EMB ERJ 170/175 ER/LR
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Powerplant
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Maintenance Action
Chart Or Publication; Aircraft; Human Factors; Incorrect / Not Installed / Unavailable Part; Procedure
It has come to my attention that I have misinterpreted a maintenance step; as well as inspected incorrectly due to my misinterpretation. While performing maintenance on three ERJ-170 aircraft; performing company Engineering Order (EO) XXXX-001; to comply with Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2013-03-13; to install an improved hinge and striker on the Flight Deck Door;  a roll pin may have not been installed correctly into the lower door hinge Embraer Aircraft Illustrated Parts Catalog (AIPC) (52-51-01; Figure 05; Item 190).  I performed and inspected the step incorrectly; possibly resulting in the cockpit door not being secure; and the AD to not have been complied with properly. EO XXXX-001 instructs me to verify the [roll] pin is installed correctly and refers to the pin as (elastic pin); and also that the pin is not included in the Parts Kit issued to the Task. I verified the step in the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) (52-51-01-820-801-a; ((E) (1); (b) (1); (b)) and checked the Part Number (P/N) in the AIPC (52-51-01; Figure 05; Item 190; P/N PE25041-055-03). The aforementioned P/N is indeed included in the Parts Kit issued to the Task; (quantity two). I believed it was a mistake on the EO stating it was not included since it is the same P/N. I believe contributing factors are the possibility that the nomenclature of the part has been lost in translation from Brazilian Portuguese to American English. The common name for the part is a (roll pin); referred to in the AMM as an (elastic pin); and printed on the parts bag is (pino elastico). [Recommend to] inspect cockpit door hinges on affected aircraft; adjust and install roll pin immediately. Hangar; Graveyard [shift].
Reporter stated he had done that job multiple times and really thought he had correctly interpreted their company Engineering Order (E/O) callout for the location of a roll pin installation at the flight deck Door lower hinge. He and other mechanics had the same interpretation of the E/O. But then; Maintenance started getting reports their ERJ-170 Flight Deck Doors were binding. The upper hinges have a springy section and in the past would develop a large gap and become so loose; the door could fall out of the hinge fitting. The lower hinge is a ball and socket type that would build up with dirt and debris and could also be dislodged from the hinge. The lower hinge also adjusts the vertical position of the door. Reporter stated when the door binding became an issue; he revisited the E/O procedures and started wondering if possibly he had misinterpreted some procedure in the E/O. There were a few illustrations and diagrams attached to the E/O; but they were limited and not very clear. The roll pin (elastic pin) was identified at more than one location for the lower hinge assembly and that was where the confusion in the interpretation of the E/O started. The end result was one of the roll pin positions at the lower hinge assembly never got installed on multiple aircraft contributing to the door binding. He wonders if other mechanics at other operators have made the same mistake due to the misinterpretation of the language for roll pin and lack of adequate diagrams. Their company E/O was driven by AD 2013-03-13 with reference to an Embraer Service Bulletin (S/B).
After accomplishing a company Engineering Order (E/O) for the installation of an improved lower hinge assembly on the flight deck door of multiple ERJ-170 aircraft; an Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) realizes he had misinterpreted one of the maintenance steps and failed to install a required roll pin.