A LEAD MECHANIC DESCRIBES THE PRACTICE AND REASON FOR NOT ACCOMPLISHING REQUIRED RII INSPECTIONS OF THE #1 ENG SYNC ACTUATOR WHEN THEY WERE REPLACED AT HIS STATION.

Narrative

MECH REPLACED ENG SYNC ACTUATOR AND CONTROLLER FOR ENG SYNC MEL. TEST UNIT WAS USED FOR OPS CHK. SYS TESTED OK AND ENG SYNC PLACARD WAS CLRED. MECH REPLACED ENG EPR DRIVER. DID NOT CLR EPR SYNC PLACARD DUE TO ENG RUN REQUIREMENT; AND DID NOT UPGRADE LNDG MINIMUMS CAT I - CAT II AUTOLAND. SINCE TESTED WAS USED AND THE PROC THAT HAS BEEN FOLLOWED HERE HAS BEEN TO NOT DISCONNECT PWR TRIMMER ROD UNLESS TRIMMER IS CHANGED; WE HAVE ALWAYS NULL'ED ACTUATOR AND TRIMMER PER MAINT MANUAL AND TO CORRECT LENGTH AND MEASUREMENT; AND TO PROPER NUMBER OF CLICKS ON ACTUATOR. WHEN YOU DO NOT DISCONNECT THE TRIMMER IS WHERE THE RII PROB HAS OCCURRED. I WAS AWARE OF OTHER FLT CTL RII REQUIREMENTS BUT NOT OF THIS ONE. WE HAVE DONE THIS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS OVER THE YRS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THEIR MD-80'S HAVE THE PW 217-9X TYPE ENGINES. ONLY THE #1 ENGINE HAS THE ENG SYNC ACTUATOR WHICH IS MOUNTED ON THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE ENG. THE SYNC ACTUATOR RECEIVES ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FROM THE ENGINE CONTROLLER TO MATCH THE #2 ENG PERFORMANCE; AND SYNCS THE #1 ENG THROTTLE TRIM VIA A TELEFLEX CABLE TO THE #1 ENG POWER TRIMMER AND FUEL CONTROL. THEY COULD NOT SIGN OFF THE ENG EPR SYNC PLACARD DUE TO THE AUTO THROTTLES WERE NOT REPAIRED AND AN ENGINE EPR RUN WOULD ALSO BE REQUIRED. REPORTER STATED THE MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE REQUIRED RII INSPECTION HAS BEEN CLARIFIED AND WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED.