Narrative:

The aircraft was in for a scheduled repaint visit. At the conclusion of the visit; I was given a card to verify the removal of the covers from the pitot static ports. The task had been done and signed for by another technician and I was acting as the 'second set of eyes' and signed off the inspection portion of the card after I walked around the aircraft. The signoff portion of the card indicated that the areas of concern were the left and right sides of the forward fuselage; as did the accompanying figures in the job card. I did not notice that the static ports located on the sides of the engine fan cowls were still covered with masking tape as the tape was painted the same color as the surrounding cowl and there were no stencil markings or placard indicating the presence of a static port at that location. The aircraft was subsequently returned to service; and made at least 2 flts before the covered ports were detected. Supplemental information from acn 808306: sometime around XA00 the painters told me they were done with the static ports and had removed the stencil templates/masking from the static ports. I reviewed the job task card. The instructions referred me to a figure on the last page for the locations of the static ports. The zone and location on the figure were for the forward fuselage. I went to the locations from the figure and the masking/stencil templates had been removed. Then I reset the circuit breakers for the pitot/static port heaters. Finished with the job card; I did a walkaround of the aircraft for a second look and did not see any other static ports that had been stenciled. I gave the task card to my lead for the inspector buy-off. He took the card reviewed the card and did a walkaround and determined that the ports had been unmasked. I did not know that this type of aircraft confign had static ports on the cowlings. I have not been to any training classes for this aircraft or the different configns of the engines. The ports on the cowlings had not been stenciled and the masking was painted so there was nothing that looked out of the ordinary from the walkaround. To prevent a recurrence; the task cards should be tailored for specific aircraft configns or include figures for all the static ports. Training for the aircraft/engines configns would be great. Callback conversation with reporter acn #808305 revealed the following information: reporter stated the cause of an EICAS message indicating an eec fault was traced to the masked over static ports on one of the engines. Reporter stated only one engine had an eec fault; but could not remember which one. The opposite engine still had masking tape on the engine cowling; but the tape had apparently peeled back; just enough in flight; to expose the port and get static readings. There are two static ports connected to the eec on each PW4000 engine of their B767-300's. Reporter stated their job cards have been revised to include separate; individual signoffs for each pitot and static ports on the aircraft and engines. The drawings/figures used in the job card for all of the pitot and static port locations has been improved.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LEAD MECHANIC PERFORMING INSPECTION DUTY FUNCTION AND A MECHANIC REPORT ABOUT MASKING TAPE BEING LEFT ON; PAINTED OVER AND NOT REMOVED AT THE INBOARD AND OUTBOARD POSITIONS ON BOTH ENGINES OF A B767-300.

Narrative: THE ACFT WAS IN FOR A SCHEDULED REPAINT VISIT. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE VISIT; I WAS GIVEN A CARD TO VERIFY THE REMOVAL OF THE COVERS FROM THE PITOT STATIC PORTS. THE TASK HAD BEEN DONE AND SIGNED FOR BY ANOTHER TECHNICIAN AND I WAS ACTING AS THE 'SECOND SET OF EYES' AND SIGNED OFF THE INSPECTION PORTION OF THE CARD AFTER I WALKED AROUND THE ACFT. THE SIGNOFF PORTION OF THE CARD INDICATED THAT THE AREAS OF CONCERN WERE THE L AND R SIDES OF THE FORWARD FUSELAGE; AS DID THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES IN THE JOB CARD. I DID NOT NOTICE THAT THE STATIC PORTS LOCATED ON THE SIDES OF THE ENG FAN COWLS WERE STILL COVERED WITH MASKING TAPE AS THE TAPE WAS PAINTED THE SAME COLOR AS THE SURROUNDING COWL AND THERE WERE NO STENCIL MARKINGS OR PLACARD INDICATING THE PRESENCE OF A STATIC PORT AT THAT LOCATION. THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RETURNED TO SVC; AND MADE AT LEAST 2 FLTS BEFORE THE COVERED PORTS WERE DETECTED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 808306: SOMETIME AROUND XA00 THE PAINTERS TOLD ME THEY WERE DONE WITH THE STATIC PORTS AND HAD REMOVED THE STENCIL TEMPLATES/MASKING FROM THE STATIC PORTS. I REVIEWED THE JOB TASK CARD. THE INSTRUCTIONS REFERRED ME TO A FIGURE ON THE LAST PAGE FOR THE LOCATIONS OF THE STATIC PORTS. THE ZONE AND LOCATION ON THE FIGURE WERE FOR THE FORWARD FUSELAGE. I WENT TO THE LOCATIONS FROM THE FIGURE AND THE MASKING/STENCIL TEMPLATES HAD BEEN REMOVED. THEN I RESET THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS FOR THE PITOT/STATIC PORT HEATERS. FINISHED WITH THE JOB CARD; I DID A WALKAROUND OF THE ACFT FOR A SECOND LOOK AND DID NOT SEE ANY OTHER STATIC PORTS THAT HAD BEEN STENCILED. I GAVE THE TASK CARD TO MY LEAD FOR THE INSPECTOR BUY-OFF. HE TOOK THE CARD REVIEWED THE CARD AND DID A WALKAROUND AND DETERMINED THAT THE PORTS HAD BEEN UNMASKED. I DID NOT KNOW THAT THIS TYPE OF ACFT CONFIGN HAD STATIC PORTS ON THE COWLINGS. I HAVE NOT BEEN TO ANY TRAINING CLASSES FOR THIS ACFT OR THE DIFFERENT CONFIGNS OF THE ENGS. THE PORTS ON THE COWLINGS HAD NOT BEEN STENCILED AND THE MASKING WAS PAINTED SO THERE WAS NOTHING THAT LOOKED OUT OF THE ORDINARY FROM THE WALKAROUND. TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE; THE TASK CARDS SHOULD BE TAILORED FOR SPECIFIC ACFT CONFIGNS OR INCLUDE FIGURES FOR ALL THE STATIC PORTS. TRAINING FOR THE ACFT/ENGS CONFIGNS WOULD BE GREAT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN #808305 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THE CAUSE OF AN EICAS MESSAGE INDICATING AN EEC FAULT WAS TRACED TO THE MASKED OVER STATIC PORTS ON ONE OF THE ENGINES. REPORTER STATED ONLY ONE ENGINE HAD AN EEC FAULT; BUT COULD NOT REMEMBER WHICH ONE. THE OPPOSITE ENGINE STILL HAD MASKING TAPE ON THE ENGINE COWLING; BUT THE TAPE HAD APPARENTLY PEELED BACK; JUST ENOUGH IN FLIGHT; TO EXPOSE THE PORT AND GET STATIC READINGS. THERE ARE TWO STATIC PORTS CONNECTED TO THE EEC ON EACH PW4000 ENGINE OF THEIR B767-300'S. REPORTER STATED THEIR JOB CARDS HAVE BEEN REVISED TO INCLUDE SEPARATE; INDIVIDUAL SIGNOFFS FOR EACH PITOT AND STATIC PORTS ON THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINES. THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES USED IN THE JOB CARD FOR ALL OF THE PITOT AND STATIC PORT LOCATIONS HAS BEEN IMPROVED.

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.