Narrative:

Air carrier Y was contracted to work on air carrier X aircraft X on the night of june xa thru jun xb. The morning of jun/xb/08 I; a rep for air carrier X; was asked by air carrier Y to ok for close-up on the pylons and engines after work was completed by them. The work scope in that area was to take out the fire bottles for a test of the lines and remove fuel lines for reseal. Before work was to be performed; several work cards call out to deactivate the thrust reversers as per the amm and air carrier X hangar prep card and to use a lock out pin. These work items are also rii by air carrier X; except the thrust reversers reactivation. During the inspection of these areas of the pylons I also looked over to check the thrust reverser hcu to see if the lockout pin was removed. At that time looking at hcu I didn't see the pin or the streamer. Also the angle at which I was in; the view was not clear and I didn't move to a clear position to take a closer look at the hcu to see if the pins were removed. So I assumed that the air carrier Y maintenance personnel already deactivated the thrust reversers. So I ok'd for both engines and pylons to be closed. To bring the aircraft back to service there is a hangar check return to service card that air carrier X uses. That has to be signed by air carrier Y maintenance personnel to verify that pins are pulled as required and stowed and other procedures are complied with. The person that signs was not trained on air carrier X paperwork and requires an air carrier X rep to back sign for verification of work complied with. The air carrier Y maintenance personnel signed; saying that he pulled the pins and I signed saying that he did. As mentioned above; I didn't see the pins or streamer; assuming that it was complied with already. The aircraft departed and upon landing the thrust reversers did not open. Supplemental information from acn 789856: airplane has been in the hangar for 4 shifts. I was assigned #2 engine fire bottle leakage check. #2 engine was closed and latched; I unlatched both fan and reverser on #2 engine and secured the hold open rods; performed the engine fire bottle check and then closed and secured reverser and fan cowling. There was no reverser pin with a streamer locking out #1 or #2 engine. Aircraft departed hangar on shift; and on landing both reversers did not deploy. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated there are two different pins that can be used to lock out the thrust reversers. Airbus has a lockout pin for each engine that is stowed with the reverser hydraulic control unit (hcu) in the pylon; secured by a lanyard; but no streamer. This particular lockout pin is used in situations; such as off-line stations; where a reverser may need to be deactivated; and this stowed pin is the only one available. Reporter stated airbus also has a lockout pin with an eight foot streamer that is part of his carrier's stores tool supply and was available; but not used. This was the lockout pin and streamer he expected to see installed in his company's engines. Reporter stated since this incident; his company has addressed some of the paperwork discrepancies with airbus; regarding inconsistent references to which type of reverser lockout pin is being noted during the maintenance procedures. Callback conversation with reporter acn 789856. Reporter stated the contract maintenance he performed on the airbus A320 he was assigned to did not involve installing the thrust reverser lockout pin at each engine hydraulic control unit (hcu). He was informed the lockout pins that were later found installed; preventing thrust reverser deployment; did not have any streamers on them. Reporter stated that somehow; these unflagged pins were installed just prior to; or while; the contract aircraft was being serviced in his company's hangar. He did not see any paperwork that referenced reverser pins having been installed or to remove them from the hcu in each pylon. Reporter stated when maintenance work is performed on his company's engine reversers; all their lockout pins have streamers (flags) attached to them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CARRIER MAINT REP AND A CONTRACT MAINT MECHANIC WHO WORKED AN AIRBUS A320; DESCRIBE THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THE ACFT DEPARTING AND LANDING WITH BOTH ENGINE THRUST REVERSERS INOPERATIVE.

Narrative: ACR Y WAS CONTRACTED TO WORK ON ACR X ACFT X ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE XA THRU JUN XB. THE MORNING OF JUN/XB/08 I; A REP FOR ACR X; WAS ASKED BY ACR Y TO OK FOR CLOSE-UP ON THE PYLONS AND ENGS AFTER WORK WAS COMPLETED BY THEM. THE WORK SCOPE IN THAT AREA WAS TO TAKE OUT THE FIRE BOTTLES FOR A TEST OF THE LINES AND REMOVE FUEL LINES FOR RESEAL. BEFORE WORK WAS TO BE PERFORMED; SEVERAL WORK CARDS CALL OUT TO DEACTIVATE THE THRUST REVERSERS AS PER THE AMM AND ACR X HANGAR PREP CARD AND TO USE A LOCK OUT PIN. THESE WORK ITEMS ARE ALSO RII BY ACR X; EXCEPT THE THRUST REVERSERS REACTIVATION. DURING THE INSPECTION OF THESE AREAS OF THE PYLONS I ALSO LOOKED OVER TO CHK THE THRUST REVERSER HCU TO SEE IF THE LOCKOUT PIN WAS REMOVED. AT THAT TIME LOOKING AT HCU I DIDN'T SEE THE PIN OR THE STREAMER. ALSO THE ANGLE AT WHICH I WAS IN; THE VIEW WAS NOT CLR AND I DIDN'T MOVE TO A CLR POS TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE HCU TO SEE IF THE PINS WERE REMOVED. SO I ASSUMED THAT THE ACR Y MAINT PERSONNEL ALREADY DEACTIVATED THE THRUST REVERSERS. SO I OK'D FOR BOTH ENGS AND PYLONS TO BE CLOSED. TO BRING THE ACFT BACK TO SVC THERE IS A HANGAR CHK RETURN TO SVC CARD THAT ACR X USES. THAT HAS TO BE SIGNED BY ACR Y MAINT PERSONNEL TO VERIFY THAT PINS ARE PULLED AS REQUIRED AND STOWED AND OTHER PROCS ARE COMPLIED WITH. THE PERSON THAT SIGNS WAS NOT TRAINED ON ACR X PAPERWORK AND REQUIRES AN ACR X REP TO BACK SIGN FOR VERIFICATION OF WORK COMPLIED WITH. THE ACR Y MAINT PERSONNEL SIGNED; SAYING THAT HE PULLED THE PINS AND I SIGNED SAYING THAT HE DID. AS MENTIONED ABOVE; I DIDN'T SEE THE PINS OR STREAMER; ASSUMING THAT IT WAS COMPLIED WITH ALREADY. THE ACFT DEPARTED AND UPON LNDG THE THRUST REVERSERS DID NOT OPEN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 789856: AIRPLANE HAS BEEN IN THE HANGAR FOR 4 SHIFTS. I WAS ASSIGNED #2 ENG FIRE BOTTLE LEAKAGE CHK. #2 ENG WAS CLOSED AND LATCHED; I UNLATCHED BOTH FAN AND REVERSER ON #2 ENG AND SECURED THE HOLD OPEN RODS; PERFORMED THE ENG FIRE BOTTLE CHK AND THEN CLOSED AND SECURED REVERSER AND FAN COWLING. THERE WAS NO REVERSER PIN WITH A STREAMER LOCKING OUT #1 OR #2 ENG. ACFT DEPARTED HANGAR ON SHIFT; AND ON LNDG BOTH REVERSERS DID NOT DEPLOY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PINS THAT CAN BE USED TO LOCK OUT THE THRUST REVERSERS. AIRBUS HAS A LOCKOUT PIN FOR EACH ENGINE THAT IS STOWED WITH THE REVERSER HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT (HCU) IN THE PYLON; SECURED BY A LANYARD; BUT NO STREAMER. THIS PARTICULAR LOCKOUT PIN IS USED IN SITUATIONS; SUCH AS OFF-LINE STATIONS; WHERE A REVERSER MAY NEED TO BE DEACTIVATED; AND THIS STOWED PIN IS THE ONLY ONE AVAILABLE. REPORTER STATED AIRBUS ALSO HAS A LOCKOUT PIN WITH AN EIGHT FOOT STREAMER THAT IS PART OF HIS CARRIER'S STORES TOOL SUPPLY AND WAS AVAILABLE; BUT NOT USED. THIS WAS THE LOCKOUT PIN AND STREAMER HE EXPECTED TO SEE INSTALLED IN HIS COMPANY'S ENGINES. REPORTER STATED SINCE THIS INCIDENT; HIS COMPANY HAS ADDRESSED SOME OF THE PAPERWORK DISCREPANCIES WITH AIRBUS; REGARDING INCONSISTENT REFERENCES TO WHICH TYPE OF REVERSER LOCKOUT PIN IS BEING NOTED DURING THE MAINT PROCEDURES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER ACN 789856. REPORTER STATED THE CONTRACT MAINT HE PERFORMED ON THE AIRBUS A320 HE WAS ASSIGNED TO DID NOT INVOLVE INSTALLING THE THRUST REVERSER LOCKOUT PIN AT EACH ENGINE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT (HCU). HE WAS INFORMED THE LOCKOUT PINS THAT WERE LATER FOUND INSTALLED; PREVENTING THRUST REVERSER DEPLOYMENT; DID NOT HAVE ANY STREAMERS ON THEM. REPORTER STATED THAT SOMEHOW; THESE UNFLAGGED PINS WERE INSTALLED JUST PRIOR TO; OR WHILE; THE CONTRACT ACFT WAS BEING SERVICED IN HIS COMPANY'S HANGAR. HE DID NOT SEE ANY PAPERWORK THAT REFERENCED REVERSER PINS HAVING BEEN INSTALLED OR TO REMOVE THEM FROM THE HCU IN EACH PYLON. REPORTER STATED WHEN MAINT WORK IS PERFORMED ON HIS COMPANY'S ENGINE REVERSERS; ALL THEIR LOCKOUT PINS HAVE STREAMERS (FLAGS) ATTACHED TO THEM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.