AN MD11 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH #1 ENG THRUST REVERSER RENDERED INOP PER THE MEL BUT WAS MISSING 1 OF 6 LOCKOUT BOLTS.

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ON NOV/XA/99 I (ABC DEF) CAUGHT ACFT XYZ (AN MD11) FOR ACR. I AM A SENIOR MECH FOR ACR. MY GATE PARTNER WX WXXX AND I PARKED THE ACFT. I DID A WALKAROUND ON THE L SIDE AND MY PARTNER ON THE R. EVERYTHING WAS OK. I ASKED THE PLT HOW THE AIRPLANE WAS AND HE SAID GOOD. WHILE THE FLC WAS DOING THEIR WALKAROUND; I WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE #1 INBOARD SIDE OF THE THRUST REVERSER WAS NOT STOWED. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT THE INBOARD SIDE WAS NOT STOWED. THERE WAS A 3/4 INCH GAP. MY GATE PARTNER AND I OPERATED THE THRUST REVERSER -- IT OPERATED CORRECTLY. AT THAT TIME I NOTICED AT THE 9 O'CLOCK POS ON THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE THRUST REVERSER LOOKING AFT; THE LOCKOUT BRACKET WAS MISSING. INSPECTED THE THRUST REVERSER AND DID NOT FIND THE MISSING BRACKET. THE PLT ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A #1 THRUST REVERSER UNLOCK LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHICH WAS NOT ILLUMINATED AT BLOCK-IN. AT THIS TIME I DEFERRED THE #1 THRUST REVERSER PER MEL XX-Y WHICH CONSISTS OF LOCKING THE THRUST REVERSER OUT. I INSTALLED 2 EACH LOCK PLATES ON THE INBOARD AND OUTBOARD GEAR BOXES OF THE THRUST REVERSER. I ALSO INSTALLED 5 OF THE 6 LOCKOUT PLATES ON THE #1 THRUST REVERSER TRANSLATING COWL. I COULD NOT INSTALL THE ONE AT THE 9 O'CLOCK POS DUE TO THE LOCKOUT BRACKET MISSING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS CONCERNED ABOUT DEVIATING FROM THE MEL SPECIAL PROCS BY USING ONLY 5 LOCKOUT BOLTS. THE RPTR SAID MAINT CTL WAS ADVISED AND THE DEFERRAL WAS APPROVED.