MECHANIC DESCRIBES HOW A POORLY WRITTEN COMPANY ENGINEERING ORDER CONTRIBUTED TO MECHANICS NOT COMPLYING WITH AN AD FOR THE MD80 ACFT AUX HYD PUMP WIRE HARNESS INSPECTION REQUIREMENT.

Narrative

ENGINEERING ORDER/AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE FOR THE MD80 FLEET IS VERY POORLY WRITTEN. THE TITLE BAR SAYS 'AUX HYD PUMP WIRE HARNESS INSPECTION' AND UNDER THE 'KEYWORD' IT ALSO SAYS 'INSPECT.' THE WORDS: REPAIR; REPLACE; MODIFY; OR COMPLY ARE NEVER USED. STEPS 1; 2; 3; 5; 6; 7; 8; AND 9 ARE CLEAR; HOWEVER; STEP 4 IS NOT. WHEN LOOKING AT THE BEGINNING CARD; STEP 4; IT SAYS 'WRAP/CHANGE/CLAMP WIRE HARNESS' THEN REFS FIGURE 2. THEN WHEN LOOKING AT THE FOLLOWING CARDS PAGE 1 OF 20 STEP 4 FOR MORE DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS; IT HAS THE EXACT SAME WORDING AS THE BEGINNING CARD. THERE WERE A LOT OF AMT'S THAT DID THE INSPECTION OF THE WIRE HARNESS AND ROUTING IN STEP 3 AND REPAIRED ANY DISCREPANCIES. THEN WENT ON TO STEP 4 AND LOOKED AT FIGURE 2 WHICH SHOWED THE EXISTING WIRE ROUTING. IF THEY FELT THE EXISTING WIRE ROUTING HAD PROPER CLRNC AND WAS NOT BINDING OR CHAFING AS INSPECTED IN STEP 3; THERE WAS NO NEED TO CHANGE THE ROUTING. SINCE THERE WAS NO DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS IN THE FOLLOWING CARDS FOR STEP 4; THIS WAS A VERY EASY MISTAKE TO MAKE. ALL OF THE MD80 FLEET HAVE BEEN REWORKED AS THE ENGINEERING ORDER INTENDED; HOWEVER; THIS MISTAKE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN AVERTED. THE TITLE BAR SHOULD HAVE HAD THE WORDS INSPECT (AS IT DID) AND REPAIR; REPLACE; OR MODIFY. ALSO; UNDER 'KEYWORD' IT SHOULD HAVE USED THE WORDS COMPLY OR REPAIR; NOT INSPECT. THESE SMALL CHANGES WOULD HAVE ALLEVIATED SOME OF THE CONFUSION. HOWEVER; THE BIGGEST MISTAKE WITH THIS ENGINEERING ORDER IS THAT THERE WERE NO DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR STEP 4 ON PAGE 1 OF 20 IN THE FOLLOWING CARDS. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN STEP-BY-STEP DETAILED WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS UNDER STEP 4 ON PAGE 1 OF 20. THEN USED THE PICTURES IN THE FIGURES AS AIDS TO ACCOMPLISH THE REROUTING OF THE WIRE BUNDLE AS THE ENGINEERING ORDER INTENDED TO DO.