A B767-300 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH #1 FRONT WHEEL AND TIRE ASSEMBLY MISSING THE INBOARD WHEEL SPACER.

Narrative

WHILE WORKING A B767 ACFT; ON WALKAROUND I FOUND TIRE #1F WORN BEYOND LIMITS. I MADE A WRITE-UP TO REPLACE THE TIRE. I PRINTED A COPY OF THE RELEVANT MAINT MANUAL REF AND BEGAN TO REPLACE THE TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY. I HAD ANOTHER MECH WORKING WITH ME. EVEN THOUGH I HAD NEVER CHANGED A TIRE ON THIS MODEL ACFT; I TOOK THE LEAD AND THIS OTHER MECH BASICALLY FOLLOWED ME. THE OLD TIRE CAME OFF WITHOUT ANY PROBS. WE HAD A LITTLE TROUBLE ALIGNING THE NEW WHEEL ASSEMBLY ON THE AXLE; BUT ONCE LINED-UP; THE ASSEMBLY SLID INTO PLACE WITHOUT PROB. THE FIRST INDICATION THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG CAME AFTER WE HAD APPLIED INITIAL TORQUE AND WERE APPLYING THE FINAL TORQUE. THE HOLES FOR THE LOCKING BOLTS DIDN'T ALIGN AND; PER THE MAINT MANUAL; WE CONTINUED TO TORQUE THE NUT TO BRING THE HOLES INTO ALIGNMENT. IT APPEARED TO ME THAT TOO MUCH TORQUE WAS REQUIRED; BUT WE DIDN'T EXCEED THE 15 DEGS ADDITIONAL ROTATION ON THE AXLE NUT AS ALLOWED BY THE MAINT MANUAL; SO I DISMISSED THIS AS NORMAL. WE ALSO HAD DIFFICULTY INSTALLING THE HUB CAP. THE CLAMP SEEMED TOO TIGHT; BUT AGAIN I DISMISSED THIS. ONCE THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS INSTALLED; IT SPUN NORMALLY ON THE AXLE WITH NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS. I CONFERRED WITH THE OTHER MECH AND WE BOTH AGREED THAT THE TIRE WAS INSTALLED PROPERLY. WHEN THE ACFT LANDED AT ITS NEXT DEST; THE BRAKE ON THIS WHEEL ASSEMBLY OVERHEATED AND THE TIRE DEFLATED. ON INSPECTION; IT WAS NOTED THAT THE INBOARD SPACER WAS MISSING FROM THE ASSEMBLY. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION; THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE CHANGING A WHEEL ASSEMBLY ON THIS MODEL ACFT AND; FOR THAT MATTER; ANY MODEL ACFT THAT HAS AN INBOARD SPACER. I'VE CHANGED MANY WHEELS ON B757 ACFT AND ASSUMED THAT THE PROCESS WAS SIMILAR ON THE B767. WHILE I HAD A COPY OF THE MAINT MANUAL; I REFERRED TO IT ONLY FOR TORQUE VALUES. I DIDN'T LOOK FOR THIS INBOARD SPACER BECAUSE I WASN'T AWARE OF IT.