Maintenance technician misidentifies damaged seal and defers it inappropriately.

Attributes
ACN	627783
Time
Date	200408
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight ground : maintenance ground : parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	maintenance : technician
ASRS Report	627783
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	maintenance : technician
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe maintenance problem : improper maintenance maintenance problem : improper documentation maintenance problem : non compliance with mel non adherence : far non adherence : company policies non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other other : person 1
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Maintenance Human Performance
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

Narrative:

While performing an aircraft arrival walkaround inspection, found l-hand #1 slat segment seal bent and torn and migrating into the rub strip. I used cdl 57-30-05 to defer the seal. The problem had been addressed and corrected before. I looked at cdl 57-30-05, the picture on the cdl page in the MEL manual, and thought that was the segment seal they were showing. I was incorrect. It was a rub seal that was damaged and that is not deferrable.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MAINT TECHNICIAN MISIDENTS DAMAGED SEAL AND DEFERS IT INAPPROPRIATELY.

Narrative: WHILE PERFORMING AN ACFT ARR WALKAROUND INSPECTION, FOUND L-HAND #1 SLAT SEGMENT SEAL BENT AND TORN AND MIGRATING INTO THE RUB STRIP. I USED CDL 57-30-05 TO DEFER THE SEAL. THE PROB HAD BEEN ADDRESSED AND CORRECTED BEFORE. I LOOKED AT CDL 57-30-05, THE PICTURE ON THE CDL PAGE IN THE MEL MANUAL, AND THOUGHT THAT WAS THE SEGMENT SEAL THEY WERE SHOWING. I WAS INCORRECT. IT WAS A RUB SEAL THAT WAS DAMAGED AND THAT IS NOT DEFERRABLE.

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.