Narrative:

The company that I work for, X air carrier, is currently in the process of deleting several aircraft from its inventory. These aircraft, X, Y and Z have been taken off company's certificate and have been parked on our ramp since apr/tue/03, and have not flown since. Part of this process of the lease return, was to have an independent auditor inventory and research the records of 3 of these aircraft. At the beginning of this month, I was informed that the auditor would be in during my weekend shift and that I was to lend him support as best as I could, without taking away productivity from our aircraft that we were assigned to work. Without making this too confusing, which it still is to me, the only 2 aircraft that we assisted with were on X and Y on the weekends of the apr/sat/03. Both aircraft were pulled into our hangar one at a time, several times, throughout the course of these 4 days. The aircraft currently in question is X and the problem is that 2 of the interior access panels were removed, left off, and not written up in the logbook. On or about apr/wed/03, the FAA went out to this aircraft to follow up on a totally different faulty maintenance action (having to do with a generator), and found the panels off. During the course of the 2 weekends, I was asked by the auditor to gain access to both engines and propellers on each of the 2 aircraft, so that he could take pictures and verify serial numbers. This I assigned to my mechanics. Both were opened up on different days and both were documented in the logbooks. 1 of the 2 aircraft write-ups for this bears my signature, on both engines and propellers, as the person making the discrepancy. I often do this while my mechanics do the labor as to not let anything get overlooked. Each were then closed up and signed off by the 2 mechanics that did the work. On one of the 4 days that we had these aircraft coming in and out of the hangar, the auditor mentioned to me that he would also need to see inside the avionics bay to take pictures on both planes. I do not remember removing these panels for him or assigning this to any one of my mechanics. After talking about this with my supervisor, I spoke with my mechanic. None of them said that they removed the panels. One of my mechanics did say however, that on one of the days that we pulled one of the planes into the hangar, those panels were already off. He could not say for sure which aircraft it was. The 3 aircraft sat on our ramp and in our hangars from apr/tue/03, until apr/wed/03, when the panels were found off. Within this time period, anyone could have removed these panels. This is to include anyone from our line maintenance/ron (routine overnight check) crews, to our avionics department whom within this time period removed the SELCAL system. Today, my supervisor informed me that I should fill out an as soon as possible form for being the lead on the weekends while the planes were here.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DEHAVILLAND-8 WAS DISCOVERED BY AN FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR TO HAVE 2 COCKPIT ACCESS EQUIP PANELS REMOVED AND NOT DOCUMENTED.

Narrative: THE COMPANY THAT I WORK FOR, X ACR, IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF DELETING SEVERAL ACFT FROM ITS INVENTORY. THESE ACFT, X, Y AND Z HAVE BEEN TAKEN OFF COMPANY'S CERTIFICATE AND HAVE BEEN PARKED ON OUR RAMP SINCE APR/TUE/03, AND HAVE NOT FLOWN SINCE. PART OF THIS PROCESS OF THE LEASE RETURN, WAS TO HAVE AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR INVENTORY AND RESEARCH THE RECORDS OF 3 OF THESE ACFT. AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS MONTH, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE AUDITOR WOULD BE IN DURING MY WEEKEND SHIFT AND THAT I WAS TO LEND HIM SUPPORT AS BEST AS I COULD, WITHOUT TAKING AWAY PRODUCTIVITY FROM OUR ACFT THAT WE WERE ASSIGNED TO WORK. WITHOUT MAKING THIS TOO CONFUSING, WHICH IT STILL IS TO ME, THE ONLY 2 ACFT THAT WE ASSISTED WITH WERE ON X AND Y ON THE WEEKENDS OF THE APR/SAT/03. BOTH ACFT WERE PULLED INTO OUR HANGAR ONE AT A TIME, SEVERAL TIMES, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THESE 4 DAYS. THE ACFT CURRENTLY IN QUESTION IS X AND THE PROB IS THAT 2 OF THE INTERIOR ACCESS PANELS WERE REMOVED, LEFT OFF, AND NOT WRITTEN UP IN THE LOGBOOK. ON OR ABOUT APR/WED/03, THE FAA WENT OUT TO THIS ACFT TO FOLLOW UP ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FAULTY MAINT ACTION (HAVING TO DO WITH A GENERATOR), AND FOUND THE PANELS OFF. DURING THE COURSE OF THE 2 WEEKENDS, I WAS ASKED BY THE AUDITOR TO GAIN ACCESS TO BOTH ENGS AND PROPS ON EACH OF THE 2 ACFT, SO THAT HE COULD TAKE PICTURES AND VERIFY SERIAL NUMBERS. THIS I ASSIGNED TO MY MECHS. BOTH WERE OPENED UP ON DIFFERENT DAYS AND BOTH WERE DOCUMENTED IN THE LOGBOOKS. 1 OF THE 2 ACFT WRITE-UPS FOR THIS BEARS MY SIGNATURE, ON BOTH ENGS AND PROPS, AS THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCREPANCY. I OFTEN DO THIS WHILE MY MECHS DO THE LABOR AS TO NOT LET ANYTHING GET OVERLOOKED. EACH WERE THEN CLOSED UP AND SIGNED OFF BY THE 2 MECHS THAT DID THE WORK. ON ONE OF THE 4 DAYS THAT WE HAD THESE ACFT COMING IN AND OUT OF THE HANGAR, THE AUDITOR MENTIONED TO ME THAT HE WOULD ALSO NEED TO SEE INSIDE THE AVIONICS BAY TO TAKE PICTURES ON BOTH PLANES. I DO NOT REMEMBER REMOVING THESE PANELS FOR HIM OR ASSIGNING THIS TO ANY ONE OF MY MECHS. AFTER TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH MY SUPVR, I SPOKE WITH MY MECH. NONE OF THEM SAID THAT THEY REMOVED THE PANELS. ONE OF MY MECHS DID SAY HOWEVER, THAT ON ONE OF THE DAYS THAT WE PULLED ONE OF THE PLANES INTO THE HANGAR, THOSE PANELS WERE ALREADY OFF. HE COULD NOT SAY FOR SURE WHICH ACFT IT WAS. THE 3 ACFT SAT ON OUR RAMP AND IN OUR HANGARS FROM APR/TUE/03, UNTIL APR/WED/03, WHEN THE PANELS WERE FOUND OFF. WITHIN THIS TIME PERIOD, ANYONE COULD HAVE REMOVED THESE PANELS. THIS IS TO INCLUDE ANYONE FROM OUR LINE MAINT/RON (ROUTINE OVERNIGHT CHK) CREWS, TO OUR AVIONICS DEPT WHOM WITHIN THIS TIME PERIOD REMOVED THE SELCAL SYS. TODAY, MY SUPVR INFORMED ME THAT I SHOULD FILL OUT AN ASAP FORM FOR BEING THE LEAD ON THE WEEKENDS WHILE THE PLANES WERE HERE.

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.