Narrative:

In my endeavor to ensure that all the engineering orders involved with this task were completed correctly for documentation purposes I failed to pay enough attention to the part number on the component control tag as I was checking to ensure that it had been properly received. This door was issued to the technicians involved by our stores department; and visually the doors appear the same externally; the only indication that they are different is by part number. As I was working several aircraft at the same time ('Y' for an engine change with thrust reverser modifications; 'Z' for an inbound fuselage inspection for a lightning strike in-flight; and this aircraft for the gear door change). The door was physically replaced by the technicians involved and the aircraft was put on jacks for the extension and retraction check. At this time they approached me to inspect the installation of the door for proper rigging; fits and clrncs and safeties; and witness the retraction and extension. I performed my task and returned to the engine change aircraft to oversee the work being performed on it. The mechanics returned 'X' to service and completed their paperwork and swapped out the aircraft in the hangar as 'Z' required the lightning strike inspection. The inspection on aircraft 'Z' is a time consuming inspection performed by the inspection department. Between the scheduled workload and this inspection; it became necessary to upgrade a qualified technician to perform an rii inspection on a task performed on aircraft 'west.' the aircraft was repositioned from the hangar ramp area to the terminal by maintenance at this time. It should be noted that there was no damage to the aircraft or the door during this maintenance activity. It should also be noted that the installation of these new gear door part numbers required that the aircraft be modified and the main landing gear strut is also modified at the same time as installation of these new doors. The left main landing gear inboard door was removed and replaced due to engineering 'X' being scheduled as part of the overnight maintenance on this aircraft. The procedures in engineering order 'X' current revision were followed to replace this door as the modifications called out for in engineering order 'Y' were not applicable to inboard door on the aircraft by part number. The only way we had to remove the time constraint from the aircraft was to replace the door. While reviewing the aircraft paperwork at the completion of maintenance; the part number of the installed door was discovered. I instructed maintenance to bring the aircraft back from the gate so we could remove the door. At this time maintenance decided to replace the door with one that was applicable to the current aircraft modification status. There are currently too many engineering orders and bulletins concerning these doors. They are dispersed in 2 different pubs. These engineering orders and bulletins should be reviewed and those that are no longer applicable to our aircraft be removed. The possibility also exists that some of these engineering orders and bulletins could be combined to reduce the number of references that have to be researched when working on these gear doors. It should be noted that we will begin performing the modification to install these new part number doors the month of june. Once the aircraft are modified; you will not be able to install the old part number doors on modified aircraft. This will require that we have both pre-modification and post-modification doors on hand; as they visually look the same. A means to separate them while in stores would be beneficial to prevent the possibility of this error occurring in the future. The workload on this night was extreme concerning the scheduled and unscheduled maintenance that was being performed. It should be understood that while the number of overnight aircraft at this station is increasing; no one in upper management has addressed how this is impacting the inspection department. The demands being placed on the inspection department for more oversight on maintenance and the increase of overnight maintenance has stretched our capabilities to a position where on any given night; an unscheduled maintenance event can drive the inspection department into overload.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CL600 (CRJ700) ACFT MAINT INSPECTOR FAILED TO NOTICE THE DIFFERENT PART NUMBERS AND SUBSEQUENTLY; THE INCORRECT L-HAND MAIN GEAR DOOR WAS INSTALLED.

Narrative: IN MY ENDEAVOR TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE ENGINEERING ORDERS INVOLVED WITH THIS TASK WERE COMPLETED CORRECTLY FOR DOCUMENTATION PURPOSES I FAILED TO PAY ENOUGH ATTN TO THE PART NUMBER ON THE COMPONENT CTL TAG AS I WAS CHKING TO ENSURE THAT IT HAD BEEN PROPERLY RECEIVED. THIS DOOR WAS ISSUED TO THE TECHNICIANS INVOLVED BY OUR STORES DEPT; AND VISUALLY THE DOORS APPEAR THE SAME EXTERNALLY; THE ONLY INDICATION THAT THEY ARE DIFFERENT IS BY PART NUMBER. AS I WAS WORKING SEVERAL ACFT AT THE SAME TIME ('Y' FOR AN ENG CHANGE WITH THRUST REVERSER MODIFICATIONS; 'Z' FOR AN INBOUND FUSELAGE INSPECTION FOR A LIGHTNING STRIKE INFLT; AND THIS ACFT FOR THE GEAR DOOR CHANGE). THE DOOR WAS PHYSICALLY REPLACED BY THE TECHNICIANS INVOLVED AND THE ACFT WAS PUT ON JACKS FOR THE EXTENSION AND RETRACTION CHK. AT THIS TIME THEY APCHED ME TO INSPECT THE INSTALLATION OF THE DOOR FOR PROPER RIGGING; FITS AND CLRNCS AND SAFETIES; AND WITNESS THE RETRACTION AND EXTENSION. I PERFORMED MY TASK AND RETURNED TO THE ENG CHANGE ACFT TO OVERSEE THE WORK BEING PERFORMED ON IT. THE MECHS RETURNED 'X' TO SVC AND COMPLETED THEIR PAPERWORK AND SWAPPED OUT THE ACFT IN THE HANGAR AS 'Z' REQUIRED THE LIGHTNING STRIKE INSPECTION. THE INSPECTION ON ACFT 'Z' IS A TIME CONSUMING INSPECTION PERFORMED BY THE INSPECTION DEPT. BTWN THE SCHEDULED WORKLOAD AND THIS INSPECTION; IT BECAME NECESSARY TO UPGRADE A QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN TO PERFORM AN RII INSPECTION ON A TASK PERFORMED ON ACFT 'W.' THE ACFT WAS REPOSITIONED FROM THE HANGAR RAMP AREA TO THE TERMINAL BY MAINT AT THIS TIME. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR THE DOOR DURING THIS MAINT ACTIVITY. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT THE INSTALLATION OF THESE NEW GEAR DOOR PART NUMBERS REQUIRED THAT THE ACFT BE MODIFIED AND THE MAIN LNDG GEAR STRUT IS ALSO MODIFIED AT THE SAME TIME AS INSTALLATION OF THESE NEW DOORS. THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR INBOARD DOOR WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED DUE TO ENGINEERING 'X' BEING SCHEDULED AS PART OF THE OVERNIGHT MAINT ON THIS ACFT. THE PROCS IN ENGINEERING ORDER 'X' CURRENT REVISION WERE FOLLOWED TO REPLACE THIS DOOR AS THE MODIFICATIONS CALLED OUT FOR IN ENGINEERING ORDER 'Y' WERE NOT APPLICABLE TO INBOARD DOOR ON THE ACFT BY PART NUMBER. THE ONLY WAY WE HAD TO REMOVE THE TIME CONSTRAINT FROM THE ACFT WAS TO REPLACE THE DOOR. WHILE REVIEWING THE ACFT PAPERWORK AT THE COMPLETION OF MAINT; THE PART NUMBER OF THE INSTALLED DOOR WAS DISCOVERED. I INSTRUCTED MAINT TO BRING THE ACFT BACK FROM THE GATE SO WE COULD REMOVE THE DOOR. AT THIS TIME MAINT DECIDED TO REPLACE THE DOOR WITH ONE THAT WAS APPLICABLE TO THE CURRENT ACFT MODIFICATION STATUS. THERE ARE CURRENTLY TOO MANY ENGINEERING ORDERS AND BULLETINS CONCERNING THESE DOORS. THEY ARE DISPERSED IN 2 DIFFERENT PUBS. THESE ENGINEERING ORDERS AND BULLETINS SHOULD BE REVIEWED AND THOSE THAT ARE NO LONGER APPLICABLE TO OUR ACFT BE REMOVED. THE POSSIBILITY ALSO EXISTS THAT SOME OF THESE ENGINEERING ORDERS AND BULLETINS COULD BE COMBINED TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF REFS THAT HAVE TO BE RESEARCHED WHEN WORKING ON THESE GEAR DOORS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WE WILL BEGIN PERFORMING THE MODIFICATION TO INSTALL THESE NEW PART NUMBER DOORS THE MONTH OF JUNE. ONCE THE ACFT ARE MODIFIED; YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO INSTALL THE OLD PART NUMBER DOORS ON MODIFIED ACFT. THIS WILL REQUIRE THAT WE HAVE BOTH PRE-MODIFICATION AND POST-MODIFICATION DOORS ON HAND; AS THEY VISUALLY LOOK THE SAME. A MEANS TO SEPARATE THEM WHILE IN STORES WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS ERROR OCCURRING IN THE FUTURE. THE WORKLOAD ON THIS NIGHT WAS EXTREME CONCERNING THE SCHEDULED AND UNSCHEDULED MAINT THAT WAS BEING PERFORMED. IT SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD THAT WHILE THE NUMBER OF OVERNIGHT ACFT AT THIS STATION IS INCREASING; NO ONE IN UPPER MGMNT HAS ADDRESSED HOW THIS IS IMPACTING THE INSPECTION DEPT. THE DEMANDS BEING PLACED ON THE INSPECTION DEPT FOR MORE OVERSIGHT ON MAINT AND THE INCREASE OF OVERNIGHT MAINT HAS STRETCHED OUR CAPABILITIES TO A POS WHERE ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT; AN UNSCHEDULED MAINT EVENT CAN DRIVE THE INSPECTION DEPT INTO OVERLOAD.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.