LTT DISPATCHED WITH KNOWN MECHANICAL PROB.

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FLYING INTO X; WE WERE INFORMED BY OPS THAT WE WOULD SWAP ACFT FOR OUR ROUND TRIP TO Y. WE SWAPPED INTO THE OTHER ACFT. THE CREW GETTING OUT OF THAT ACFT MENTIONED NOTHING ABOUT A MECHANICAL PROB. NOR DID OPS GIVE A REASON FOR THE SWAP. WE THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING A SOUND ACFT AND WE FOUND NO PROBS DURING THE PREFLT. THERE WERE NO UNADDRESSED MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES IN THE ACFT'S MAINT LOG. DURING THE FLT TO Y; A MECHANICAL PROB BECAME EVIDENT AND WAS SUFFICIENT FOR US TO GND THE ACFT IN Y. DURING THE CAPT'S DISCUSSIONS WITH DISPATCH AND MAINT; HE DETERMINED THAT BOTH MAINT AND DISPATCH KNEW OF THE PROB WITH OUR ACFT WELL BEFORE WE TAXIED FROM THE GATE IN X. THE CAPT SAID THAT HE WAS TOLD THAT MECHS WOULD BE ARRIVING IN A COUPLE OF HRS (FROM A MAINT BASE 700 MI AWAY) TO FIX THE EXACT PROB THAT WE HAD DISCOVERED NOT MORE THAN AN HR BEFORE DURING OUR FLT TO Y. MAINT; DISPATCH; AND ONE OF THE PREVIOUS CREWS THAT HAD FLOWN THAT ACFT KNEW OF THE PROB IN X. BUT NOT US. WE; THE CREW THAT WAS TO FLY THE AIRPLANE TO Y AND BACK WITH PAX; WERE NOT INFORMED ABOUT THE PROB WITH THE ACFT. IN Y; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO SWAP INTO ANOTHER ACFT FOR THE RETURN FLT TO X. WE DID SO AND THE FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY. I BELIEVE THAT ALL THOSE WHO KNEW ABOUT THE PROB ON THIS ACFT EITHER JUST DIDN'T CARE OR DIDN'T WANT TO ANSWER TO MGMNT FOR DOWNING THE ACFT AND SUBSEQUENTLY CANCELLING FLTS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PRACTICE. IT ALLOWS THOSE PEOPLE MOST INFORMED ABOUT A MECHANICAL CONDITION OF AN ACFT TO DICTATE TO THOSE LEAST INFORMED ABOUT IT -- THE PLT; TO CLB INSIDE AND FLY THE THING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HE HAD ACTUALLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE SIT SINCE HE FILED THE RPT. HE LEFT IT UP TO THE CAPT TO DO ANY FOLLOW-UP AND HAS NOT CHKED BACK WITH HIM. HE WILL DO SO. BELIEVES THIS IS NOT AN ONGOING TREND WITHIN THE COMPANY BUT THERE ARE OCCASIONAL SNAFUS.