Narrative:

We had an aircraft come into our station and leave with an MEL for the flight data recorder. We are a repair station for flight data recorders and the aircraft should not have went out without being looked at or fixed. I found out the following night there was nothing on my planning report that made this MEL stand out. Like (ZZZ only) we get a lot of flight data recorder MEL's for other things. I had no supervisor and no quality assurance technicians that night. After sep/xa/01, we were cut back from 4 aircraft to 3 aircraft per night. Also we were cut back 4 mechanics, 1 supervisor on nights and our maintenance manager as of jan/02 we got 4 aircraft per night. But we didn't get any mechanics, supervisor or maintenance manager back, so we are very shorthanded. On my report, I noticed it showed we had overflown a dent inspection by 900 hours and we had a gouge in a flap fairing that needed to be fixed or extended. Also, I had to inspect engine spinner bolt torques and inspect the aircraft for the cleaning crew. A lead from another station called and wanted me to look up some parts for him and see if we had them. With all I had going on that night besides my regular duties, a lot of my time was spent doing things I normally don't do and have not been trained on. So I wasn't able to be out on the floor overseeing the work. I feel that if there had been supervisor coverage and quality assurance coverage this would not have happened.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AVRO RJ85 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE FLT DATA RECORDER DEFERRED OUT OF TIME AND DEPARTING A FLT DATA RECORDER REPAIR STATION.

Narrative: WE HAD AN ACFT COME INTO OUR STATION AND LEAVE WITH AN MEL FOR THE FLT DATA RECORDER. WE ARE A REPAIR STATION FOR FLT DATA RECORDERS AND THE ACFT SHOULD NOT HAVE WENT OUT WITHOUT BEING LOOKED AT OR FIXED. I FOUND OUT THE FOLLOWING NIGHT THERE WAS NOTHING ON MY PLANNING RPT THAT MADE THIS MEL STAND OUT. LIKE (ZZZ ONLY) WE GET A LOT OF FLT DATA RECORDER MEL'S FOR OTHER THINGS. I HAD NO SUPVR AND NO QUALITY ASSURANCE TECHNICIANS THAT NIGHT. AFTER SEP/XA/01, WE WERE CUT BACK FROM 4 ACFT TO 3 ACFT PER NIGHT. ALSO WE WERE CUT BACK 4 MECHS, 1 SUPVR ON NIGHTS AND OUR MAINT MGR AS OF JAN/02 WE GOT 4 ACFT PER NIGHT. BUT WE DIDN'T GET ANY MECHS, SUPVR OR MAINT MGR BACK, SO WE ARE VERY SHORTHANDED. ON MY RPT, I NOTICED IT SHOWED WE HAD OVERFLOWN A DENT INSPECTION BY 900 HRS AND WE HAD A GOUGE IN A FLAP FAIRING THAT NEEDED TO BE FIXED OR EXTENDED. ALSO, I HAD TO INSPECT ENG SPINNER BOLT TORQUES AND INSPECT THE ACFT FOR THE CLEANING CREW. A LEAD FROM ANOTHER STATION CALLED AND WANTED ME TO LOOK UP SOME PARTS FOR HIM AND SEE IF WE HAD THEM. WITH ALL I HAD GOING ON THAT NIGHT BESIDES MY REGULAR DUTIES, A LOT OF MY TIME WAS SPENT DOING THINGS I NORMALLY DON'T DO AND HAVE NOT BEEN TRAINED ON. SO I WASN'T ABLE TO BE OUT ON THE FLOOR OVERSEEING THE WORK. I FEEL THAT IF THERE HAD BEEN SUPVR COVERAGE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE COVERAGE THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

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.