A B737-700 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE FORWARD SVC DOOR ESCAPE SLIDE REPLACED BUT THE INFLATION PIN NOT REMOVED. SLIDE INOP.
Synopsis
A B737-700 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE FORWARD SVC DOOR ESCAPE SLIDE REPLACED BUT THE INFLATION PIN NOT REMOVED. SLIDE INOP.
Narrative
ON JUN/SUN/04; I PERFORMED AN OPERATIONAL TEST OF THE FORWARD SVC DOOR; EVAC SLIDE ON ACFT. DURING THE TEST; THE DOOR WAS HARD TO OPEN AND WHEN THE SLIDE DEPLOYED IT WAS COCKED AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE. QUALITY ASSURANCE TOOK PICTURES SO AS TO RPT THE OCCURRENCE FOR ZZZ. SLIDE WAS THEN REMOVED; DEFLATED AND PACKED IN CONTAINER. I THEN WENT TO INSTALL A NEW SLIDE ASSEMBLY. I PLACED THE SLIDE (NEW) IN THE DOOR CONTAINER AND WENT TO INSPECT IT. INSPECTING THE SLIDE; I SLID MY HAND OVER THE SAFETY PIN FOR THE INFLATION VALVE. I NOTICED THAT THE STREAMER FOR THE PIN WAS WRAPPED UP AND NOT LOOSE AND HANGING. I DID NOT REMOVE THE PIN AT THAT TIME AS I WAS NOT READY TO LATCH THE SLIDE CONTAINER TOGETHER. DURING FURTHER INSPECTION; I FOUND THAT THE GIRT BAR WAS NOT EVEN (PARALLEL) WITH BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE WHEN LAID OUT. I INSPECTED IT TO SEE IF I COULD STRAIGHTEN IT OUT OR IF [THERE WAS] ANY OBSTRUCTION AND FOUND THAT I COULD NOT WITHOUT HURTING THE INTEGRITY OF THE PACKING (SLIDE). I THEN SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED THE LID AND FASTENED THE COVER LATCH; WHICH TOOK ME A WHILE BECAUSE THE LATCH MOUNT WOULD SPREAD AND NOT HOLD TENSION WHEN OVER-CTRING THE LATCH MECHANISM. I THEN INSTALLED THE SLIDE CONTAINER ON THE DOOR; ENSURED THE GIRT BAR WOULD ENGAGE THE FLOOR LATCHES AND COMPLETED THE PAPERWORK. ON JUN/WED/04; ANOTHER OPERATIONAL TEST WAS PERFORMED AGAIN ON THE SAME DOOR SLIDE. THIS TEST WAS DONE; AS I UNDERSTAND; BECAUSE OF THE PROBS ENCOUNTERED WHEN THE TEST WAS PERFORMED ON JUN/SUN/04; AND SOME ADJUSTMENTS WERE CONSEQUENTLY DONE ON THE DOOR. THE TEST ON JUN/WED/04 WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL; AS THE SLIDE DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN DOOR WAS OPENED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE INFLATION VALVE SAFETY PIN WAS STILL INSTALLED. I HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR WHY I DID NOT PULL THE INFLATION VALVE SAFETY PIN ON JUN/SUN/04 WHEN I INSTALLED THE SLIDE INTO THE CONTAINER. I BELIEVE THERE MAY HAVE BEEN THESE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) COMPLACENCY: AS STATED; I FOUND THE SAFETY PIN INSTALLED ON THE NEW SLIDE; BUT IT WAS NOT 'STREAMED OUT' FOR A VERY VISIBLE 'PULL-OUT' CONDITION. ALTHOUGH THIS IS NO EXCUSE; THE VISIBILITY OF THE STREAMER WOULD HELP. EARLY THAT MORNING; I PERFORMED SAME MAINT TASK ON ANOTHER -700 ACFT. THE STREAMER OF THE NEW SLIDE WAS VERY VISIBLE AS IT WAS TIED FROM THE VALVE PIN DOWN TO THE GIRT BAR. 2) DISTRS: DURING THE WHOLE MAINT TASK WITH ACFT AND THE SLIDE; I WAS MENTALLY PREPARING FOR THE SOMETIME DIFFICULTY OF THE SLIDE COVER LATCH MECHANISM. SOMETIMES THESE LATCH PETTY EASY AND SOMETIMES NOT. AFTER MY FIRST ATTEMPT; I COULD TELL THERE WOULD BE SOME STRUGGLE. AFTER THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT; SWEAT AND FRUSTRATION; I SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED THE LATCH WITHOUT A BLOOD BLISTER OR PINCHES. ALTHOUGH NO EXCUSE; I PROBABLY WAS MORE FOCUSED ON THE GIRT BAR NOT BEING STRAIGHTER THAN NORMAL AND THE CHALLENGE WITH THE LATCH.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.