE SAID SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY, WE WILL JUST WRITE UP LEAK SKIN LAP FROM FRONT TO BACK. WE WERE WORKING ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE FUSELAGE WAS PRESSURIZED AND CHECKED WITH A SOAP TYPE LEAK DETECTOR AND WHEN APPLIED TO THE LAP JOINTS WAS CREATING BUBBLES 8 TO 9 INCHES. THE RPTR SAID THIS AIRPLANE HAD THE INTERIOR LAP JOINTS SEALED BY AN OUTSIDE VENDOR AND THE SEALANT USED HAD HARDENED PRIOR TO ITS PENETRATING THE LAP JOINT. THE RPTR STATED ONE OTHER AIRPLANE HAD THIS EXPERIENCE AND THE VENDOR EITHER RESEALED THE AIRPLANE OR MADE SOME SETTLEMENT. THE RPTR SAID THE BEHAVIOR OF THE QUALITY CTL SUPVR WAS WAY OUT OF LINE AND TEARING UP THE LAP JOINT NON ROUTINE CARDS WAS WRONG. THE RPTR STATED AT THAT POINT A RPT WAS FILLED OUT WITH THE DETAILS OF THE LAP JOINT LEAKS AND WAS IMMEDIATELY SENT OFF BY FAX. THE RPTR SAID THE SCHEDULED AIRPLANE NEVER GOT TO THE TERMINAL AND WAS TAKEN OUT OF SVC FOR REPAIR.

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.