A B737-300 WAS DISPATCHED AND OPERATED FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITH PLIERS LEFT IN THE R WING TRAILING EDGE FLAP WELL.

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ON THE NIGHT OF MAR/FRI/06 I WAS TASKED WITH THE SVC CHK ON ACFT. UPON PICKING THE ACFT UP FROM THE GATE; THE FLT CREW INFORMED US THAT THEY OBSERVED AN ISSUE WITH THE FLAP SYS. WE TOLD THEM TO WRITE IT IN THE LOGBOOK; REF LP. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE FLAPS DID NOT EXTEND TO THE CHOSEN POS; AS WELL AS AN OBSERVED NEEDLE SPLIT. AT THIS TIME WE TOOK THE ACFT TO THE HANGAR. ON THE TAXI OVER TO THE HANGAR; I CYCLED THE FLAPS 8-10 TIMES WITH NO OBSERVED NEEDLE SPLIT; THE FLAPS ALSO WENT TO THE CHOSEN POS. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE HANGAR WE WORKED ALL THE ASSIGNED (ROUTINE) WORK FIRST. AFTER THE ROUTINE WORK WAS DONE I STARTED WORKING THE FLAP ITEM. SINCE THERE WAS NO INDICATION PROB AT THE TIME; THE FLAPS FUNCTIONED PROPERLY; AND THERE WAS NO HISTORY; I CHOSE TO CHK THE CANNON PLUGS ON THE FLAP XMITTERS. THESE CANNON PLUGS HAVE BEEN A SOURCE OF PROBS ON THE -700 ACFT; CAUSING THE FLAPS TO LOCK OUT. UPON PULLING THE CANNON PLUGS AND FINDING NO NOTICEABLE ISSUES I GOT THE REQUIRED CPC THAT IS USED ON THE -700 PLUGS. I SPRAYED; RECONNECTED; AND CHKED THE SYS WITH NO OBSERVED PROBS. WHILE I PERFORMED THE MAINT ON THE FLAP XMITTER PLUGS I HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE INQUIRE ABOUT WHAT I WAS DOING; AND TO OFFER HELP. I WOULD STOP TO EXPLAIN THE JOB AND THEN CONTINUE ON. I REMOVED THE CANNON PLUG ON THE R WING I NEEDED PLIERS. AFTER USING THEM IT APPEARS I PUT THEM IN THE FLAP WELL. I GOT OFF THE LADDER TO GET THE CPC; TREATED THE PLUGS; AND REINSTALLED THEM. THE PLIERS MUST HAVE BEEN SET IN A RECESS (NOTE: THEY STAYED THERE FOR SEVERAL DAYS) AND I DID NOT REMOVE THEM AFTER THE MAINT WAS PERFORMED. THE PLIERS WERE FOUND ON MAR/MON/06. I BELIEVE A COMBINATION OF THIS BEING THE LAST ACFT IN; THE LAST JOB BEING WORKED; INTERRUPTIONS DURING THE JOB; AND ME PUTTING THE PLIERS THERE TO BEGIN WITH ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS.