A B737-400 was dispatched in non compliance with a brake worn below dispatch limits.

Attributes
ACN	585512
Time
Date	200306
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : zzzz.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-400
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : maintenance
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	maintenance : technician
Qualification	technician : airframe technician : powerplant
Experience	maintenance technician : 23
ASRS Report	585512
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	other personnel other
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical maintenance problem : improper maintenance maintenance problem : improper documentation non adherence : company policies non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other other : person 2
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated other other
Factors
Maintenance	contributing factor : weather contributing factor : lighting performance deficiency : scheduled maintenance performance deficiency : inspection
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Weather FAA Maintenance Human Performance Environmental Factor Aircraft
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

Narrative:

On the night of jun/sun/03, I was assigned an overnight check on a boeing 737-400. On that night, the WX was rainy, and I had very little sleep due to an ill child at home. In my walkaround, I saw a brake which looked close, so I measured it. The measurement I got was just over 3/32 inches of an inch, which is within the limits. The next day, I was approached by my safety council member and he told me that the FAA did a walkaround on the aircraft that I worked on and found the brake just below limits. I was not told how much, but just that it was below limits. To me, it looked to be 3/32 of an inch -- especially in the rainy, dark night. Maybe due to the lack of sleep and my daughter on my mind, the measurement I saw could have been wrong. In the 20 yrs of being in the industry, I never had anything like this happen to me.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH A BRAKE WORN BELOW DISPATCH LIMITS.

Narrative: ON THE NIGHT OF JUN/SUN/03, I WAS ASSIGNED AN OVERNIGHT CHK ON A BOEING 737-400. ON THAT NIGHT, THE WX WAS RAINY, AND I HAD VERY LITTLE SLEEP DUE TO AN ILL CHILD AT HOME. IN MY WALKAROUND, I SAW A BRAKE WHICH LOOKED CLOSE, SO I MEASURED IT. THE MEASUREMENT I GOT WAS JUST OVER 3/32 INCHES OF AN INCH, WHICH IS WITHIN THE LIMITS. THE NEXT DAY, I WAS APCHED BY MY SAFETY COUNCIL MEMBER AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE FAA DID A WALKAROUND ON THE ACFT THAT I WORKED ON AND FOUND THE BRAKE JUST BELOW LIMITS. I WAS NOT TOLD HOW MUCH, BUT JUST THAT IT WAS BELOW LIMITS. TO ME, IT LOOKED TO BE 3/32 OF AN INCH -- ESPECIALLY IN THE RAINY, DARK NIGHT. MAYBE DUE TO THE LACK OF SLEEP AND MY DAUGHTER ON MY MIND, THE MEASUREMENT I SAW COULD HAVE BEEN WRONG. IN THE 20 YRS OF BEING IN THE INDUSTRY, I NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO ME.

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.