B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Avionics; Maintenance Powerplant; Maintenance Inspection Authority
Maintenance Inspector 34; Maintenance Lead Technician 1; Maintenance Technician 36
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Maintenance Action
Manuals; Procedure; Human Factors; Aircraft
April 2015. [Company] Air Carrier B737 at ZZZ. Pilot reported that the 'parking brake light illuminates intermittently at cruise (park brake handle -off).' Mechanic facted [closed] out the item with (replace parking brake light bulb). And then the item was dated; signed; and company employee number documented in Logbook.[Company] General Procedure Manual (GPM) XX-XX-2 Responsibility and Authority.The Mechanic that does the maintenance or repair must use the applicable technical data; judgment; experience and knowledge to make a decision of airworthiness.[Company] General Procedure Manual (GPM) XX-XX-3. Responsibility for Maintenance Operations.Maintenance discrepancies that do not have a related manual procedure for repair will be repaired with sound maintenance practices in accordance with industry standards; experience; and good judgment and will have the applicable signature document with the complete description of the work done. The company will not compromise aircraft safety for any reason. This includes flight schedules.Federal Air Regulations:43.5 Approval for return to service after maintenance; preventive maintenance; rebuilding; or alteration. No person may approve for return to service any aircraft; airframe; aircraft engine; propeller; or appliance that has undergone maintenance; preventative maintenance; rebuilding; or alteration unless (a) The maintenance record entry required by 43.9 or 43.11; as appropriate; has been made;43.7 Persons authorized to approve aircraft; airframes; aircraft engines; propellers; appliances; or component parts for return to service after maintenance; preventative maintenance; rebuilding; or alterations.(b) The holder of a mechanic certificate or an inspection authorization may approve an aircraft; airframe; aircraft engine; propeller; appliance; or component part for return to service as provided in Part 65 of this chapter.43.9 Content; form; and disposition of maintenance; preventative maintenance; rebuilding; and alteration records (except inspections performed in accordance with Part 91; Parts 125; 135.411 (a) (1); and 135.419 of this chapter).(a) Maintenance record entries. Except as provided in paragraph (b) and (c) of this sections; each person who maintains; performs preventative maintenance; rebuilds; or alters an aircraft; airframe; aircraft engine; propeller; appliance; or component part shall make an entry in the maintenance record of that equipment containing the following information:(4) If the work performed on the aircraft; airframe; aircraft engine; propeller; appliance; or component part has been satisfactorily; the signature; certificate number; and kind of certificate held by the person approving the work. The signature constitutes the approval for return to service only for the work performed.43.12 Maintenance records: Falsification; reproduction; or alteration.(a) No person may make or cause to be made:(1) Any fraudulent or intentionally false entry in any record or report that is required to be made; kept; or used to show compliance with any requirement under this part.
Reporter stated he initially thought the intermittent (flickering) Parking Brake Lamp might have been associated with an anti-skid valve issue. But; he had been around the B737s for years and suspected the lamp was failing. So he changed the Parking Brake lamp and signed-off the Logbook item as 'Replaced'. He could not use an Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) reference in the sign-off; because no procedure exists specifically for checking the light as functional. An FAA Inspector had been reviewing sign-offs and questioned the lack of a maintenance reference with the Logbook sign-off. In hindsight; perhaps he could have referenced their General Procedures Manual (GPM) in the Logbook; but he thought he had applied good judgment and sound maintenance practices as noted as acceptable sign-offs in their GPM; especially since the lamp was functioning just fine.
An Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) reports he did not include any Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) reference in a logbook sign-off for replacement of a parking brake light on a B737 that had illuminated intermittently at cruise with the parking brake 'off.'