A B727-200 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE R NOSE GEAR TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY HUB CAP NOT INSTALLED CORRECTLY.

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ON NOV/XA/99; ACFT XYZ NEEDED BOTH L AND R NOSE TIRES REPLACED. MYSELF AND MECH #WXXX WERE ASSIGNED THE TASK. WORK WAS STARTED AT XA00 UPON CHANGING BOTH TIRES. WE WERE WORKING AS A CREW. AT THE POINT OF ALMOST COMPLETING THE JOB; THE ONLY THING LEFT WAS TO INSTALL THE L AND R NOSE TIRE HUB CAPS. I HAD TOLD WXXX THAT I HAD 'FINGER-TIGHTENED' THE R NOSE CAP BOLTS -- IF HE WOULD TIGHTEN THEM UP THE REST OF THE WAY WITH HIS SOCKET AND WRENCH AS I DID NOT HAVE A 9/16 INCH SOCKET AT MY DISPOSAL. I TOLD HIM IF HE DID THIS THEN I WOULD PICK UP THE TIRES AND TOOLS FOR CLEAN-UP BECAUSE THE CREW WAS COMING TO GET THE ACFT. WE THEN WERE AT THE POINT OF SIGNING THE WORK OFF. WE HAD BOTH SIGNED FOR THE L NOSE TIRE; BUT UPON FILLING OUT THE STATEMENT FOR THE R NOSE; WXXX HAD LEFT THE ROOM TO CLEAN UP AND AS I DID NOT HAVE HIS FILE NUMBER; I THEN SIGNED OFF THE NOSE TIRE MYSELF. THE ACFT WAS THEN RELEASED. I HAD ASSUMED DURING THE WORK TASK THAT ALL WORK WAS COMPLETED PER ACR REF MAINT MANUAL 32. I DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE WAS A MISCOM ABOUT TIGHTENING UP BOTH NOSE TIRE HUB CAPS. THE NEXT DAY; I WAS NOTIFIED THROUGH COMPANY E-MAIL ABOUT THE LOOSE R NOSE TIRE HUB CAP FROM MECH ABC DEX.