A B747-400 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH A SKIN DENT FORWARD OF DOOR 2L BEYOND SRM LIMITS.

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ACFT WAS FOUND DAMAGED ON ARR TURNING FOR OUTBOUND FLT ABC. I WAS CALLED TO EDDY CURRENT A DENT JUST FORWARD OF THE L2 DOOR. ON INSPECTION; THE DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO BE OUT OF LIMITS PER SRM. IT WAS 3/8 INCHES DEEP (MAX 1/8 INCH) AND 5 INCHES FROM A SKIN SEAM (MINIMUM 10 INCHES). SUPVR VX WXXV WAS NOTIFIED. HIS REACTION WAS TO CALL FOR AN ENGINEER TO WRITE AN ENGINEERING VARIANCE AUTH. I COMPLETED THE EDDY CURRENT WITH NO CRACKS FOUND; AND EXPLAINED TO VX WXXV THAT I WOULD 'SIGN' FOR THE EDDY CURRENT ONLY IF AN ENGINEERING VARIANCE AUTH WERE WRITTEN. THE RESULTS WERE; THE ENGINEER DID NOT WRITE AN ENGINEERING VARIANCE AUTH AND MR X MADE A STRAIGHT DEFERRAL ON THE DAMAGE IN ORDER TO GET THE ACFT 'OUT OF TOWN.' I DID NOT SIGN FOR THE INSPECTION AND ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE DEFERRAL AFTER THE ACFT LEFT. I SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED THE LINE MAINT CTLR (YXB) AND EXPLAINED THE SIT AND THE DAMAGE; IN WHICH HE HAD GIVEN HIS AUTH FOR THE DEFERRAL. HIS REPLY WAS 'HAD I KNOWN WHAT THE DAMAGE WAS; I WOULD NOT HAVE LET THE ACFT LEAVE.' I THEN UPDATED THE ITEM (DF ZXZ) ON ACFT XYZ WITH MY FINDINGS. THE NEXT DAY IT FLEW TO XXX FOR REPAIR.