AN MD80 RECENTLY RELEASED FOR REVENUE SVC FROM A HVY MAINT CHK EXPERIENCED THE DEP OF THE FUSELAGE TAILCONE ON LNDG ROLLOUT.

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ON JAN/XX/98 ACFT YYY WAS RELEASED FOR REVENUE SVC FROM ACR MAINT BASE AFTER COMPLETION OF AN IL CHK. ON JAN/XA/97 IN XYZ; A TAILCONE INDICATOR LIGHT WAS LOGGED. AFTER MAINT CHK; TAILCONE LIGHT WAS MEL'ED. ON JAN/XB/97 TAILCONE FELL OFF ACFT YYY ON LNDG ROLLOUT IN ABC. NUMEROUS CHKS AND INSPECTIONS WERE PERFORMED ON THE TAILCONE RELEASE SYS IN ZZZ. I WAS INVOLVED IN THE CHK OF THE AFT CABIN DOOR TAILCONE EMER RELEASE SYS. UPON LUBRICATION OF AFT DOOR; RELEASE HANDLE TEST PULLED AT 19 LBS. SVCABLE LIMITS ARE 15 +/-5 LBS PULL. AFTER TEST; RIGGING WAS CHKED AND TAILCONE WAS PLACED ONTO FUSELAGE PER MAINT MANUAL. I TURNED OVER JOB TO NEXT SHIFT. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT ACFT YYY LEFT ZZZ WITH A PROPERLY RIGGED TAILCONE SYS. THE ONLY WAY THE TAILCONE WAS TO DEPART THE ACFT WOULD BE IF THE LOCKING CABLE BALL END WAS TO COME MISLODGED OR DEPLOYED FROM THE SWITCH ASSEMBLY. WHEN PROPERLY RIGGED THE ONLY WAY THIS HAPPENS IS IF ANY ONE OF 3 HANDLES/CABLES IS PULLED ENOUGH TO PARTIALLY OR TOTALLY DISLODGE CABLE BALL ENDS. PERSONNEL WORKING AROUND THIS ACFT SHOULD BE PROPERLY TRAINED THAT EVEN A PARTIAL PULL OF ANY OF THE EMER RELEASE HANDLES COULD CAUSE TAILCONE DISPLACEMENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED AFTER THE ROUTINE WORK FORM IS ACCOMPLISHED ON THE TAILCONE AND ALL REPAIRS FINISHED THE TAILCONE IS DROP-CHKED TO CHK THE LOCKING AND RELEASE MECHANISM. THE RPTR SAID THE TAILCONE IS ATTACHED AND ALL LOCKING DEVICES REINSPECTED AGAIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 392192 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT AT SOME POINT AFTER LEAVING THE MAINT CHK STATION ONE OF THE TAILCONE RELEASE HANDLES MAY HAVE BEEN PULLED OUT ENOUGH TO PARTIALLY DISLODGE THE RELEASE MECHANISM THEN RETURNED TO THE STOWED POS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 392521 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE FINAL INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED BY THE RPTR AND WAS COMPLETE IN EVERY DETAIL; LOCKING MECHANISM AND CABLE SYS ALL CHKED GOOD. THE RPTR SAID WHEN THE TAILCONE ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT WAS DEFERRED IN XYZ THE MEL REQUIRES THE VISUAL CHK OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM TO INSURE THE LIGHT IS THE PROB AND NOT THE TAILCONE LOCK. THE RPTR SAID IF THIS WERE DONE CORRECTLY THERE COULD BE NO DOUBT OF THE TAILCONE SECURITY.