Date: 201205
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Light: Night
Aircraft: MD-82
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Parked
Aircraft component: Stall Protection System
Component problem: Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Technician
Reporter qualification: Maintenance Powerplant; Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Avionics
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Troubleshooting; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Detector: Person Maintenance
When detected: Other During Maintenance
Result: General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Chart Or Publication; Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Manuals; Procedure; Aircraft; Human Factors
Primary problem: Manuals

Narrative: Mr. Y and I were assigned on overnight to work an Out of Service MD-82 aircraft; Aircraft X; which had items for Auto-Slat fail; with history. The Maintenance Open/Deferred Items (MODI) report listed it as a Mandatory Requirement Procedure item; with a Corrective Action in the MODI. Per following Corrective Action; while attempting to troubleshoot fault; found that; the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) reference in the Corrective Action we were to follow; was MD-82; AMM 27-81-00-1. While troubleshooting aircraft; found that Aircraft X does not have an Angle of Attack (AOA) vane installed that matches the Troubleshooting Guide; which only list two AOA vane styles; one with a center scribe line and three scribe lines above and below it; the other AOA vane style is a Rosemount AOA sensor vane that goes from 30-0-30. The one now on Aircraft X is an AOA style that goes from 60-0-60; which the Troubleshooting Guide does not cover. So we are unable to find the correct Voltage DC values that the 60-0-60 AOA vanes should be; at each degree settings. Routine Overnight Maintenance.

Callback: Reporter stated Line Engineering previously wrote an Engineering Order to have their MD-80 aircraft modified to use the 60-0-60 AOA vanes; but never included any DC Voltage specifications requirements. No Advance Revisions or Temporary Revisions were ever issued to help Maintenance troubleshoot whether or not the Auto-Slat faults were caused by AOA vane problems in the Stall Warning System.Reporter stated that Mandatory Requirements are often included in the Corrective Action section of their Maintenance Open/Deferred Items list for various aircraft. When he asked their Technical Support group for help in locating voltage specifications in order to address the repeated Auto-Slat Fail Fault; he was eventually told to 'just go figure it out'. He refused to sign-off the Corrective Action section due to lack of any DC Voltage specification guidelines. When he returned the next night; the MD-82 aircraft had been signed-off and released; even though no Advance Revisions or Temporary Revisions had been issued to address the lack of DC Voltage values for troubleshooting specifications.



Synopsis: A Line Avionics Technician reports he was unable to find the correct DC Voltage values in their Troubleshooting Guidelines that matched the newer 60-0-60 Angle of Attack (AOA) vanes used in their MD-80 aircraft. He noticed the lack of specifications in AMM 27-81-00 while troubleshooting a repeated Auto-Slat fault.