ACFT MAINT DISCREPANCY. ATTEMPT MADE TO COVER UP AIRLINE MAINT PROC ERROR.

Narrative

ON JUN/XX/94 AT XA20 AM AT THE START OF MY SHIFT; MY LEAD MECH WAS OFF; SO I WAS ACTING LEAD. THE NIGHT SHIFT LEAD WAS ALSO ON DUTY. DURING OUR TURN OVER TO ME FROM NIGHT SHIFT; HE SHOWED ME A PANEL FROM ACFT. HE TOLD ME IT IS FROM C-CHK. THAT THE LEAD ON DUTY AT THE HANGAR FOUND THE PLATE DURING CLEAN-UP (FOUND IT THE NIGHT BEFORE) AND WANTED ME TO CHK THE ACFT WHEN IT ARRIVED AT XC30 AM SAME DAY. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT MAINT CTL IN MSP HAD CALLED AND SAID THAT THE ACFT WOULD BE IN ATL AT XB30 LCL TIME AND I SHOULD CHK FOR THE MISSING PANEL AND INSTALL IF MISSING; BUT NOT TO GENERATE PAPERWORK -- NOT TO DRAW ATTN TO THE PANEL. WHEN THE ACFT ARRIVED I WAS VERY BUSY. ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT IT. BUT WHILE ON THE PHONE TO MAINT CTL IN MSP I SAW THE PANEL SO ASKED MAINT CTL ABOUT PANEL. THEY SAID IT MUST BE INSTALLED AND TO KEEP QUIET. INSTALLED PANEL; IT WAS MISSING. TOOK A DELAY OF 5 MINS; SO WHEN ABLE TO TALK WITH MY MGR ABOUT DELAY; TOLD HIM EVERYTHING. HE SAID WE HAD TO DISCLOSE. THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE WANTED IT KEPT QUIET; SO WE DID. HE SAID PAPERWORK NEEDED TO BE GENERATED FOR THE PANEL INSTALLATIONS SO HE GOT HANGAR TO OPEN A LOG AND ME TO CLOSE ON ACFT FOR THE PANEL; AND ALSO HAD THE ACFT REINSPECTED AND PAPERWORK GENERATED FOR THE REINSPECTION.