A B727-200 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH A SHORTED UNUSED FUELING VALVE CTL CONNECTOR REMOVED WITH NO ENGINEERING AUTH.

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ON NOV/XA/00; ACFT XYZ ARRIVED IN ZZZ WITH THE REFUELING PANEL FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION SYS ON MAINT DEFERRAL. THE FUEL QUANTITY SYS WAS ON DEFERRAL DUE TO CB C45 (FUELING GAUGES) POPPING. WHILE TRYING TO FUEL THE ACFT; ADDITIONAL CIRCUIT BREAKERS BEGAN TO POP. I BEGAN TO TROUBLESHOOT THE SYS BY REPLACING CB C45 AND RELAYS R97 AND R5. REPLACING THESE COMPONENTS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROB. I THEN BEGAN TO CHK INDIVIDUAL WIRES. I FOUND CANNON PLUG D1756; WHICH HAD BEEN TIED BACK AND CAPPED DURING A PREVIOUS FUEL QUANTITY MODIFICATION; SHORTED AND BURNED. THIS CONNECTOR POSED A FIRE AND SAFETY HAZARD. TO CORRECT THE PROB; I REMOVED THE PLUG; CAPPED AND STOWED THE WIRING. THE FUEL SYS; INCLUDING QUANTITY; BEGAN TO OPERATE NORMALLY. I RPTED TO B727 MAINT COORDINATOR MR X WHAT I HAD DONE. HE; ALONG WITH LIAISON ENGINEERING; INFORMED ME THAT SINCE THIS PLUG HAD NOT BEEN USED IN A NUMBER OF YRS IT WAS ALRIGHT TO REMOVE THE PLUG. I THEN DEFERRED THE REMOVED PLUG FOR LATER REPAIR; OR DELETION FROM SYS. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT WRITTEN APPROVAL TO REMOVE PLUG WAS NOT REQUIRED. I KNOW NOW THAT WRITTEN APPROVAL IN THE FORM OF AN ENGINEERING REPAIR AUTH WAS REQUIRED. I REALIZE THAT THIS WAS AN UNAUTH MODIFICATION TO AN ACFT SYS. THE REMOVAL OF THIS PLUG AND THE TERMINATING OF THE ACFT WIRING DID NOT DEGRADE THE SAFETY; OR INTEGRITY OF THE ACFT AND ITS SYS. THE B727 WIRING DIAGRAM 28-44-01 PAGE 4 CLRLY SHOWAS THAT PLUG D1756 WAS NO LONGER IN USE AND HAD BEEN TIED BACK. THIS PLUS IS LOCATED IN THE R WING LEADING EDGE AND IS SUBJECT TO CONTAMINATION.