Narrative:

While I was doing my logbook damage inspection; I found that the left wing inboard trailing edge damage that was documented earlier in the month elsewhere at 3/4 inch was now larger. At that time I asked the other b-check lead mechanic to look at this damage with me and we measured it to be now at two inches. I called the lead mechanic's office and told him what I had found. He said he would look up the [damage] limits and get back to me. He faxed the structural repair manual (srm) limits over to me. On this b-check we were having an audit so I told the auditor what I had. He also looked at the damage with me and the srm repair documentation. As per the job card; I entered an item on the non-routine documentation page giving the srm reference and repair needed information. This aircraft also had other items that would be turned over to the next shift. The right wing 0 slat had made contact with the leading edge and also pulled four rivets and a hydraulic leak on the right elevator. All were documented.one day later at the start of my shift; the aircraft had been released for service. The auditor came into the lead mechanic's office and said the aircraft is still here; let's look at it and see what was done. We went out to the aircraft and found that the crack was now repaired; it had been repaired with what I thought was super glue. The auditor asked me if that was an approved repair and I stated that I had documented the srm repair information in my non-routine item. The sign off for that item stated that the crack was within limits and that the paint was chipped. Nothing was said about the repair that was accomplished on the sign off. I was also told that a manager had signed off the item. The auditor asked me to go to the hangar with him and talk to the technician's lead mechanic; it was clear to me that he was looking for a way out. We also spoke to the maintenance controller on duty. The auditor wanted him to handle this matter. At the end of my shift I was told by the auditor that the technician's lead mechanic had looked at this damage and said that the crack was within limits and the paint was chipped. He also told me that a special repair was requested for other items. At that time I felt it necessary to file a report.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Lead Mechanic report about discrepancies in the handling of an MD-80's left wing inboard trailing edge flap damage Write-up. The damage exceedied limits and required a repair per the Structural Repair Manual (SRM).

Narrative: While I was doing my Logbook damage Inspection; I found that the left wing inboard trailing edge damage that was documented earlier in the month elsewhere at 3/4 inch was now larger. At that time I asked the other B-Check Lead Mechanic to look at this damage with me and we measured it to be now at two inches. I called the Lead Mechanic's office and told him what I had found. He said he would look up the [damage] limits and get back to me. He faxed the Structural Repair Manual (SRM) limits over to me. On this B-Check we were having an audit so I told the Auditor what I had. He also looked at the damage with me and the SRM repair documentation. As per the Job Card; I entered an item on the Non-Routine documentation page giving the SRM reference and repair needed information. This aircraft also had other items that would be turned over to the next shift. The right wing 0 slat had made contact with the leading edge and also pulled four rivets and a hydraulic leak on the right elevator. All were documented.One day later at the start of my shift; the aircraft had been released for service. The Auditor came into the Lead Mechanic's office and said the aircraft is still here; let's look at it and see what was done. We went out to the aircraft and found that the crack was now repaired; it had been repaired with what I thought was Super Glue. The Auditor asked me if that was an approved repair and I stated that I had documented the SRM repair information in my non-routine item. The sign off for that item stated that the crack was within limits and that the paint was chipped. Nothing was said about the repair that was accomplished on the sign off. I was also told that a manager had signed off the item. The Auditor asked me to go to the hangar with him and talk to the Technician's Lead Mechanic; it was clear to me that he was looking for a way out. We also spoke to the Maintenance Controller on duty. The Auditor wanted him to handle this matter. At the end of my shift I was told by the Auditor that the Technician's Lead Mechanic had looked at this damage and said that the crack was within limits and the paint was chipped. He also told me that a special repair was requested for other items. At that time I felt it necessary to file a report.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.