Narrative:

Aircraft came in and the mechanic assigned came in and told me that it was grounded. I went out with the mechanic and he showed me that there was a gap between the aft end, top edge of the #2 engine where it connects to the wing. We went in and I called maintenance controller and asked them about the gap. They directed me to technical services. I sent pictures of both sides of the aircraft so that they could get a good idea of what we were questioning (about 6 pictures total). Included in that was a couple pictures of the cone bolt lines on the outboard side. They were still showing to be good. Maintenance control suggested a possible signoff of the cone bolt work card X and I felt that wasn't a good enough signoff, so technical services suggested we open up the panels and look at the cone bolt itself and the condition of the crushable honeycomb. We did this and everything showed fine. I had almost every mechanic on shift look at the cone bolt and say to me that they felt it was fine and that there wasn't an issue. Technical services felt it was fine after I told them the results of our inspection, maintenance control felt it was fine, and I felt it was fine and in a safe and airworthy condition. I also pulled the rii mechanic that came in on the ZZZ1 flight and had him stay and look at the cone bolt and crushable honeycomb also. He also felt it was ok. I also pulled up the engine install work card Y and looked to see that there was no gap measurements or any kind of information at all about a gap being there. I found nothing and was unable to locate anything in the maintenance manual. The mechanic assigned to the flight still refused to sign off the aircraft. Another mechanic came forward and volunteered to sign off the write-up and I agreed. I reconfirmed with both maintenance control and technical services again that I had done all that I needed to do to ensure an airworthy signoff and that they also felt it was ok to sign off. The supervisor came in to work as I was finishing signing the aircraft off and I stopped and took the time to tell him what was wrong and I showed him what technical services and maintenance control had requested I do. He felt that all our bases were covered and that I had done everything properly. He stated that since it was coming right back as an overnighter, he would have next shift personnel look at it closer if that was something I felt would make me feel more comfortable. But again, he felt we had done all that we needed to do to ensure a safe condition. I said no, that I felt it was safe, I was just worried about my signoff being complete enough. The last thing I asked maintenance control is if I needed to worry about that gap and they said no. The aircraft was signed off and released for service.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-200 HAD A GAP BTWN THE AFT END TOP EDGE OF #2 ENG AND WING TO NACELLE AFT FAIRING. SUSPECTED AFT CONE BOLT FAILURE. CHKED OK PER MAINT MANUAL AND AFT MOUNT INDICATOR.

Narrative: ACFT CAME IN AND THE MECH ASSIGNED CAME IN AND TOLD ME THAT IT WAS GNDED. I WENT OUT WITH THE MECH AND HE SHOWED ME THAT THERE WAS A GAP BTWN THE AFT END, TOP EDGE OF THE #2 ENG WHERE IT CONNECTS TO THE WING. WE WENT IN AND I CALLED MAINT CTLR AND ASKED THEM ABOUT THE GAP. THEY DIRECTED ME TO TECHNICAL SVCS. I SENT PICTURES OF BOTH SIDES OF THE ACFT SO THAT THEY COULD GET A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT WE WERE QUESTIONING (ABOUT 6 PICTURES TOTAL). INCLUDED IN THAT WAS A COUPLE PICTURES OF THE CONE BOLT LINES ON THE OUTBOARD SIDE. THEY WERE STILL SHOWING TO BE GOOD. MAINT CTL SUGGESTED A POSSIBLE SIGNOFF OF THE CONE BOLT WORK CARD X AND I FELT THAT WASN'T A GOOD ENOUGH SIGNOFF, SO TECHNICAL SVCS SUGGESTED WE OPEN UP THE PANELS AND LOOK AT THE CONE BOLT ITSELF AND THE CONDITION OF THE CRUSHABLE HONEYCOMB. WE DID THIS AND EVERYTHING SHOWED FINE. I HAD ALMOST EVERY MECH ON SHIFT LOOK AT THE CONE BOLT AND SAY TO ME THAT THEY FELT IT WAS FINE AND THAT THERE WASN'T AN ISSUE. TECHNICAL SVCS FELT IT WAS FINE AFTER I TOLD THEM THE RESULTS OF OUR INSPECTION, MAINT CTL FELT IT WAS FINE, AND I FELT IT WAS FINE AND IN A SAFE AND AIRWORTHY CONDITION. I ALSO PULLED THE RII MECH THAT CAME IN ON THE ZZZ1 FLT AND HAD HIM STAY AND LOOK AT THE CONE BOLT AND CRUSHABLE HONEYCOMB ALSO. HE ALSO FELT IT WAS OK. I ALSO PULLED UP THE ENG INSTALL WORK CARD Y AND LOOKED TO SEE THAT THERE WAS NO GAP MEASUREMENTS OR ANY KIND OF INFO AT ALL ABOUT A GAP BEING THERE. I FOUND NOTHING AND WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE ANYTHING IN THE MAINT MANUAL. THE MECH ASSIGNED TO THE FLT STILL REFUSED TO SIGN OFF THE ACFT. ANOTHER MECH CAME FORWARD AND VOLUNTEERED TO SIGN OFF THE WRITE-UP AND I AGREED. I RECONFIRMED WITH BOTH MAINT CTL AND TECHNICAL SVCS AGAIN THAT I HAD DONE ALL THAT I NEEDED TO DO TO ENSURE AN AIRWORTHY SIGNOFF AND THAT THEY ALSO FELT IT WAS OK TO SIGN OFF. THE SUPVR CAME IN TO WORK AS I WAS FINISHING SIGNING THE ACFT OFF AND I STOPPED AND TOOK THE TIME TO TELL HIM WHAT WAS WRONG AND I SHOWED HIM WHAT TECHNICAL SVCS AND MAINT CTL HAD REQUESTED I DO. HE FELT THAT ALL OUR BASES WERE COVERED AND THAT I HAD DONE EVERYTHING PROPERLY. HE STATED THAT SINCE IT WAS COMING RIGHT BACK AS AN OVERNIGHTER, HE WOULD HAVE NEXT SHIFT PERSONNEL LOOK AT IT CLOSER IF THAT WAS SOMETHING I FELT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE. BUT AGAIN, HE FELT WE HAD DONE ALL THAT WE NEEDED TO DO TO ENSURE A SAFE CONDITION. I SAID NO, THAT I FELT IT WAS SAFE, I WAS JUST WORRIED ABOUT MY SIGNOFF BEING COMPLETE ENOUGH. THE LAST THING I ASKED MAINT CTL IS IF I NEEDED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT GAP AND THEY SAID NO. THE ACFT WAS SIGNED OFF AND RELEASED FOR 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.