Technicians reported that during troubleshooting an aircraft for erroneous fire warning indications; the supervisor on duty directed them to not document the swapping of components used so as to not have to comply with a landing gear operational check that was required and would require an RII action.
Synopsis
Technicians reported that during troubleshooting an aircraft for erroneous fire warning indications; the supervisor on duty directed them to not document the swapping of components used so as to not have to comply with a landing gear operational check that was required and would require an RII action.
Narrative
Aircraft X and Aircraft Y Name; Name1Troubleshooting MLG Bay OVHT Caution MEL on Aircraft X Myself and Name1 gathered all reference material off of [manual] and AMM to use to troubleshoot issue. Started to check loops in wheel bay; found to be good moved on with [manual] to change Gear OVHT Controller. Performed operations and functional test of system; found that warning fail test switch worked. Tested the OVHT warning on landing gear panel in center pedestal; which was found not to be working. So was instructed by acting supervisor for the night Name2 to swap landing gear panel from Aircraft Y which was also in the hangar as well as Aircraft X. We found that swapping the panel to test on Aircraft X did not help resolve issue; then proceeded to put the panel back from the aircraft it was on. Next we decided due to time we get caught up on all paperwork to where we were to get prepared for turnover for first shift. As we were discussing turnover Quality Control (QC) Name3 questioned about the swapped panels; which he then informed us they needed written up as well as a landing gear operations test which is also an RII item. We were unaware of the write up and operations check at the time; then we informed our Supervisor Name2 which then he told us to forget it and not to say anything. Then after further discussion he informed first shift Supervisor as well as the QC department. We then corrected our mistake by writing up both planes for the maintenance done and performed operations checks.I was made aware of the issue by QC Name3 3rd Shift. Event occurred due to acting Supervisor of the night Name2 instructing to swap landing gear panels to use for troubleshooting. Also inexperience with manuals and MEL task assigned for the night.When QC Name3 questioned about panels being swapped for troubleshooting purposes; we then informed Name2 of the issue to write up the maintenance done. Which then he told us to forget about it and not to say anything; then after further discussion he informed first shift Supervisor as well as the QC department.
Second reporter narrative
We (Myself and Name) began our night troubleshooting a gear overheat caution on Aircraft X. We did so following [manual] and AMM references to determine the cause of the caution; we suspected and replaced a gear overheat control. We documented this process through NRWC (Non Routine Work Card) and continuation cards. The issue was not resolved; and it failed upon operational check. At this point we discussed with our third shift Supervisor/lead (Name2) and we; using the wiring diagrams and [manual] began to suspect that the gear control panel could be the source of the fault. The fault was that the gear fail switch worked properly while there was no relevant gear warn indicators from its respective switch. Name2 told us we should attempt to confirm by swapping control panels with another Aircraft in the hangar; Aircraft Y. We did so; this did not correct the issue; so we returned the original control panels to their respective aircraft. We then spent some time discussing possible next steps and causes of the fault; our next step was to ensure our paperwork was accurate and up to date. Preparing to turn work to first shift Supervisors Quality Control (QC) inspector (Name3) questioned us about the panel replacement we had done earlier. He informed us that the job required an operational check that was also a required inspection item. It was at this point that we realized that we had not created a write up and consequently were unaware of the operations check required. After discussing with Name3; we informed Name2 and brought attention to our mistake before either plane had flown or had passengers board. We moved from there with the help of first shift supervisors and the QC department to rectify our mistake and ensure that the required checks as well as the original write up were properly performed; inspected; and documented. Discussion with 3rd shift QC brought to our attention that the panel swap had not been properly documented and required additional operational checks in order to be signed off correctly.Lack of experience working on specific systems and protocol for swapping parts; combined with not questioning instructions from our Lead Mechanic/Acting Supervisor.The help of the QC department in helping us catch and rectify our mistake was invaluable and appreciated. When informing the third shift lead/acting Supervisor we were working with we were told to 'forget it'. We were able to correct our mistake by expeditiously informing first shift Supervisors and assuring that the required checks/maintenance actions were completed correctly and properly; as was all subsequent paperwork.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.