A B737-500 DURING A RAMP INSPECTION BY AN FAA ACR INSPECTOR IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE PAX AIRPHONE COM SYS LOWER BELLY ANTENNAS ERODED BUT WITHIN MAINT MANUAL LIMITS.

Narrative

I TOOK A CALL FROM A CAPT WHO STATED THAT AN FAA INSPECTOR WAS CONDUCTING A RAMP INSPECTION ON HIS ACFT AND THE INSPECTOR HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON 2 ITEMS THAT HAD BEEN FOUND. THE FIRST ONE WAS ON A DENT TO THE R HAND HORIZ STABILIZER THAT HE COULD NOT FIND PAPERWORK ON OR INDICATION THAT IT HAD BEEN ADDRESSED IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK. THE OTHER ITEM; AND THE REASON FOR THIS RPT; WAS FOR LEADING EDGE EROSION TO 2 EACH ANTENNAS; MOUNTED ON THE BELLY OF THE ACFT FOR THE AIRPHONE SYS. THE INSPECTOR WAS QUESTIONING IF WE HAD LIMITS FOR ANTENNA EROSION AND/OR A MAINT MANUAL REF. I CHKED AND FOUND A REF IN OUR GENERAL MAINT MANUAL. I TOLD THE CAPT ABOUT THE MANUAL AND THAT IT BASICALLY STATED THAT THERE WERE NO LIMITS TO THE AMOUNT OF EROSION AS LONG AS THE SYS WAS STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND THE INTEGRITY WAS NOT AFFECTED. I ALSO INFORMED HIM THAT I COULD FAX THE SPECS TO HIM. HE SAID NO; THAT HE WOULD GIVE THE INSPECTOR THE INFO HE HAD REQUESTED AS WELL AS THE REF NUMBER AND THAT SHOULD BE GOOD. IF NOT; HE WOULD CALL BACK. SOMETIME LATER I GOT A CALL FROM THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO SEEMED A LITTLE UPSET ABOUT THE WAY THE ANTENNA ISSUE WAS HANDLED. HE WANTED TO KNOW WHY A MECH WAS NOT CALLED. I INFORMED HIM THAT THE CAPT DID NOT MAKE A WRITE-UP NOR INDICATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO; OR THAT WE NEEDED A MECH. HIS CALL WAS FOR INFO ONLY. I ALSO STATED THAT A MECH COULD BE CALLED IF HE THOUGHT ONE WAS NEEDED. HIS REPLY WAS THAT THE ACFT HAD DEPARTED AND IT WAS NOT NECESSARY. HE CONTINUED ON ABOUT THE ANTENNA EROSION AND HIS CONCERN ABOUT THEIR SERVICEABILITY. I INFORMED HIM THAT I COULD FAX HIM A COPY OF THE GENERAL MAINT MANUAL SPECS IF HE LIKED. HE STATED THAT HE STILL DIDN'T LIKE THE WAY THE ISSUE WAS HANDLED AND WAS GOING TO INVESTIGATE IT FURTHER. HE THEN STATED THAT HE WOULD LIKE THE SPEC FAXED; WHICH I DID. THE INSPECTOR THEN HUNG UP.