Narrative:

Ship xyz on mar/xa/99, after completion of job card xx on #1 engine, thrust reverser bypass pin was not removed. Aircraft completed 1 flight to XXX, flight xwx, and the thrust reverser did not deploy. On mar/xa/99, I was mechanic in charge and arrived at work at XB00. I was informed of an investigation by security and that all personnel would be interviewed. The original mechanic assigned to work ship abc was suspended and sent home after his interview, which left no personnel assigned to the aircraft. Another mechanic was then assigned to work the aircraft. I continued to work as mechanic in charge, and work on ship abc. I finished my duties on ship abc and relieved the mechanic on ship xyz because he was on overtime. Another mechanic was also assisting him, I relieved the second mechanic also, because he was on light duty. The major contributing factors to this incident are that security and the regional director were interviewing all the station personnel on a very serious issue. Because of the interviews, there was a lot of manpower movement from plane to plane to cover during each mechanic's interview. Due to the severity of the subject matter during the interviews, all maintenance personnel were distraction, which made it very difficult to concentrate on the duties at hand. The details on the interviews became the focus of the shift with the mechanics. Callback conversation with the reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the job was to blow out the electronic engine control pressure bleed sense line and they believed it was necessary to open the thrust reverser to gain access to the line. The reporter said opening the thrust reverser was not required and the job card did not have any directive to open the thrust reverser. The reporter stated the work shift was disrupted by an investigation the company was conducting and mechanics were shifted from job to job with little or no turnover writeups on the work in progress. The reporter said no writeup was made on the bypass pin installed on #1 engine and the job card had no directive to remove the pin, so it was not removed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD90 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE #1 THRUST REVERSER BYPASS PIN NOT REMOVED. #1 THRUST REVERSER DID NOT DEPLOY ON LNDG AT XXX.

Narrative: SHIP XYZ ON MAR/XA/99, AFTER COMPLETION OF JOB CARD XX ON #1 ENG, THRUST REVERSER BYPASS PIN WAS NOT REMOVED. ACFT COMPLETED 1 FLT TO XXX, FLT XWX, AND THE THRUST REVERSER DID NOT DEPLOY. ON MAR/XA/99, I WAS MECH IN CHARGE AND ARRIVED AT WORK AT XB00. I WAS INFORMED OF AN INVESTIGATION BY SECURITY AND THAT ALL PERSONNEL WOULD BE INTERVIEWED. THE ORIGINAL MECH ASSIGNED TO WORK SHIP ABC WAS SUSPENDED AND SENT HOME AFTER HIS INTERVIEW, WHICH LEFT NO PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO THE ACFT. ANOTHER MECH WAS THEN ASSIGNED TO WORK THE ACFT. I CONTINUED TO WORK AS MECH IN CHARGE, AND WORK ON SHIP ABC. I FINISHED MY DUTIES ON SHIP ABC AND RELIEVED THE MECH ON SHIP XYZ BECAUSE HE WAS ON OVERTIME. ANOTHER MECH WAS ALSO ASSISTING HIM, I RELIEVED THE SECOND MECH ALSO, BECAUSE HE WAS ON LIGHT DUTY. THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS INCIDENT ARE THAT SECURITY AND THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR WERE INTERVIEWING ALL THE STATION PERSONNEL ON A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. BECAUSE OF THE INTERVIEWS, THERE WAS A LOT OF MANPOWER MOVEMENT FROM PLANE TO PLANE TO COVER DURING EACH MECH'S INTERVIEW. DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE SUBJECT MATTER DURING THE INTERVIEWS, ALL MAINT PERSONNEL WERE DISTR, WHICH MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CONCENTRATE ON THE DUTIES AT HAND. THE DETAILS ON THE INTERVIEWS BECAME THE FOCUS OF THE SHIFT WITH THE MECHS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE JOB WAS TO BLOW OUT THE ELECTRONIC ENG CTL PRESSURE BLEED SENSE LINE AND THEY BELIEVED IT WAS NECESSARY TO OPEN THE THRUST REVERSER TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE LINE. THE RPTR SAID OPENING THE THRUST REVERSER WAS NOT REQUIRED AND THE JOB CARD DID NOT HAVE ANY DIRECTIVE TO OPEN THE THRUST REVERSER. THE RPTR STATED THE WORK SHIFT WAS DISRUPTED BY AN INVESTIGATION THE COMPANY WAS CONDUCTING AND MECHS WERE SHIFTED FROM JOB TO JOB WITH LITTLE OR NO TURNOVER WRITEUPS ON THE WORK IN PROGRESS. THE RPTR SAID NO WRITEUP WAS MADE ON THE BYPASS PIN INSTALLED ON #1 ENG AND THE JOB CARD HAD NO DIRECTIVE TO REMOVE THE PIN, SO IT WAS NOT REMOVED.

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.