A line mechanic reports the tail cone on a B737-800 aircraft was damaged by a lift truck platform wh...

Narrative:

I was assigned to work on a B737-800 aircraft. I was performing the elevator hinge inspection workcard. I needed a [personnel] lift to perform the job and could not find a smaller lift. I had to use the larger lift truck which had a platform that covered both sides of the elevator access hinge panels. Upon completion; I was operating the same switch on the lift truck; which I used to lower the outriggers. I was on my knees to watch the outriggers retract. I heard a cracking sound and immediately released the switch. I walked around the work area and discovered that the platform had raised up and struck the tail cone of the aircraft. I had no formal training on this equipment and was mislead by the labeling of the controls of the outriggers and platform. This lift truck was different from the smaller lift trucks in that; the outriggers on the smaller lifts had a separate switch that controlled the outriggers only. This larger lift that was in use had a switch that operated both the platform and the outriggers.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Line Mechanic reports the tail cone on a B737-800 aircraft was damaged by a lift truck platform while he was attempting to retract the truck's outriggers.

Narrative: I was assigned to work on a B737-800 aircraft. I was performing the Elevator Hinge Inspection Workcard. I needed a [personnel] lift to perform the job and could not find a smaller lift. I had to use the larger lift truck which had a platform that covered both sides of the elevator access hinge panels. Upon completion; I was operating the same switch on the lift truck; which I used to lower the outriggers. I was on my knees to watch the outriggers retract. I heard a cracking sound and immediately released the switch. I walked around the work area and discovered that the platform had raised up and struck the tail cone of the aircraft. I had no formal training on this equipment and was mislead by the labeling of the controls of the outriggers and platform. This lift truck was different from the smaller lift trucks in that; the outriggers on the smaller lifts had a separate switch that controlled the outriggers only. This larger lift that was in use had a switch that operated both the platform and the outriggers.

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	971671
Time
Date	201108
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737-800
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Parked
Component
Aircraft Component	Fuselage Tail Cone
Person 1
Function	Technician
Qualification	Maintenance Powerplant
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy

A line mechanic reports the tail cone on a B737-800 aircraft was damaged by a lift truck platform while he was attempting to retract the truck's outriggers.