A B737-400 with a report of door L2 handle raising in-flight was evaluated by technicians and lead t...

Narrative:

ACARS report prior to arrival of aircraft said door handle raising out of handle down position during flight. Checked history; nothing since may 2005. Looked up 'soft latching' section of maintenance manual for reference and review. It was decided that I would take the role of inspector for this project. The aircraft arrived on station at approximately XA00. I was on the aircraft at approximately XA15 after catering complete. When I arrived on the aircraft; I performed a visual and operational evaluation of the door. Aircraft technician had already observed looseness in the upper guide arm and associated attaching hardware; evidence of component misalignment in the lower hinge area and 'sagging' of the door as it approached the closing position. The door handle did not exhibit the familiar soft latching characteristics as the door handle clunked firmly to latch as the rollers went over center in the door frame fittings. In addition; the door opened with a higher than usual amount of effort as compared with the other 3 doors in the aircraft; which in my mind disqualified it from being a soft latching problem. However; it was not clear as to what exactly was causing the problem. We pressurized the aircraft. I was on the outside so I have no firsthand knowledge of what occurred. I was told the door handle crept up from the handle full down position; verifying the initial squawk. The swing shift lead aircraft technician came out to the aircraft to see what was going on. We were all speaking with each other in terms of what we thought the actual problem was. I felt the looseness of the rod end and associated hardware connected to the upper guide area would be the place to start. My partner felt that there was need for replacement of this and other lower door hinge components. He is a highly skilled and dedicated professional and I had to agree with him that there was a lot of movement in the upper hinge area. He clearly felt component replacement was the way to go; called maintenance control and outlined what he saw. I expressed to lead technician that I would recommend we address the specific condition of the guide arm hardware and if found to just need tightening we could have an up aircraft. In my view; this was an 'in service' door and some component wear was to be expected. Only opening things up would tell the true story; and if component replacement was needed then extended ground time would be necessary. So there we were; 2 differing points of view as to what the correct corrective action to take; shift turnover in progress; and maintenance control wanting an update. By this time it was approaching XB30 and time to hand it off to swing shift. Up to this point; to my knowledge; no clear path to effecting a repair had been reached. I did not document any of the work performed to that point. I placed the soft latching maintenance manual reference; the ACARS message; and the history page in the logbook and began to dress down.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 WITH A RPT OF DOOR L2 HANDLE RAISING INFLT WAS EVALUATED BY TECHNICIANS AND LEAD TECHNICIAN. NO CLR FIX WAS DETERMINED. NO DOCUMENTATION OF TESTS OR TROUBLESHOOTING ACTION TAKEN WAS INITIATED.

Narrative: ACARS RPT PRIOR TO ARR OF ACFT SAID DOOR HANDLE RAISING OUT OF HANDLE DOWN POS DURING FLT. CHKED HISTORY; NOTHING SINCE MAY 2005. LOOKED UP 'SOFT LATCHING' SECTION OF MAINT MANUAL FOR REF AND REVIEW. IT WAS DECIDED THAT I WOULD TAKE THE ROLE OF INSPECTOR FOR THIS PROJECT. THE ACFT ARRIVED ON STATION AT APPROX XA00. I WAS ON THE ACFT AT APPROX XA15 AFTER CATERING COMPLETE. WHEN I ARRIVED ON THE ACFT; I PERFORMED A VISUAL AND OPERATIONAL EVALUATION OF THE DOOR. ACFT TECHNICIAN HAD ALREADY OBSERVED LOOSENESS IN THE UPPER GUIDE ARM AND ASSOCIATED ATTACHING HARDWARE; EVIDENCE OF COMPONENT MISALIGNMENT IN THE LOWER HINGE AREA AND 'SAGGING' OF THE DOOR AS IT APCHED THE CLOSING POS. THE DOOR HANDLE DID NOT EXHIBIT THE FAMILIAR SOFT LATCHING CHARACTERISTICS AS THE DOOR HANDLE CLUNKED FIRMLY TO LATCH AS THE ROLLERS WENT OVER CTR IN THE DOOR FRAME FITTINGS. IN ADDITION; THE DOOR OPENED WITH A HIGHER THAN USUAL AMOUNT OF EFFORT AS COMPARED WITH THE OTHER 3 DOORS IN THE ACFT; WHICH IN MY MIND DISQUALIFIED IT FROM BEING A SOFT LATCHING PROB. HOWEVER; IT WAS NOT CLR AS TO WHAT EXACTLY WAS CAUSING THE PROB. WE PRESSURIZED THE ACFT. I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE SO I HAVE NO FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT OCCURRED. I WAS TOLD THE DOOR HANDLE CREPT UP FROM THE HANDLE FULL DOWN POS; VERIFYING THE INITIAL SQUAWK. THE SWING SHIFT LEAD ACFT TECHNICIAN CAME OUT TO THE ACFT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. WE WERE ALL SPEAKING WITH EACH OTHER IN TERMS OF WHAT WE THOUGHT THE ACTUAL PROB WAS. I FELT THE LOOSENESS OF THE ROD END AND ASSOCIATED HARDWARE CONNECTED TO THE UPPER GUIDE AREA WOULD BE THE PLACE TO START. MY PARTNER FELT THAT THERE WAS NEED FOR REPLACEMENT OF THIS AND OTHER LOWER DOOR HINGE COMPONENTS. HE IS A HIGHLY SKILLED AND DEDICATED PROFESSIONAL AND I HAD TO AGREE WITH HIM THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF MOVEMENT IN THE UPPER HINGE AREA. HE CLRLY FELT COMPONENT REPLACEMENT WAS THE WAY TO GO; CALLED MAINT CTL AND OUTLINED WHAT HE SAW. I EXPRESSED TO LEAD TECHNICIAN THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND WE ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC CONDITION OF THE GUIDE ARM HARDWARE AND IF FOUND TO JUST NEED TIGHTENING WE COULD HAVE AN UP ACFT. IN MY VIEW; THIS WAS AN 'IN SVC' DOOR AND SOME COMPONENT WEAR WAS TO BE EXPECTED. ONLY OPENING THINGS UP WOULD TELL THE TRUE STORY; AND IF COMPONENT REPLACEMENT WAS NEEDED THEN EXTENDED GND TIME WOULD BE NECESSARY. SO THERE WE WERE; 2 DIFFERING POINTS OF VIEW AS TO WHAT THE CORRECT CORRECTIVE ACTION TO TAKE; SHIFT TURNOVER IN PROGRESS; AND MAINT CTL WANTING AN UPDATE. BY THIS TIME IT WAS APCHING XB30 AND TIME TO HAND IT OFF TO SWING SHIFT. UP TO THIS POINT; TO MY KNOWLEDGE; NO CLR PATH TO EFFECTING A REPAIR HAD BEEN REACHED. I DID NOT DOCUMENT ANY OF THE WORK PERFORMED TO THAT POINT. I PLACED THE SOFT LATCHING MAINT MANUAL REF; THE ACARS MESSAGE; AND THE HISTORY PAGE IN THE LOGBOOK AND BEGAN TO DRESS DOWN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.

Attributes
ACN	683105
Time
Date	200601
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : mia.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : maintenance
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
ASRS Report	683105
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	maintenance : lead technician
ASRS Report	683104
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical maintenance problem : improper documentation non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : l2 door handle movement other other : 1
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	other Other
Factors
Maintenance	performance deficiency : fault isolation performance deficiency : non compliance with legal requirements performance deficiency : repair performance deficiency : logbook entry
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Maintenance Human Performance Aircraft Chart Or Publication
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

A B737-400 with a report of door L2 handle raising in-flight was evaluated by technicians and lead technician. No clear fix was determined. No documentation of tests or troubleshooting action taken was initiated.