Narrative:

Aircraft came in for tail skid damage. Upon inspection, found aft pressure bulkhead buckled and forward and aft pressure chord sections were damaged. After that repair was completed we started on the skin doublers forward and aft of station 1720. Initially the forward doubler was made by our shift out of .063 2024-T3 aluminum. A few days later the .063 doubler was scrapped and the decision was made by another shift to install a .100 2024-T3 doubler. The forward doubler that was made we felt was too thick, being at .100 and not per structural repair manual 53-00-01. The doubler was installed on a previous shift and when we came in, we expressed our concern on the gap of approximately .040 between fuselage skin and doubler to our lead and team coordinator (mr X). We felt this wasn't acceptable per gn-MM 1-0-8-3. Team coordinator said to the lead, 'seal the edges and let's get the airplane out.' we felt pressure from mr X to document our work on the back of the write-up. We didn't feel comfortable with this because we didn't think the repair was per gn-MM and structural repair manual. Upon inspection of the repair, the inspector on second shift wrote up the gap that we were concerned with. The next morning when we came in there was a row of hi-loks on each side of the doubler closing the gap to within limits. The day shift mechanics felt the doubler should have been removed and replaced with the correct gauge of sheet metal installed, however, we felt disciplinary action would have been taken against us if we had corrected the problem.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MECHS REPAIRING AFT PRESSURE BULKHEAD INITIALLY MADE DOUBLERS OF .063 2024-T3 ALUMINUM. ANOTHER SHIFT MADE DOUBLERS OF HEAVIER MATERIAL AND INSTALLED IT, BUT WITH A .040 GAP BTWN THE FUSELAGE SKIN AND DOUBLER. MECH'S LEAD PRESSURED THEM TO SIGN OFF THE REPAIR AND THEY REFUSED. THE REPAIR WAS THEN MITIGATED WITH ROW OF HI- LOKS TO MAKE GAP WITHIN LIMITS.

Narrative: ACFT CAME IN FOR TAIL SKID DAMAGE. UPON INSPECTION, FOUND AFT PRESSURE BULKHEAD BUCKLED AND FORWARD AND AFT PRESSURE CHORD SECTIONS WERE DAMAGED. AFTER THAT REPAIR WAS COMPLETED WE STARTED ON THE SKIN DOUBLERS FORWARD AND AFT OF STATION 1720. INITIALLY THE FORWARD DOUBLER WAS MADE BY OUR SHIFT OUT OF .063 2024-T3 ALUMINUM. A FEW DAYS LATER THE .063 DOUBLER WAS SCRAPPED AND THE DECISION WAS MADE BY ANOTHER SHIFT TO INSTALL A .100 2024-T3 DOUBLER. THE FORWARD DOUBLER THAT WAS MADE WE FELT WAS TOO THICK, BEING AT .100 AND NOT PER STRUCTURAL REPAIR MANUAL 53-00-01. THE DOUBLER WAS INSTALLED ON A PREVIOUS SHIFT AND WHEN WE CAME IN, WE EXPRESSED OUR CONCERN ON THE GAP OF APPROX .040 BTWN FUSELAGE SKIN AND DOUBLER TO OUR LEAD AND TEAM COORDINATOR (MR X). WE FELT THIS WASN'T ACCEPTABLE PER GN-MM 1-0-8-3. TEAM COORDINATOR SAID TO THE LEAD, 'SEAL THE EDGES AND LET'S GET THE AIRPLANE OUT.' WE FELT PRESSURE FROM MR X TO DOCUMENT OUR WORK ON THE BACK OF THE WRITE-UP. WE DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THIS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T THINK THE REPAIR WAS PER GN-MM AND STRUCTURAL REPAIR MANUAL. UPON INSPECTION OF THE REPAIR, THE INSPECTOR ON SECOND SHIFT WROTE UP THE GAP THAT WE WERE CONCERNED WITH. THE NEXT MORNING WHEN WE CAME IN THERE WAS A ROW OF HI-LOKS ON EACH SIDE OF THE DOUBLER CLOSING THE GAP TO WITHIN LIMITS. THE DAY SHIFT MECHS FELT THE DOUBLER SHOULD HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH THE CORRECT GAUGE OF SHEET METAL INSTALLED, HOWEVER, WE FELT DISCIPLINARY ACTION WOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN AGAINST US IF WE HAD CORRECTED THE PROB.

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.