Narrative:

I inspected the helicopter courier per the owner's request of filing form 337's on a wingtip repair, new seatbelt/reel type shoulder harnesses, and an upgraded 'rg' type aircraft battery. So I filled out the 337's and may have forgotten to send them to the FAA within 48 hours. (Our office manager was going on vacation, and she usually handles these things.) on or around jul/thu/04, I accomplished an annual/100 hour inspection on the aircraft, and signed the aircraft off as 'returned to service.' so, I may have forgotten about the 337's as the feds seem to take a long time in addressing things like this. There was, for a long time, a sign on the FAA door that said something like: 'no field approvals, or no one time stc's.' I eventually found the 337's on my desk, under some technical manuals on that aircraft. I called the FAA and spoke to my pmi, mr X, and advised him that I may not have mailed the 337's in to his office as soon as I should have (just found them on my desk), and if we leave the dates 'as is', all of the documents will match my log entries on the aircraft. Mr X was very kind, and said, 'just mail them in to him.' so I mailed the 337's to the FAA. Eventually, mr X called back and said that I forgot to sign them. Note: I did not sign them front and back, but I may have missed signing the bottom block on the bottom front page (oops). Ok, mr X said 'it's no big deal,' and he'd bring the forms down and I could just sign them there. My pmi showed up with a guy named mr Y. Mr Y started lecturing me and asking me questions like 'don't you know the difference between a major and minor repair?' note: I've been an ia for over 16 yrs. He started ripping through my 337's to the point that nothing on them (to him) was correct. He wanted to know why I included some minor repairs on the wing along with the major things, and said that I was blending apples and oranges. Block #8 clearly states: description of work accomplished. So, I always include the complete repair as accomplished, which includes the major and the minor things involved in the complete repair. It is perfectly legal to do this. Well, anyway, mr X and mr Y left, saying that they needed to do a letter to me regarding the 337's. Mr X said that he had no problem with him in granting a field approval on all of these 337's at this time, but mr Y persisted. They left with mr Y taking a copy of my paperwork. I responded by telling mr Y that I was prepared to make any changes he wanted to the forms, that this was important to me to have a clean record, that there's never been a mishap, accident here, loss of life, and that the important thing here is that the maintenance is being accomplished, and accomplished correctly and safely. The aircraft owner ws present and said nothing, and after mr Y was gone, (the aircraft owner briefed me in that he and others on the field have had run-in's with mr Y before, and that he is at best impossible to give approval to any paperwork presented to him. Ok, so here's the irony of it all -- because I may have missed signing block #7 (approval to service), I really don't have any 'bad' paperwork, rather, it just needs to be revised to meet FAA mr Y's approval, with my signature in block #7 approving the alterations/repairs back to service.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CERTIFIED INSPECTOR RPTS AFTER REPAIRING A HELI SUBMITTED 337 FORMS BUT ENCOUNTERED EXTREME DIFFICULTY WITH A FSDO INSPECTOR APPROVING THE DOCUMENTS. FAILED TO INITIAL A BLOCK ON 1 FORM.

Narrative: I INSPECTED THE HELI COURIER PER THE OWNER'S REQUEST OF FILING FORM 337'S ON A WINGTIP REPAIR, NEW SEATBELT/REEL TYPE SHOULDER HARNESSES, AND AN UPGRADED 'RG' TYPE ACFT BATTERY. SO I FILLED OUT THE 337'S AND MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN TO SEND THEM TO THE FAA WITHIN 48 HRS. (OUR OFFICE MGR WAS GOING ON VACATION, AND SHE USUALLY HANDLES THESE THINGS.) ON OR AROUND JUL/THU/04, I ACCOMPLISHED AN ANNUAL/100 HR INSPECTION ON THE ACFT, AND SIGNED THE ACFT OFF AS 'RETURNED TO SVC.' SO, I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE 337'S AS THE FEDS SEEM TO TAKE A LONG TIME IN ADDRESSING THINGS LIKE THIS. THERE WAS, FOR A LONG TIME, A SIGN ON THE FAA DOOR THAT SAID SOMETHING LIKE: 'NO FIELD APPROVALS, OR NO ONE TIME STC'S.' I EVENTUALLY FOUND THE 337'S ON MY DESK, UNDER SOME TECHNICAL MANUALS ON THAT ACFT. I CALLED THE FAA AND SPOKE TO MY PMI, MR X, AND ADVISED HIM THAT I MAY NOT HAVE MAILED THE 337'S IN TO HIS OFFICE AS SOON AS I SHOULD HAVE (JUST FOUND THEM ON MY DESK), AND IF WE LEAVE THE DATES 'AS IS', ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS WILL MATCH MY LOG ENTRIES ON THE ACFT. MR X WAS VERY KIND, AND SAID, 'JUST MAIL THEM IN TO HIM.' SO I MAILED THE 337'S TO THE FAA. EVENTUALLY, MR X CALLED BACK AND SAID THAT I FORGOT TO SIGN THEM. NOTE: I DID NOT SIGN THEM FRONT AND BACK, BUT I MAY HAVE MISSED SIGNING THE BOTTOM BLOCK ON THE BOTTOM FRONT PAGE (OOPS). OK, MR X SAID 'IT'S NO BIG DEAL,' AND HE'D BRING THE FORMS DOWN AND I COULD JUST SIGN THEM THERE. MY PMI SHOWED UP WITH A GUY NAMED MR Y. MR Y STARTED LECTURING ME AND ASKING ME QUESTIONS LIKE 'DON'T YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BTWN A MAJOR AND MINOR REPAIR?' NOTE: I'VE BEEN AN IA FOR OVER 16 YRS. HE STARTED RIPPING THROUGH MY 337'S TO THE POINT THAT NOTHING ON THEM (TO HIM) WAS CORRECT. HE WANTED TO KNOW WHY I INCLUDED SOME MINOR REPAIRS ON THE WING ALONG WITH THE MAJOR THINGS, AND SAID THAT I WAS BLENDING APPLES AND ORANGES. BLOCK #8 CLRLY STATES: DESCRIPTION OF WORK ACCOMPLISHED. SO, I ALWAYS INCLUDE THE COMPLETE REPAIR AS ACCOMPLISHED, WHICH INCLUDES THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR THINGS INVOLVED IN THE COMPLETE REPAIR. IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL TO DO THIS. WELL, ANYWAY, MR X AND MR Y LEFT, SAYING THAT THEY NEEDED TO DO A LETTER TO ME REGARDING THE 337'S. MR X SAID THAT HE HAD NO PROB WITH HIM IN GRANTING A FIELD APPROVAL ON ALL OF THESE 337'S AT THIS TIME, BUT MR Y PERSISTED. THEY LEFT WITH MR Y TAKING A COPY OF MY PAPERWORK. I RESPONDED BY TELLING MR Y THAT I WAS PREPARED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES HE WANTED TO THE FORMS, THAT THIS WAS IMPORTANT TO ME TO HAVE A CLEAN RECORD, THAT THERE'S NEVER BEEN A MISHAP, ACCIDENT HERE, LOSS OF LIFE, AND THAT THE IMPORTANT THING HERE IS THAT THE MAINT IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED, AND ACCOMPLISHED CORRECTLY AND SAFELY. THE ACFT OWNER WS PRESENT AND SAID NOTHING, AND AFTER MR Y WAS GONE, (THE ACFT OWNER BRIEFED ME IN THAT HE AND OTHERS ON THE FIELD HAVE HAD RUN-IN'S WITH MR Y BEFORE, AND THAT HE IS AT BEST IMPOSSIBLE TO GIVE APPROVAL TO ANY PAPERWORK PRESENTED TO HIM. OK, SO HERE'S THE IRONY OF IT ALL -- BECAUSE I MAY HAVE MISSED SIGNING BLOCK #7 (APPROVAL TO SVC), I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY 'BAD' PAPERWORK, RATHER, IT JUST NEEDS TO BE REVISED TO MEET FAA MR Y'S APPROVAL, WITH MY SIGNATURE IN BLOCK #7 APPROVING THE ALTERATIONS/REPAIRS BACK TO SVC.

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.