AN EMB140 WITH A DEFERRED R THRUST REVERSER WAS OUT OF TIME. ACTUATOR WAS REMOVED AND NO SVCABLE PART WAS IN STOCK. REMOVED ACTUATOR REINSTALLED AND DEFERRED ITEM TIME EXTENDED.

Narrative

I WAS WITNESS TO A VIOLATION OF FAR'S CONCERNING THE USE OF UNAPPROVED PARTS. THE PART IN QUESTION WAS A R-HAND TOP THRUST REVERSER ACTUATOR ON THE R-HAND ENG THAT WAS REMOVED ON PREVIOUS SHIFT. THIS PART WAS REMOVED DUE TO A DROP DEAD MEL AND WAS SCHEDULED TO BE REPLACED PER THE JOB CARD. THE PART WAS TROUBLESHOT IN THE ACFT MAINT HISTORY AND DOCUMENTED AS BEING DEFECTIVE IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK. THAT NIGHT AFTER THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACFT AND TAGGED; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE PART IN STOCK WAS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH THE OLD PART. IT WAS DECIDED BY UPPER MGMNT THAT THE OLD TAGGED PART WAS TO BE REINSTALLED AND THE MEL EXTENDED. THE MECHS WERE GIVEN A WRITTEN DIRECTIVE TO REINSTALL THE OLD TAGGED PART AND THEY COMPLIED WITH THE ORDER; BUT DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE SIGNING OFF THEIR WORK. I ALSO WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH RELEASING THE ACFT; SO I DID NOT. MGMNT CLOSED OUT THE PACKAGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THERE WAS NO SVCABLE ACTUATOR IN STOCK FOR THIS AIRPLANE AND THE DEFERRED ITEM WAS OUT OF TIME. THE REMOVED ACTUATOR WAS TAGGED AS UNSVCABLE; BUT MGMNT ORDERED IT REINSTALLED AND IT WAS REINSTALLED. THE MAINT OPS CTR SENT OUT A DEFERRED ITEM SHORT TIME ESCALATION AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DISPATCHED. NONE OF THE LEAD TECHNICIANS WOULD SIGN THE MAINT RELEASE; BUT MGMNT SIGNED AND CLRED THE PAPERWORK.