Lack of resources

Lack of Resources

By Richard Komarniski

July / August 1998

Commonly accepted definition of an Aircraft Maintenance Technician: "A person who has learned to do more and more with less and less until they are fully qualified to do everything with absolutely nothing." Does this sound all too familiar?

Let's review a case study that will help to illustrate the importance of having the proper resources. The Piper Navajo was one of the more high time aircraft in the fleet but was generally well maintained. The crew had been complaining about a "Door Not Closed" light coming on in flight, but it always appeared to function correctly when maintenance personnel tried it on the ground. Since the latch was worn, maintenance management personnel decided to order new parts to be installed during the next 100-hour check. The parts were not designated as AOG'd (Aircraft on Ground) and they had not arrived when the 100-hour check was performed. The aircraft was signed out as "return to service." Flight crews noticed that the door light was coming on more regularly and could be activated while the aircraft was on the ground if you pushed on the door. Still, no parts had arrived (the factory was going through a bankruptcy), and the aircraft continued to fly. One day, a lady sitting near the door complained of a draft and noise from the door. The co-pilot left the cockpit to check on the door and just as he reached to check the handle, the door flew open. He fell out of the aircraft, but his legs had become caught in the strap used to hold the door when it was opened. The co-pilot was looking down at 3,000 feet between him and the earth — his feet held by a strap, and no way of getting back in the aircraft. The pilot made an emergency landing with the co-pilot dangling and looking at a runway just inches from his face, on touchdown. There were no physical injuries, but plenty of adrenaline was flowing that day in the aircraft. Another pilot, who was flying single pilot in the same type of aircraft, was not as lucky. Setting the autopilot, he went back to check on the door and disappeared, never to be found.

What can we do about incidents like these? In the case study, there were a few options. The latch was giving lots of warnings that it needed replacement. It should have been replaced even if it meant the cost of AOG-ing the part, or calling around to locate the correct part, or grounding the aircraft until the correct part was located.

Parts are not the only resource we need to do our job properly, but all too frequently parts become a critical issue. We can try to be proactive by checking suspected areas or tasks that may require parts at the beginning of the inspection. We can AOG the required parts, or order and stock anticipated parts before they are required. We can also work at establishing available sources for parts and arrange for pooling or loaning in order to meet critical shortages.

Making sure that we have the correct tools for the job is just as important as having the proper parts when you need them. And, having the correct tools means not having to improvise. Recently, an aircraft manufacturer was weighing an aircraft (which had received a new interior) prior to releasing the aircraft for an air show. Two days before the planned flight, the aircraft was weighed without the proper electronic load cells placed between the aircraft jack and the aircraft. You guessed it—the aircraft slipped off of one of the load cells and the jack point creased the spar. If we improvise, what can be the potential cost? We need the right tools to do the job and if they are broken, out of calibration, or missing, then we need to get them repaired, calibrated, or returned as soon as possible.