Narrative:

In 2001, I was employed at air carrier X airlines maintenance base in ZZZ. I was a warranty coordinator in the contract administration department. This department is responsible for the administration of contracts with outside vendors performing overhauls of aircraft. If you remember the X disaster a few yrs ago, that accident was a result of negligence during a 3RD party overhaul or heavy maintenance visit the repair stations that air carrier X uses were in washington, in alabama, and in north carolina. Beginning in feb/01, I turned over to the FAA about 10 pounds of documents. These showed unlicensed secretarial personnel illegally signing off as airworthy, maintenance gripes on aircraft being overhauled by 3RD party repair stations. I also included numerous examples of their shoddy maintenance including a complete air carrier X internal documents package showing that its entire fleet of 24 B727 aircraft had been operating in 2000 with bogus engine generator breakers. Contract vendor in north carolina had installed these. FAA inspectors gave my name to air carrier X and I was subsequently terminated on may/wed/01. I filed a whistle blowing case under the wendell ford aviation act with the department of labor in aug/2001. It was set for a court hearing before an administrative law judge in may of last yr. The judge abruptly canceled the hearing and dismissed the case on jun/xa/01 because of legal procedural technicalities having nothing to do with the illegal acts I reported. My duties at ZZZ maintenance base were to extract repair records from air carrier X's aircraft maintenance information system using X programming language. I would analyze these records in order to file warranty claims with boeing and airbus. It was in this capacity that I uncovered numerous incidents of unlicensed personnel illegally signing off repair work on air carrier X aircraft at these 3RD party vendor sites. When I turned these records over to the FAA, their inspectors told me that they would ask air carrier X to provide the handwritten job cards from the licensed mechanics for the work being improperly signed off. They later told me that there were numerous instances in which air carrier X could not come up with any written paperwork. Not only does this violate numerous FARS, but the fact that there was no 'audit trail' to a licensed mechanic would indicate that the work had not been done. This practice is known in the industry as 'pencil whipping' which is the signing off of work before completion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A TECHNICIAN RPTS AND ALLEGES THAT A MAJOR CARRIER'S MAINT SUBCONTRACTORS ARE DOING ILLEGAL, SHODDY AND UNDOCUMENTED WORK IN VIOLATION OF THE FARS.

Narrative: IN 2001, I WAS EMPLOYED AT ACR X AIRLINES MAINT BASE IN ZZZ. I WAS A WARRANTY COORDINATOR IN THE CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DEPT. THIS DEPT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF CONTRACTS WITH OUTSIDE VENDORS PERFORMING OVERHAULS OF ACFT. IF YOU REMEMBER THE X DISASTER A FEW YRS AGO, THAT ACCIDENT WAS A RESULT OF NEGLIGENCE DURING A 3RD PARTY OVERHAUL OR HVY MAINT VISIT THE REPAIR STATIONS THAT ACR X USES WERE IN WASHINGTON, IN ALABAMA, AND IN NORTH CAROLINA. BEGINNING IN FEB/01, I TURNED OVER TO THE FAA ABOUT 10 LBS OF DOCUMENTS. THESE SHOWED UNLICENSED SECRETARIAL PERSONNEL ILLEGALLY SIGNING OFF AS AIRWORTHY, MAINT GRIPES ON ACFT BEING OVERHAULED BY 3RD PARTY REPAIR STATIONS. I ALSO INCLUDED NUMEROUS EXAMPLES OF THEIR SHODDY MAINT INCLUDING A COMPLETE ACR X INTERNAL DOCUMENTS PACKAGE SHOWING THAT ITS ENTIRE FLEET OF 24 B727 ACFT HAD BEEN OPERATING IN 2000 WITH BOGUS ENG GENERATOR BREAKERS. CONTRACT VENDOR IN NORTH CAROLINA HAD INSTALLED THESE. FAA INSPECTORS GAVE MY NAME TO ACR X AND I WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TERMINATED ON MAY/WED/01. I FILED A WHISTLE BLOWING CASE UNDER THE WENDELL FORD AVIATION ACT WITH THE DEPT OF LABOR IN AUG/2001. IT WAS SET FOR A COURT HEARING BEFORE AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE IN MAY OF LAST YR. THE JUDGE ABRUPTLY CANCELED THE HEARING AND DISMISSED THE CASE ON JUN/XA/01 BECAUSE OF LEGAL PROCEDURAL TECHNICALITIES HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ILLEGAL ACTS I RPTED. MY DUTIES AT ZZZ MAINT BASE WERE TO EXTRACT REPAIR RECORDS FROM ACR X'S ACFT MAINT INFO SYS USING X PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE. I WOULD ANALYZE THESE RECORDS IN ORDER TO FILE WARRANTY CLAIMS WITH BOEING AND AIRBUS. IT WAS IN THIS CAPACITY THAT I UNCOVERED NUMEROUS INCIDENTS OF UNLICENSED PERSONNEL ILLEGALLY SIGNING OFF REPAIR WORK ON ACR X ACFT AT THESE 3RD PARTY VENDOR SITES. WHEN I TURNED THESE RECORDS OVER TO THE FAA, THEIR INSPECTORS TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD ASK ACR X TO PROVIDE THE HANDWRITTEN JOB CARDS FROM THE LICENSED MECHS FOR THE WORK BEING IMPROPERLY SIGNED OFF. THEY LATER TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS INSTANCES IN WHICH ACR X COULD NOT COME UP WITH ANY WRITTEN PAPERWORK. NOT ONLY DOES THIS VIOLATE NUMEROUS FARS, BUT THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO 'AUDIT TRAIL' TO A LICENSED MECH WOULD INDICATE THAT THE WORK HAD NOT BEEN DONE. THIS PRACTICE IS KNOWN IN THE INDUSTRY AS 'PENCIL WHIPPING' WHICH IS THE SIGNING OFF OF WORK BEFORE COMPLETION.

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.