Narrative:

A discrepancy concerning the aileron system becoming hard to actuate (such as that it is in manual reversion or actuated by cable instead of hydraulically) either direction while in descent, with the flaps and gear down (in landing confign) had become a repeat discrepancy. It was noticed by maintenance control that this item was only written up by the same captain, but had been flown by multiple other capts with no such reports of any aileron problems. Also noted by maintenance control was the fact that this aircraft had a prior incident where a cable on the spoiler system had broken, of which this same captain was flying. At that time, a fleet campaign directive was issued, which resulted in no other discrepancies of any of the fleet's aircraft. Upon another squawk of the ailerons being hard to actuate in descent by the same captain again, maintenance control then felt the need to have a thorough inspection of the aileron system be performed, after which a check crew would test fly the aircraft to duplicate this discrepancy if no defects were found. My supervisor performed this inspection, and no defects were found. After arrival of the check airmen for the test flight, the flight engineer's preflight inspection revealed a cotter pin at the aileron/spoiler mixer assembly, chaffing against the frame of this assembly. This area was painted red by supervisor for unknown reasons. On jan/sat/02 at around XA00Z, I was asked by my supervisor to right&right this cotter pin. I did this installation in the normal confign of installing a cotter pin, one portion bent over the bolt, and one bent over the castle nut. Upon having the captain check the ailerons for stiffness or obstructions, a small bump was felt in the yoke while actuating the flight control surfaces. One problem was the fact that when the ailerons are tested on just the hydraulic power on the auxiliary pump (as was the case here), if they are turned too quickly, they will come in and out of manual reversion, due to the lack of flow. The check captain assured me that this was not what he was feeling. Upon inspection of the installed cotter pin, it was found that the clearance was not enough to allow the cotter pin to be installed in the normal confign. I then used the alternate method of installing the cotter pin through the bolt and around the castellated nut. After having the check captain retry actuating the ailerons through, he found that the bump was no longer present. I then was prepared to sign off the installation of the cutter pin, but was uncomfortable signing off the operations check of the ailerons without an rii. I myself am rii qualified in air traffic area 27, and I considered this to be a safety of flight item, as this could clearly limit the actuation of the aileron flight control surfaces due to possible obstruction. After speaking to my supervisor about this situation, he assured me that there was no need for the rii. The item was then signed off with the installation of the cotter pin, and an operations check of the aileron flight control surfaces, with no other defects noted, by myself. Pictures of the damage to the aileron/spoiler mixer assembly were sent to maintenance control for review of the damage and was found to be minor. The red paint was then removed and zinc chromate primer applied after the area was cleaned. The aircraft was then test flown by the check airmen, with no further defects noted of the aileron system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC8-71 DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH AN AILERON SPOILER MIXER COTTER PIN REPLACED AND OPS CHK OF AILERON SYS WITHOUT THE FAA RII.

Narrative: A DISCREPANCY CONCERNING THE AILERON SYS BECOMING HARD TO ACTUATE (SUCH AS THAT IT IS IN MANUAL REVERSION OR ACTUATED BY CABLE INSTEAD OF HYDRAULICALLY) EITHER DIRECTION WHILE IN DSCNT, WITH THE FLAPS AND GEAR DOWN (IN LNDG CONFIGN) HAD BECOME A REPEAT DISCREPANCY. IT WAS NOTICED BY MAINT CTL THAT THIS ITEM WAS ONLY WRITTEN UP BY THE SAME CAPT, BUT HAD BEEN FLOWN BY MULTIPLE OTHER CAPTS WITH NO SUCH RPTS OF ANY AILERON PROBS. ALSO NOTED BY MAINT CTL WAS THE FACT THAT THIS ACFT HAD A PRIOR INCIDENT WHERE A CABLE ON THE SPOILER SYS HAD BROKEN, OF WHICH THIS SAME CAPT WAS FLYING. AT THAT TIME, A FLEET CAMPAIGN DIRECTIVE WAS ISSUED, WHICH RESULTED IN NO OTHER DISCREPANCIES OF ANY OF THE FLEET'S ACFT. UPON ANOTHER SQUAWK OF THE AILERONS BEING HARD TO ACTUATE IN DSCNT BY THE SAME CAPT AGAIN, MAINT CTL THEN FELT THE NEED TO HAVE A THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE AILERON SYS BE PERFORMED, AFTER WHICH A CHK CREW WOULD TEST FLY THE ACFT TO DUPLICATE THIS DISCREPANCY IF NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND. MY SUPVR PERFORMED THIS INSPECTION, AND NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND. AFTER ARR OF THE CHK AIRMEN FOR THE TEST FLT, THE FE'S PREFLT INSPECTION REVEALED A COTTER PIN AT THE AILERON/SPOILER MIXER ASSEMBLY, CHAFFING AGAINST THE FRAME OF THIS ASSEMBLY. THIS AREA WAS PAINTED RED BY SUPVR FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. ON JAN/SAT/02 AT AROUND XA00Z, I WAS ASKED BY MY SUPVR TO R&R THIS COTTER PIN. I DID THIS INSTALLATION IN THE NORMAL CONFIGN OF INSTALLING A COTTER PIN, ONE PORTION BENT OVER THE BOLT, AND ONE BENT OVER THE CASTLE NUT. UPON HAVING THE CAPT CHK THE AILERONS FOR STIFFNESS OR OBSTRUCTIONS, A SMALL BUMP WAS FELT IN THE YOKE WHILE ACTUATING THE FLT CTL SURFACES. ONE PROB WAS THE FACT THAT WHEN THE AILERONS ARE TESTED ON JUST THE HYD PWR ON THE AUX PUMP (AS WAS THE CASE HERE), IF THEY ARE TURNED TOO QUICKLY, THEY WILL COME IN AND OUT OF MANUAL REVERSION, DUE TO THE LACK OF FLOW. THE CHK CAPT ASSURED ME THAT THIS WAS NOT WHAT HE WAS FEELING. UPON INSPECTION OF THE INSTALLED COTTER PIN, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CLRNC WAS NOT ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE COTTER PIN TO BE INSTALLED IN THE NORMAL CONFIGN. I THEN USED THE ALTERNATE METHOD OF INSTALLING THE COTTER PIN THROUGH THE BOLT AND AROUND THE CASTELLATED NUT. AFTER HAVING THE CHK CAPT RETRY ACTUATING THE AILERONS THROUGH, HE FOUND THAT THE BUMP WAS NO LONGER PRESENT. I THEN WAS PREPARED TO SIGN OFF THE INSTALLATION OF THE CUTTER PIN, BUT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE SIGNING OFF THE OPS CHK OF THE AILERONS WITHOUT AN RII. I MYSELF AM RII QUALIFIED IN ATA 27, AND I CONSIDERED THIS TO BE A SAFETY OF FLT ITEM, AS THIS COULD CLRLY LIMIT THE ACTUATION OF THE AILERON FLT CTL SURFACES DUE TO POSSIBLE OBSTRUCTION. AFTER SPEAKING TO MY SUPVR ABOUT THIS SIT, HE ASSURED ME THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR THE RII. THE ITEM WAS THEN SIGNED OFF WITH THE INSTALLATION OF THE COTTER PIN, AND AN OPS CHK OF THE AILERON FLT CTL SURFACES, WITH NO OTHER DEFECTS NOTED, BY MYSELF. PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE TO THE AILERON/SPOILER MIXER ASSEMBLY WERE SENT TO MAINT CTL FOR REVIEW OF THE DAMAGE AND WAS FOUND TO BE MINOR. THE RED PAINT WAS THEN REMOVED AND ZINC CHROMATE PRIMER APPLIED AFTER THE AREA WAS CLEANED. THE ACFT WAS THEN TEST FLOWN BY THE CHK AIRMEN, WITH NO FURTHER DEFECTS NOTED OF THE AILERON SYS.

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.