A DC9-30 FREIGHTER WAS RELEASED FROM A C-CHK WITH CARGO DOOR AND CARGO DOOR JAMB CORRODED BEYOND STRUCTURAL REPAIR MANUAL LIMITS.

Narrative

ON APR/XX/97 I WAS WORKING/EVALUATING WRITE-UPS IN THE UPPER CARGO COMPARTMENT OF ACFT; XXX. MY SUPVR WAS STANDING AT THE STATIC PORT JUST AFT OF THE CARGO DOOR. INSPECTION SUPVR WAS STANDING THERE WITH HIM. I NOTICED THE LOWER DOOR JAMB HAD BEEN HEAVILY MARKED FOR CORROSION. I ASKED HIM WHY WE HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN THESE WRITE-UPS TO EVALUATE. THIS CORROSION LOOKED VERY HVY. THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE CAME INTO WORK THE LOWER DOOR JAMB WAS PAINTED WHITE. UPON REVIEWING THE WRITE-UPS I FOUND THE CORROSION WRITE-UP SIGNED OFF AS TREATED AND PRIMED. IN MY ESTIMATION THIS CORROSION WAS TOO BAD TO HAVE BEEN WITHIN SRM REPAIR LIMITS FOR A BLEND OUT REPAIR. THIS IS A PRIMARY STRUCTURAL ELEMENT AND REQUIRES PRIMARY ELEMENT INSPECTION. SINCE I HAVE BEEN KEPT AWAY FROM THIS AREA SINCE FIRST CALLING IT TO MY SUPVRS ATTN I COULD NOT GO BACK TO VERIFY MY SUSPICION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR HAS WORKED FOR THIS ORGANIZATION FOR 6 YRS AND THE PRESSURE TO 'BUY OFF' WORK THAT MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED IS GREATER. PRIMARY STRUCTURAL ELEMENT REPAIRS ARE BEING SIGNED OFF BY MGMNT IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE STRUCTURAL REPAIR MANUAL. NUMEROUS RPTS TO THE FAA ON THESE INCIDENTS HAVE RESULTED IN NO ACTION OR FOLLOW-UP. MECHS; LEAD MECHS AND INSPECTORS ARE CONTINUOUSLY PRESSURIZED TO AVOID WRITING UP BIG JOBS OR 'BUY OFF' THE JOBS THAT ARE WRITTEN-UP.