Narrative:

Aircraft arrived at gate, I accomplished my normal walkaround and noticed the left nose tire had 8-12 inches of cord showing. Normal procedures is, call your lead from the phone on jetway. I couldn't get a hold of my lead by phone or radio, so I had to walk quite a ways to get the tire, jack, torque wrench and socket. At this time I couldn't find an axle jack that is normally kept in a locker. So I rolled the tire to my gate because there wasn't a truck to haul it in. (Normally that is what the lead mechanic does.) got to the gate and started removing the splash guard off of left side and my lead pulled up in the truck. I told him I needed a jack so he had to drive to the other terminal to get one. He returned, I jacked up the nose and noticed the right tire after it was up that it had a bad spot that was on the bottom previously. At this time, my lead had left and another mechanic came over from another gate and asked if I needed any help. He volunteered to get another tire. I pulled the left tire off and had the new going on when I noticed it was an MD80 tire assembly. I stopped and mentioned to the other mechanic what was going on and I said that I remember a training bulletin that had came out that an MD80 tire can be used on a DC9 but not reversed. So he asked me if I would like him to go up to the jetway and call maintenance control. So he did. He confirmed what I had said. So I finished up the job, replacing the right nose tire also. Made my 2 logbook entries for the tires and entered my daily check. Launched the aircraft and decided to call maintenance control myself. Told him what had happened and I asked if the nose tires could be mixed, 1 DC9, 1 MD80. He says that's a gray area. It doesn't say if you can or can't. By this time the aircraft was gone. Backing up a little, before the aircraft had left the gate I had gone into the maintenance area where our manuals are on tape only to find out the tape machine was broken. (Gate xb maintenance area.) I went to maintenance area at gate xa, put the tape in the machine only to find out that there wasn't any tape in the case. I reported the tape missing to the secretary. Other mechanics told me the tape reader/printer at xx has been broken for months and the company just won't have it fixed. I am filing this because to this date I still don't know if the nose tires can be mixed. I guess, time was the major factor when I thought about changing the left tire again and installing a DC9 tire assembly. As it was I barely met departure time. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter states at the present time no manual change has been made. No bulletins have been issued and no verbal instructions given to allow DC9 and MD80 nosewheel and tire intermix. The reporter stated the tires are different in the number of plies and inflation pressure. The reporter said when the maintenance controller was asked for a decision on the tire intermix the answer was 'it's a gray area.' the reporter said the situation on the maintenance manual tapes and reader-printers has not changed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC9 WAS DISPATCHED WITH 1 DC9 NOSE GEAR TIRE AND 1 MD80 TIRE INSTALLED WITH NO MAINT MANUAL REF TO ALLOW THE COMBINATION.

Narrative: ACFT ARRIVED AT GATE, I ACCOMPLISHED MY NORMAL WALKAROUND AND NOTICED THE L NOSE TIRE HAD 8-12 INCHES OF CORD SHOWING. NORMAL PROCS IS, CALL YOUR LEAD FROM THE PHONE ON JETWAY. I COULDN'T GET A HOLD OF MY LEAD BY PHONE OR RADIO, SO I HAD TO WALK QUITE A WAYS TO GET THE TIRE, JACK, TORQUE WRENCH AND SOCKET. AT THIS TIME I COULDN'T FIND AN AXLE JACK THAT IS NORMALLY KEPT IN A LOCKER. SO I ROLLED THE TIRE TO MY GATE BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A TRUCK TO HAUL IT IN. (NORMALLY THAT IS WHAT THE LEAD MECH DOES.) GOT TO THE GATE AND STARTED REMOVING THE SPLASH GUARD OFF OF L SIDE AND MY LEAD PULLED UP IN THE TRUCK. I TOLD HIM I NEEDED A JACK SO HE HAD TO DRIVE TO THE OTHER TERMINAL TO GET ONE. HE RETURNED, I JACKED UP THE NOSE AND NOTICED THE R TIRE AFTER IT WAS UP THAT IT HAD A BAD SPOT THAT WAS ON THE BOTTOM PREVIOUSLY. AT THIS TIME, MY LEAD HAD LEFT AND ANOTHER MECH CAME OVER FROM ANOTHER GATE AND ASKED IF I NEEDED ANY HELP. HE VOLUNTEERED TO GET ANOTHER TIRE. I PULLED THE L TIRE OFF AND HAD THE NEW GOING ON WHEN I NOTICED IT WAS AN MD80 TIRE ASSEMBLY. I STOPPED AND MENTIONED TO THE OTHER MECH WHAT WAS GOING ON AND I SAID THAT I REMEMBER A TRAINING BULLETIN THAT HAD CAME OUT THAT AN MD80 TIRE CAN BE USED ON A DC9 BUT NOT REVERSED. SO HE ASKED ME IF I WOULD LIKE HIM TO GO UP TO THE JETWAY AND CALL MAINT CTL. SO HE DID. HE CONFIRMED WHAT I HAD SAID. SO I FINISHED UP THE JOB, REPLACING THE R NOSE TIRE ALSO. MADE MY 2 LOGBOOK ENTRIES FOR THE TIRES AND ENTERED MY DAILY CHK. LAUNCHED THE ACFT AND DECIDED TO CALL MAINT CTL MYSELF. TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND I ASKED IF THE NOSE TIRES COULD BE MIXED, 1 DC9, 1 MD80. HE SAYS THAT'S A GRAY AREA. IT DOESN'T SAY IF YOU CAN OR CAN'T. BY THIS TIME THE ACFT WAS GONE. BACKING UP A LITTLE, BEFORE THE ACFT HAD LEFT THE GATE I HAD GONE INTO THE MAINT AREA WHERE OUR MANUALS ARE ON TAPE ONLY TO FIND OUT THE TAPE MACHINE WAS BROKEN. (GATE XB MAINT AREA.) I WENT TO MAINT AREA AT GATE XA, PUT THE TAPE IN THE MACHINE ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THERE WASN'T ANY TAPE IN THE CASE. I RPTED THE TAPE MISSING TO THE SECRETARY. OTHER MECHS TOLD ME THE TAPE READER/PRINTER AT XX HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR MONTHS AND THE COMPANY JUST WON'T HAVE IT FIXED. I AM FILING THIS BECAUSE TO THIS DATE I STILL DON'T KNOW IF THE NOSE TIRES CAN BE MIXED. I GUESS, TIME WAS THE MAJOR FACTOR WHEN I THOUGHT ABOUT CHANGING THE L TIRE AGAIN AND INSTALLING A DC9 TIRE ASSEMBLY. AS IT WAS I BARELY MET DEP TIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATES AT THE PRESENT TIME NO MANUAL CHANGE HAS BEEN MADE. NO BULLETINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED AND NO VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO ALLOW DC9 AND MD80 NOSEWHEEL AND TIRE INTERMIX. THE RPTR STATED THE TIRES ARE DIFFERENT IN THE NUMBER OF PLIES AND INFLATION PRESSURE. THE RPTR SAID WHEN THE MAINT CTLR WAS ASKED FOR A DECISION ON THE TIRE INTERMIX THE ANSWER WAS 'IT'S A GRAY AREA.' THE RPTR SAID THE SIT ON THE MAINT MANUAL TAPES AND READER-PRINTERS HAS NOT CHANGED.

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.