Narrative:

Informed by flight attendant about trash bin door latch inoperative. Notified maintenance via radio. Maintenance seemed annoyed by call. Mechanic showed up at airplane, removed female portion of latch assembly, gave to flight attendant, told her to have it fixed and re-riveted at next station. Mechanic then left. Maintenance was called to question appropriateness of mechanic actions. Mechanic returned, snatched part from cockpit and left cockpit. Discrepancy was placed in cabin log. After a reasonable amount of time, mechanic had not returned to sign off item. Called flight attendant who said mechanic had left aircraft. Maintenance was again called to have logbook discrepancy signed off. Mechanic returned, visibly furious, yelling at crew and accusing us of just writing it up after he left on purpose, which did not occur. He yelled this will be a crew delay. Signoff was as follows: problem has previously been addressed and fixed. No maintenance required. Learned on deadhead leg at end of day that when mechanic returned and retrieved part, he left aircraft without even revisiting back galley and did not reinstall appropriate part, possibly allowing aircraft to fly without having performed maintenance previously signed off as having been performed. After learning of this, captain looked at door and verified part had never been reinstalled.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MAINT TECHNICIAN FAILS TO PROPERLY REPAIR AND LOG BROKEN GALLEY DOOR.

Narrative: INFORMED BY FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT TRASH BIN DOOR LATCH INOP. NOTIFIED MAINT VIA RADIO. MAINT SEEMED ANNOYED BY CALL. MECH SHOWED UP AT AIRPLANE, REMOVED FEMALE PORTION OF LATCH ASSEMBLY, GAVE TO FLT ATTENDANT, TOLD HER TO HAVE IT FIXED AND RE-RIVETED AT NEXT STATION. MECH THEN LEFT. MAINT WAS CALLED TO QUESTION APPROPRIATENESS OF MECH ACTIONS. MECH RETURNED, SNATCHED PART FROM COCKPIT AND LEFT COCKPIT. DISCREPANCY WAS PLACED IN CABIN LOG. AFTER A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, MECH HAD NOT RETURNED TO SIGN OFF ITEM. CALLED FLT ATTENDANT WHO SAID MECH HAD LEFT ACFT. MAINT WAS AGAIN CALLED TO HAVE LOGBOOK DISCREPANCY SIGNED OFF. MECH RETURNED, VISIBLY FURIOUS, YELLING AT CREW AND ACCUSING US OF JUST WRITING IT UP AFTER HE LEFT ON PURPOSE, WHICH DID NOT OCCUR. HE YELLED THIS WILL BE A CREW DELAY. SIGNOFF WAS AS FOLLOWS: PROB HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN ADDRESSED AND FIXED. NO MAINT REQUIRED. LEARNED ON DEADHEAD LEG AT END OF DAY THAT WHEN MECH RETURNED AND RETRIEVED PART, HE LEFT ACFT WITHOUT EVEN REVISITING BACK GALLEY AND DID NOT REINSTALL APPROPRIATE PART, POSSIBLY ALLOWING ACFT TO FLY WITHOUT HAVING PERFORMED MAINT PREVIOUSLY SIGNED OFF AS HAVING BEEN PERFORMED. AFTER LEARNING OF THIS, CAPT LOOKED AT DOOR AND VERIFIED PART HAD NEVER BEEN REINSTALLED.

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.