AN AVRO RJ85 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE FLT DATA RECORDER DEFERRED OUT OF TIME AND DEPARTING A FLT DATA RECORDER REPAIR STATION.

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WE HAD AN ACFT COME INTO OUR STATION AND LEAVE WITH AN MEL FOR THE FLT DATA RECORDER. WE ARE A REPAIR STATION FOR FLT DATA RECORDERS AND THE ACFT SHOULD NOT HAVE WENT OUT WITHOUT BEING LOOKED AT OR FIXED. I FOUND OUT THE FOLLOWING NIGHT THERE WAS NOTHING ON MY PLANNING RPT THAT MADE THIS MEL STAND OUT. LIKE (ZZZ ONLY) WE GET A LOT OF FLT DATA RECORDER MEL'S FOR OTHER THINGS. I HAD NO SUPVR AND NO QUALITY ASSURANCE TECHNICIANS THAT NIGHT. AFTER SEP/XA/01; WE WERE CUT BACK FROM 4 ACFT TO 3 ACFT PER NIGHT. ALSO WE WERE CUT BACK 4 MECHS; 1 SUPVR ON NIGHTS AND OUR MAINT MGR AS OF JAN/02 WE GOT 4 ACFT PER NIGHT. BUT WE DIDN'T GET ANY MECHS; SUPVR OR MAINT MGR BACK; SO WE ARE VERY SHORTHANDED. ON MY RPT; I NOTICED IT SHOWED WE HAD OVERFLOWN A DENT INSPECTION BY 900 HRS AND WE HAD A GOUGE IN A FLAP FAIRING THAT NEEDED TO BE FIXED OR EXTENDED. ALSO; I HAD TO INSPECT ENG SPINNER BOLT TORQUES AND INSPECT THE ACFT FOR THE CLEANING CREW. A LEAD FROM ANOTHER STATION CALLED AND WANTED ME TO LOOK UP SOME PARTS FOR HIM AND SEE IF WE HAD THEM. WITH ALL I HAD GOING ON THAT NIGHT BESIDES MY REGULAR DUTIES; A LOT OF MY TIME WAS SPENT DOING THINGS I NORMALLY DON'T DO AND HAVE NOT BEEN TRAINED ON. SO I WASN'T ABLE TO BE OUT ON THE FLOOR OVERSEEING THE WORK. I FEEL THAT IF THERE HAD BEEN SUPVR COVERAGE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE COVERAGE THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.