Narrative:

On jun/sun/04, I performed an operational test of the forward service door, evacuate/evacuation slide on aircraft. During the test, the door was hard to open and when the slide deployed it was cocked at about a 45 degree angle. Quality assurance took pictures so as to report the occurrence for ZZZ. Slide was then removed, deflated and packed in container. I then went to install a new slide assembly. I placed the slide (new) in the door container and went to inspect it. Inspecting the slide, I slid my hand over the safety pin for the inflation valve. I noticed that the streamer for the pin was wrapped up and not loose and hanging. I did not remove the pin at that time as I was not ready to latch the slide container together. During further inspection, I found that the girt bar was not even (parallel) with bottom of the slide when laid out. I inspected it to see if I could straighten it out or if [there was] any obstruction and found that I could not without hurting the integrity of the packing (slide). I then subsequently closed the lid and fastened the cover latch, which took me a while because the latch mount would spread and not hold tension when over-ctring the latch mechanism. I then installed the slide container on the door, ensured the girt bar would engage the floor latches and completed the paperwork. On jun/wed/04, another operational test was performed again on the same door slide. This test was done, as I understand, because of the problems encountered when the test was performed on jun/sun/04, and some adjustments were consequently done on the door. The test on jun/wed/04 was not successful, as the slide did not deploy when door was opened. Investigation revealed that the inflation valve safety pin was still installed. I have no excuse for why I did not pull the inflation valve safety pin on jun/sun/04 when I installed the slide into the container. I believe there may have been these contributing factors: 1) complacency: as stated, I found the safety pin installed on the new slide, but it was not 'streamed out' for a very visible 'pull-out' condition. Although this is no excuse, the visibility of the streamer would help. Early that morning, I performed same maintenance task on another -700 aircraft. The streamer of the new slide was very visible as it was tied from the valve pin down to the girt bar. 2) distrs: during the whole maintenance task with aircraft and the slide, I was mentally preparing for the sometime difficulty of the slide cover latch mechanism. Sometimes these latch petty easy and sometimes not. After my first attempt, I could tell there would be some struggle. After the heat of the night, sweat and frustration, I successfully installed the latch without a blood blister or pinches. Although no excuse, I probably was more focused on the girt bar not being straighter than normal and the challenge with the latch.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-700 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE FORWARD SVC DOOR ESCAPE SLIDE REPLACED BUT THE INFLATION PIN NOT REMOVED. SLIDE INOP.

Narrative: ON JUN/SUN/04, I PERFORMED AN OPERATIONAL TEST OF THE FORWARD SVC DOOR, EVAC SLIDE ON ACFT. DURING THE TEST, THE DOOR WAS HARD TO OPEN AND WHEN THE SLIDE DEPLOYED IT WAS COCKED AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE. QUALITY ASSURANCE TOOK PICTURES SO AS TO RPT THE OCCURRENCE FOR ZZZ. SLIDE WAS THEN REMOVED, DEFLATED AND PACKED IN CONTAINER. I THEN WENT TO INSTALL A NEW SLIDE ASSEMBLY. I PLACED THE SLIDE (NEW) IN THE DOOR CONTAINER AND WENT TO INSPECT IT. INSPECTING THE SLIDE, I SLID MY HAND OVER THE SAFETY PIN FOR THE INFLATION VALVE. I NOTICED THAT THE STREAMER FOR THE PIN WAS WRAPPED UP AND NOT LOOSE AND HANGING. I DID NOT REMOVE THE PIN AT THAT TIME AS I WAS NOT READY TO LATCH THE SLIDE CONTAINER TOGETHER. DURING FURTHER INSPECTION, I FOUND THAT THE GIRT BAR WAS NOT EVEN (PARALLEL) WITH BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE WHEN LAID OUT. I INSPECTED IT TO SEE IF I COULD STRAIGHTEN IT OUT OR IF [THERE WAS] ANY OBSTRUCTION AND FOUND THAT I COULD NOT WITHOUT HURTING THE INTEGRITY OF THE PACKING (SLIDE). I THEN SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED THE LID AND FASTENED THE COVER LATCH, WHICH TOOK ME A WHILE BECAUSE THE LATCH MOUNT WOULD SPREAD AND NOT HOLD TENSION WHEN OVER-CTRING THE LATCH MECHANISM. I THEN INSTALLED THE SLIDE CONTAINER ON THE DOOR, ENSURED THE GIRT BAR WOULD ENGAGE THE FLOOR LATCHES AND COMPLETED THE PAPERWORK. ON JUN/WED/04, ANOTHER OPERATIONAL TEST WAS PERFORMED AGAIN ON THE SAME DOOR SLIDE. THIS TEST WAS DONE, AS I UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE OF THE PROBS ENCOUNTERED WHEN THE TEST WAS PERFORMED ON JUN/SUN/04, AND SOME ADJUSTMENTS WERE CONSEQUENTLY DONE ON THE DOOR. THE TEST ON JUN/WED/04 WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL, AS THE SLIDE DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN DOOR WAS OPENED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE INFLATION VALVE SAFETY PIN WAS STILL INSTALLED. I HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR WHY I DID NOT PULL THE INFLATION VALVE SAFETY PIN ON JUN/SUN/04 WHEN I INSTALLED THE SLIDE INTO THE CONTAINER. I BELIEVE THERE MAY HAVE BEEN THESE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) COMPLACENCY: AS STATED, I FOUND THE SAFETY PIN INSTALLED ON THE NEW SLIDE, BUT IT WAS NOT 'STREAMED OUT' FOR A VERY VISIBLE 'PULL-OUT' CONDITION. ALTHOUGH THIS IS NO EXCUSE, THE VISIBILITY OF THE STREAMER WOULD HELP. EARLY THAT MORNING, I PERFORMED SAME MAINT TASK ON ANOTHER -700 ACFT. THE STREAMER OF THE NEW SLIDE WAS VERY VISIBLE AS IT WAS TIED FROM THE VALVE PIN DOWN TO THE GIRT BAR. 2) DISTRS: DURING THE WHOLE MAINT TASK WITH ACFT AND THE SLIDE, I WAS MENTALLY PREPARING FOR THE SOMETIME DIFFICULTY OF THE SLIDE COVER LATCH MECHANISM. SOMETIMES THESE LATCH PETTY EASY AND SOMETIMES NOT. AFTER MY FIRST ATTEMPT, I COULD TELL THERE WOULD BE SOME STRUGGLE. AFTER THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, SWEAT AND FRUSTRATION, I SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED THE LATCH WITHOUT A BLOOD BLISTER OR PINCHES. ALTHOUGH NO EXCUSE, I PROBABLY WAS MORE FOCUSED ON THE GIRT BAR NOT BEING STRAIGHTER THAN NORMAL AND THE CHALLENGE WITH THE LATCH.

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.