A mechanic describes his concerns about his carrier's parts compatibility system allowing two differ...

Narrative:

The fuel management panel installed in a B767-200 needed replacing. That part number crosses in our parts compatibility system to a different number. When this part was ordered; a manufacturer part number (mpn) of the part received; was not effective for that B767-200 aircraft. If it weren't for the mechanic researching the part interchangeability; the wrong part would have been installed in the aircraft. The problem is that these two manufacturer part numbers should not have the same company part number. This can cause wrong parts to be installed in the wrong aircraft and makes ordering the proper part; by chance only.our parts compatibility system is a disaster waiting to happen. This is just one of many problems with the system that never seems to get fixed; and it puts all the responsibility on the mechanics. The mechanic kept ordering the part until the proper effective part was finally received. No part was available; so they ended up having to rob a part out of an aircraft with the known same effectivity.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Mechanic describes his concerns about his carrier's parts compatibility system allowing two different manufacturer part numbers for a B767-200 fuel management panel (FMP); to have the same company part number.

Narrative: The fuel management panel installed in a B767-200 needed replacing. That part number crosses in our parts compatibility system to a different number. When this part was ordered; a manufacturer part number (MPN) of the part received; was not effective for that B767-200 aircraft. If it weren't for the Mechanic researching the part interchangeability; the wrong part would have been installed in the aircraft. The problem is that these two manufacturer part numbers should not have the same company part number. This can cause wrong parts to be installed in the wrong aircraft and makes ordering the proper part; by chance only.Our parts compatibility system is a disaster waiting to happen. This is just one of many problems with the system that never seems to get fixed; and it puts all the responsibility on the mechanics. The Mechanic kept ordering the part until the proper effective part was finally received. No part was available; so they ended up having to rob a part out of an aircraft with the known same effectivity.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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	837420
Time
Date	200905
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B767-200
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Parked
Component
Aircraft Component	Fuel Distribution System
Person 1
Function	Technician
Qualification	Maintenance Airframe Maintenance Powerplant
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy

A mechanic describes his concerns about his carrier's parts compatibility system allowing two different manufacturer part numbers for a B767-200 fuel management panel (fmp); to have the same company part number.