A321
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Powerplant
Other / Unknown; Time Pressure
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Maintenance Action
Company Policy; Human Factors; Incorrect / Not Installed / Unavailable Part
During an A321 aircraft Number 1 Pack Flow Control valve Removal and Replacement (R/R); the mounting hardware was nicked and gouged; bent and not in stock in ZZZ. I; [as Mechanic X]; informed my Lead Mechanic that the hardware was damaged at approximately XA:00 am. Two [Maintenance] Supervisors; Mr. X and Mr. Y; said the hardware was good and to clean up the hardware with Scotch Brite and reuse it. Approximately three hours later; I and my co-worker; Mr. Y; were called into the Supervisor's office. We were asked by the Manager on Duty to provide 'the cold hard facts on why the bolts in question were bad.' Then he gave us 15-minutes to find the information. Supervisor X cut the time allotment down by calling us back into the office. Our response was that we could not find it in the allotted time. The Manager on Duty gave us a Direct Order to install the valve with known suspect; bad hardware. The Manager made several threats to us; including termination and public humiliation; 'I am going to parade you around the gate area to inform the passengers why they can't go on vacation; on time.' Also [threatened] to 'walk us to the gates' if we did not reinstall the aforementioned bolts. After the second meeting; we; in fear of termination and under protest; reused the hardware. The Management team kept an excessive amount of pressure 'Bird-dogging' on us to get the valve installed by the end of the shift by checking on our progress every 10-15 minutes; rotating [amongst themselves] as to which Supervisor; or the Manager on Duty himself; that would come out to check on our progress. After the job was completed and paperwork was done; I clocked out and using personal time found the references we could not find in the time allotted earlier. During the removal of the Number 1 Pack Flow Control Valve; the bolts were noticed to be damaged. Supervision deemed it to be within their power; and in disregard of the Aircraft Maintenance Manuals (AMMs) and other company manuals; to determine that the hardware was acceptable. [We were] forced through intimidation and threats to reuse the bolts by the Manager on Duty with a Direct Order. [Recommend] to prevent this from happening again; the Management team be retrained on the 14 CFRs; specifically training to maintenance situations in which the Mechanic accomplishing the work has objections or concerns.
A Line Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) reports that he and another Technician were threatened with 'public humiliation and termination' if they did not reuse the mounting hardware that was damaged during a difficult removal of Number 1 Pack Flow Control Valve on an A321 aircraft.