I was at work the other day and we had a plane with a fuel leak on the #1 engine. The crew actually called us out there for an "oil leak". The oil turned out to be fuel. The mechanic (mechanic #1) called for a hand and went upstairs after opening up the engine cowl. His "helper" stayed down at the engine to check where the fuel was coming from while mechanic #1 ran the engine.
The "helper" (mechanic #2) says the fuel leak is coming from the Fuel Pump Pad Drain. The plane is now grounded as there is no drip limit for the Fuel Pump Pad Drain. Mechanic #1 moves the plane from the terminal to the remote parking area and starts taking apart the fuel pump and HMU package. This is not a small job. About four hours later and the new pump and HMU are on now. The first thing to do is a leak check to make sure that you fixed the problem as well as check all the lines and hoses that had to be removed in order to change the fuel pump/HMU.
While doing the leak check fuel leaks from the Fuel Heater Servo, which is directly on top of the fuel pump/HMU package. Long story short-the Fuel Heater servo was what was leaking in the first place. It leaked fuel down on top of the HMU down the side of the HMU and then down the outside of the Fuel Pump Pad Drain line.
The point of this story is troubleshooting. When working on any system troubleshooting is an integral part of your job. If mechanic #1 in the story above had done some further troubleshooting once he got to the remote parking area he may have seen the leaking Fuel Heater Servo.
After being a mechanic for a while you tend to work with the same guys and typically one or two guys who you work with and work well with. When this happens you get comfortable and tend to trust these fellow mechanics. Trusting your fellow mechanic is fine, but putting in four hours of smelly, hard work because you did not double check another guys troubleshooting is a big waste of time and money. In the story above mechanic #2 was not even out there helping mechanic #1 change the pump/HMU so there was nothing to loose in double checking his troubleshooting.
You will also learn that there are guys who simply can not troubleshoot. I can't tell if it is laziness or incompetence but some mechanics can not do it. I have run into this at all levels of aircraft maintenance. Troubleshooting is like any skill in that you have to do it a lot in order to get better at it. Practice makes perfect. Once you start to learn some of the techniques it will come easier to you. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Troubleshoot, troubleshoot, repeat...
I'm at the polar opposite of depending on people to troubleshoot for me. I have to go it alone and do EVERYTHING by myself at this station. God forbid that I guess wrong and have a part shipped to me from PHX or LAS that will not fix the problem. Maintenance Control is going to crawl up my Hoo-Hoo and scream at me for not getting my troubleshooting right the first time. Plus we all know that they knew it was the Knibbler valve in the first place!
ReplyDeleteNothing is better than having the Flight Crew or Ramp help you troubleshoot due to my lack of a reliable mechanic right at hand. I love it when a pilot tells me, "The grey thing went like this went like this when the engine was running", and he shakes his leg sideways!
I also like it when the Ramper that you asked to clear you for flaps DOWN says to you over the headset, "You're clear, but the flaps look like they're already up? Can I go now? Divorce Court just started and they're serving mayonnaise donuts in the breakroom".
Sometimes I wish I had my old partner from OAK to help me out again. Good times, even in bad weather on Spot Tango with a PRSOV.
Well, the old adage "he who lives in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" comes to mind when I think of 666 and his lead buddy in regard to this dog and pony show. One should NEVER make fun of, or talk about someone else in a negative light because as human beings, we all make a mistake every now and then. Humility is the key to being a good person. The tables can turn quickly.
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