AN MD80 CAPT REPORTS CONTRACT MAINTENANCE ACTION ON HIS ACFT THAT TAPED AN OXYGEN DOOR CLOSED. FLT ATTENDANT AND FO DID NOT BRIEF CAPT ON MAINT ACTIONS.

Date: 2007-07 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: ground

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-mel-cdl|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-maintenance

Synopsis

AN MD80 CAPT REPORTS CONTRACT MAINTENANCE ACTION ON HIS ACFT THAT TAPED AN OXYGEN DOOR CLOSED. FLT ATTENDANT AND FO DID NOT BRIEF CAPT ON MAINT ACTIONS.

Narrative

PRIOR TO MY ARR AT THE PLANE; AT THE REQUEST OF ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS; THE FO CALLED CONTRACT MAINT TO LOOK AT A ROUGH PIECE OF METAL THAT WAS IN THE AREA OF THE AFT GALLEY JUMP SEAT. DURING BOARDING THE MECH CAME UP AND SAID HE COVERED THE PIECE OF METAL WITH A PIECE OF TAPE AND THAT IT REALLY WASN'T A PROB. AS I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE WAS ON THE PLANE; I INQUIRED FURTHER AND WAS SATISFIED THAT IT WASN'T AN AIRWORTHY ITEM; MORE DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I ASKED IF HE NEEDED IT IN THE MAINT LOG AND HE REPLIED NO. AN HR INTO THE FLT THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT AND SAID THAT THE DOOR TO THE GALLEY JUMP SEAT OXYGEN CONTAINER; THAT THE MECH HAD TAPED; HAD POPPED OPEN. ONCE AGAIN I WAS TOTALLY SURPRISED THAT THE DOOR TO HER OXYGEN MASK HAD BEEN TAPED SHUT. THIS DOOR IS SPRING LOADED; ACTUATED WITH THE PAX OXYGEN SYS AND HAS A LATCH SIMILAR TO THE ONES IN THE PSU'S. I FOUND OUT THAT WHILE THE MECH WAS PUTTING TAPE OVER THE PIECE OF METAL HE ALSO DECIDED TO TAPE THE OXYGEN DOOR CLOSED. ADDITIONALLY; DESPITE THE NOTE IN THE FLT ATTENDANT MANUAL REQUIRING CAPT NOTIFICATION; THE FLT ATTENDANT ELECTED NOT TO. NEITHER DID THE MECH MENTION THAT HE DID ANYTHING IN THE PLANE OTHER THAN COVER A PIECE OF METAL NOR DID HE CALL MAINT CTL TO FIND THE PROPER WAY OF RESETTING THE LATCH. HAD HE TOLD ME I COULD HAVE SHOWED HIM. LASTLY; THE FO HAD MINIMAL KNOWLEDGE; YET ALSO ELECTED NOT TO ADEQUATELY BRIEF ME. BOTTOM LINE; THE AFT GALLEY FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEAT WAS IN AN UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION THANKS TO AN UNAPPROVED/UNAUTH REPAIR PERFORMED BY CONTRACT MAINT. ALTHOUGH THE FO HAS OVER 11000 HRS IN THE MD80 AND IS SENIOR TO ME; I BRIEFED HIM THAT HE WAS NOT THE CAPT AND SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATELY BRIEFED ME. LASTLY I REMINDED THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT THERE IS A REASON WHY THERE ARE ITEMS THAT REQUIRE THE CAPT'S NOTIFICATION.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.