Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1317071.015 - Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:45 p.m. on May 14, 2018, Employee #1 was at his worktable, using a Dotco Drill in Building 902, in the aircraft F-18 assembly area of Department 2L2A, assembling two sides of a fuselage tank. The Dotco drill, a 3200 rpm pneumatic drill that is 90 psig, was used to drill holes in a metal bracket. The employee had two 2 inch by 0.625 inch metal bracket pieces that had been bent at a 90 degree angle. Each bracket needed two holes drilled through each half so they could be used as fasteners on the aircraft fuselages. Employee #1 measured the bracket and marked where he would drill the hole. He mistakenly marked the bracket on the opposite side, so he could not see the mark. The drill bit he was originally using, a 0.128 #30 cobalt drill, was the correct drill bit for this procedure, but it became dull. Employee #1 grabbed a carbide drill bit instead of getting another cobalt bit, even though the carbide cuts too fast for that operation. He had used the carbide drill bit once before, without incident. The employee decided to hold the bracket in his hand so he could see the mark, and started drilling. The bracket started to rotate with the drill, and the bracket swung and cut the tip of his left index finger. He suffered a laceration and partial amputation to his left index finger. Employee #1 was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Keywords: Aircraft, Amputation, Drill, Finger, Laceration, Rotating Parts, Tank