Narrative:

August 2011; repairs began at an aircraft structures repair station in ZZZ4; on the bottom structure of the right wing [of a cessna 177RG]. We had [recently] learned from mechanic a; at ZZZ3 aircraft repair station; that we may have been flying an unairworthy and more importantly unsafe aircraft. Mechanic a; was inspecting our plane because we had asked him to provide another opinion after another mechanic X [in ZZZ] had placed a patch on the right wing. We had flown the aircraft; as previously scheduled; from ZZZ to ZZZ2 and then finally to ZZZ3 in july. We flew the aircraft because mechanic X in ZZZ informed us that the aircraft was safe. Mechanic X had completed the annual and made logbook entries dated july 2011. In august; the aircraft was ferried via permit to ZZZ4 from ZZZ3; to have it's wing repair completed by a structures expert at a repair station in ZZZ4. Mechanic Y [in ZZZ4]; stated that the aircraft was not airworthy and that the rib was severely damaged; contrary to what mechanic X in ZZZ and his colleague; mechanic Z; from ZZZ1 aviation had stated. The aircraft's wing subsequently has been repaired and the aircraft is now airworthy; four days later in ZZZ4. Synopsis of events:annual inspection process was started in july and due thirty days later. Mechanic X in ZZZ; conducted annual with the assistance of aircraft owners a and B. July xa. Despite expressed concerns from owner B; the aircraft slipped off mechanic X's wheeled jacks; thereby puncturing an approximately 4' inch hole in right wing. With respect to the structural damage; mechanic X indicated his lack of experience and enlisted the opinion of mechanic Z from ZZZ1 aviation. July xb. Mechanic Z offered the following comments; nothing serious; just put some speed tape on it and fly her wherever you want; the rib ain't damaged; just the skin. July xc . Began searching for repair shops as mechanic X (ZZZ) indicated that he was not qualified to repair the aircraft. ZZZ1 aviation refused to do the wing repair. Owners a and B subsequently schedule the wing repair to be done at ZZZ3 aircraft repairs. This is a shop that we consider to be reputable and we wanted to ensure we had the best mechanics to complete the repair.july xe. Flew to ZZZ2 and than into ZZZ3; as the aircraft was still in its effective annual period; and knowing that mechanic X in ZZZ; had completed the most recent annual inspection. Mechanic X still had our logbooks in his possession and therefore we could not confirm that he had made an appropriate logbook entry and therefore we made every conscientious effort to arrive before the thirty days; in the event that mechanic X had not singed-off the logbooks yet. July xf. Delivery of aircraft to ZZZ3 aviation and the aircraft did not fly until approved by their mechanics and the FAA. August xa - mechanic a [in ZZZ3] stated the aircraft has rib damage and most indeed was not airworthy and in addition was probably not safe for continued flight. Mechanic a further evaluated the aircraft and decided that the repair should be done by an aircraft structures specialist. Mechanic a arranged a flight permit to take the aircraft to ZZZ4 structures repair station. Mechanic X; ZZZ; had been traveling and was unable to forward us a copy of his logbook entries until august xb; at which time we noticed that he signed-off the annual as of july xd. Subsequent review indicates that mechanic X logbook entry of july xd; is inappropriate because of the wing damage. Furthermore; on that date the aircraft was still disassembled and the magnetos were still being overhauled at a repair shop.august xc. Wing repair completed and aircraft deemed to be safe and airworthy with all required paperwork completed by mechanic Y in ZZZ4. Lessons learned: we have learned that there are varying degrees of competency levels amongst mechanics. While performing owner-assisted inspections; unsafe procedures must be stopped if any of the participants feel at risk even if the mechanic is comfortable. Avoidance of serious damage and bodily injury must be the first priority.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A private pilot and a Flight Instructor report about flying a Cessna C177-RG with a four inch hole in the wing that was damaged during an Annual Inspection and taped over with Speed tape; no sign-off for the Annual Inspection and no Logbook or Maintenance Release verifying aircraft's airworthiness.

Narrative: August 2011; repairs began at an Aircraft Structures Repair Station in ZZZ4; on the bottom structure of the right wing [of a Cessna 177RG]. We had [recently] learned from Mechanic A; at ZZZ3 Aircraft Repair Station; that we may have been flying an unairworthy and more importantly unsafe aircraft. Mechanic A; was inspecting our plane because we had asked him to provide another opinion after another Mechanic X [in ZZZ] had placed a patch on the right wing. We had flown the aircraft; as previously scheduled; from ZZZ to ZZZ2 and then finally to ZZZ3 in July. We flew the aircraft because Mechanic X in ZZZ informed us that the aircraft was safe. Mechanic X had completed the Annual and made Logbook entries dated July 2011. In August; the aircraft was ferried via Permit to ZZZ4 from ZZZ3; to have it's wing repair completed by a structures expert at a Repair Station in ZZZ4. Mechanic Y [in ZZZ4]; stated that the aircraft was not airworthy and that the rib was severely damaged; contrary to what Mechanic X in ZZZ and his colleague; Mechanic Z; from ZZZ1 Aviation had stated. The aircraft's wing subsequently has been repaired and the aircraft is now airworthy; four days later in ZZZ4. Synopsis of events:Annual inspection process was started in July and due thirty days later. Mechanic X in ZZZ; conducted Annual with the assistance of aircraft Owners A and B. July XA. Despite expressed concerns from Owner B; the aircraft slipped off Mechanic X's wheeled jacks; thereby puncturing an approximately 4' inch hole in right wing. With respect to the structural damage; Mechanic X indicated his lack of experience and enlisted the opinion of Mechanic Z from ZZZ1 Aviation. July XB. Mechanic Z offered the following comments; nothing serious; just put some Speed tape on it and fly her wherever you want; the rib ain't damaged; just the skin. July XC . Began searching for repair shops as Mechanic X (ZZZ) indicated that he was not qualified to repair the aircraft. ZZZ1 Aviation refused to do the wing repair. Owners A and B subsequently schedule the wing repair to be done at ZZZ3 Aircraft Repairs. This is a shop that we consider to be reputable and we wanted to ensure we had the best mechanics to complete the repair.July XE. Flew to ZZZ2 and than into ZZZ3; as the aircraft was still in its effective Annual period; and knowing that Mechanic X in ZZZ; had completed the most recent Annual Inspection. Mechanic X still had our Logbooks in his possession and therefore we could not confirm that he had made an appropriate Logbook entry and therefore we made every conscientious effort to arrive before the thirty days; in the event that Mechanic X had not singed-off the Logbooks yet. July XF. Delivery of aircraft to ZZZ3 Aviation and the aircraft did not fly until approved by their mechanics and the FAA. August XA - Mechanic A [in ZZZ3] stated the aircraft has rib damage and most indeed was not airworthy and in addition was probably not safe for continued flight. Mechanic A further evaluated the aircraft and decided that the repair should be done by an aircraft structures specialist. Mechanic A arranged a Flight Permit to take the aircraft to ZZZ4 Structures Repair Station. Mechanic X; ZZZ; had been traveling and was unable to forward us a copy of his Logbook entries until August XB; at which time we noticed that he signed-off the Annual as of July XD. Subsequent review indicates that Mechanic X Logbook entry of July XD; is inappropriate because of the wing damage. Furthermore; on that date the aircraft was still disassembled and the magnetos were still being overhauled at a repair shop.August XC. Wing repair completed and aircraft deemed to be safe and airworthy with all required paperwork completed by Mechanic Y in ZZZ4. Lessons learned: We have learned that there are varying degrees of competency levels amongst mechanics. While performing owner-assisted inspections; unsafe procedures must be stopped if any of the participants feel at risk even if the Mechanic is comfortable. Avoidance of serious damage and bodily injury must be the first priority.

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.