Narrative:

An engineering order (east/O) showed to install two straps on what is labeled door-1 in the door-5 right-hand crew rest area on our B747-400 fleet. These straps cross a protruding piano hinge assembly that the door uses to open and close. From the piano hinge to the blind rivet installation nearest to it; the strap material to be secured down does not lie flush with the surface to be riveted.I contacted maintenance control and was told that the engineer; mr X; felt that this was an acceptable condition. I disagreed. For the blind rivets to attain their proper strength; the material to be riveted must be flush to one another. This problem is not allowed per our general maintenance manual (gmm) 1-0-8 that references that topic. Gmm 1-0-8; item 8; [instructs to] pull the sheets together; form the bulb tail; swage the collar and fracture [break]; the stem.I am concerned that the rivets are being used outside of their design envelope. At some point later; an update to the engineering order (east/O) was added; stating that the 3/16th to 1/4 inch gap between the strap and the attach surface was acceptable. It gave no reference to how this decision was made. I have been involved with several of these installations and this issue has affected all that I've done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Line Mechanic reported his efforts to have an Engineering Order (E/O) corrected that involved the installation of two metal straps across an access door in their crew compartment rest area on their B747-400 aircraft.

Narrative: An Engineering Order (E/O) showed to install two straps on what is labeled door-1 in the door-5 right-hand crew rest area on our B747-400 fleet. These straps cross a protruding piano hinge assembly that the door uses to open and close. From the piano hinge to the blind rivet installation nearest to it; the strap material to be secured down does not lie flush with the surface to be riveted.I contacted Maintenance Control and was told that the Engineer; Mr X; felt that this was an acceptable condition. I disagreed. For the blind rivets to attain their proper strength; the material to be riveted must be flush to one another. This problem is not allowed per our General Maintenance Manual (GMM) 1-0-8 that references that topic. GMM 1-0-8; item 8; [instructs to] pull the sheets together; form the bulb tail; swage the collar and fracture [break]; the stem.I am concerned that the rivets are being used outside of their design envelope. At some point later; an update to the Engineering Order (E/O) was added; stating that the 3/16th to 1/4 inch gap between the strap and the attach surface was acceptable. It gave no reference to how this decision was made. I have been involved with several of these installations and this issue has affected all that I've done.

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.