B737-700
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Powerplant
Maintenance Lead Technician 15; Maintenance Technician 25
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
July 2013; Technician Y called the Shop office prior to midnight informing me that the Aircraft X; a B737-700 aircraft on Spot X needed a # 2 tire and a # 2 brake and that he will need assistance in doing the job. As soon as I finished working at my [Lead] desk; I got a truck and started gathering tools and equipment to do this tire and brake [change] on Aircraft X. I gone in [to Stores/Parts] loading the aircraft brake into the truck (at the time I thought it was a 737-700 brake instead it was a 737-800/900 brake) and under the impression I loaded the correct brake onto the truck. I went to the aircraft to help Technician Y to install a new tire and brake. At the aircraft we installed the tire and brake.I helped Technician Y in putting the paperwork for the tire and brake into the [Maintenance/Parts] computer. The computer came up with a 'Force part change' for the brake; I continued with the 'Force part change'; thinking that the Serial Number (S/N) on the removed brake was in error; (S/N on the removed brake was hard to read). When I came into work and found out what had happened; I looked into the # 2 brake on Aircraft X and it was changed at another station.
While performing Service Check on Aircraft X; found # 2 brake and tire worn past limits. I informed Lead Mechanic prior to midnight [and] went to get parts and equipment. When going to get brake found the Lead Mechanic already doing so. I continued on to get tire and tooling. I returned to aircraft with tooling and tire; found the Lead currently working on aircraft; at that point performed tire and brake change with the Lead. [When the error was realized we] confirmed that Maintenance Control was informed and that corrective action took place at the next station.
A Lead Mechanic and another Mechanic report they inadvertently installed a B737-800/900 Brake Assembly on a B737-700 aircraft. Lead Mechanic had overrode the Maintenance /Parts computer by 'forcing' computer system to accept the incorrect brake Part Number (P/N) and Serial Number (S/N) installation.