A B737-200 WAS DELIVERED TO A GATE FOR DISPATCH WITH THE KEEL BEAM ACCESS PANELS MISSING.

Narrative

AFTER I HAD COMPLETED MY ASSIGNED ACFT THAT NIGHT; I PROCEEDED TO THE SO-CALLED BROKEN ACFT (XYZ); WHICH WAS AN EXTRA OVERNIGHT ACFT DUE TO CANCELLATION FROM SVC BECAUSE OF SEVERAL LOG SQUAWKS. I TALKED WITH THE MECH WHO WAS WORKING THE ACFT AT THE TIME ABOUT WHAT WAS LEFT TO BE WORKED ON. AFTER A DISCUSSION; I TOLD HIM I WOULD WORK THE 'L WING BODY OVERHEAT' PROB. I PROCEEDED TO THE SHOP TO CHK ON THE HISTORY OF THIS PROB. I SAW THAT THIS WAS A REPEAT PROB (INTERMITTENT) THAT WENT BACK AS FAR AS MAR/97. JUDGING FROM THE NUMBER OF MECHS THAT HAVE CHKED THIS PROB OUT AND THE INBOUND SQUAWK; I WAS CONVINCED THIS WAS AN INDICATION PROB. THEREFORE; I WANTED TO CHK; AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE; ALL THE ASSOCIATED DETECTORS; ACFT WIRING AND CONNECTORS. I STARTED CHKING AT THE L PYLON AREA; ACROSS THE L LEADING EDGE; AND DOWN TO THE L PACK BAY AREA. AFTER THE PACK BAY; I WENT TO THE KEEL BEAM AREA AND OPENED THE ACCESS PANELS TO CHK THAT AREA. THESE ARE THE PANELS THAT WERE FOUND MISSING AND THUS WHAT THIS INCIDENT IS ABOUT. FROM THE KEEL BEAM AREA I WENT TO THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT AND OPENED THAT AREA. FROM THE CARGO COMPARTMENT I WENT INTO THE TAIL COMPARTMENT AND THERE I FOUND AN ACFT WIRE CHAFING AGAINST THE ACFT STRUCTURE. THE WIRE WAS GOING TO AN OVERHEAT DETECTOR IN THE TAIL COMPARTMENT. AT THIS POINT I WAS PRETTY SURE THAT THIS WAS THE PROB. INSTEAD OF CLOSING ALL THE PANELS I HAD OPENED; I PROCEEDED TO REPAIR THE WIRE. AFTER REPAIRING THE WIRE I CAME OUT OF THE TAIL SECTION AND ASKED THE OTHER MECH WORKING THE ACFT IF HE CLOSED UP THE PANELS I HAD OPENED. HE SAID HE DID. AFTER LEARNING OF THIS INCIDENT; I TALKED WITH THAT MECH AND HE SAID HE WAS UNAWARE THAT I HAD OPENED THE KEEL BEAM AREA; AND THOUGHT I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT AND PACK BAY. I JUST ASSUMED HE CLOSED ALL PANELS. I STILL UNDERSTAND IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHK FOR FULL CLOSURE ON ANYTHING I OPENED.