ILLEGAL LOGBOOK SIGNOFF PERFORMED ON AN ACFT EQUIP PROB MALFUNCTION.

Narrative

WHILE PERFORMING BEFORE START CHKLIST WHEN TESTING FIRE WARNING SYS; WE FOUND L FIRE WARNING HANDLE DID NOT LIGHT UP AS REQUIRED. I CHANGED BOTH LIGHT BULBS; STILL NO TEST. I THEN MADE A CALL TO OUR DISPATCHER AND MAINT COORDINATOR TO DISCUSS THE PROB. WE DECIDED THAT THIS WAS A NECESSARY ITEM FOR FLT (THOUGH NOT SPECIFICALLY STATED IN THE MEL). THE MAINT COORDINATOR SUGGESTED TO REPLACE THE BULBS AGAIN PLUS PULL THE FIRE HANDLE OUT AND RE-SEAT IT. I DID BOTH OF THESE ITEMS AND RE-TESTED; THIS TIME WE GOT A GOOD TEST. THE DISCREPANCY WAS FIXED BUT NOW WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE PAPERWORK (LOGBOOK)? THE MAINT COORDINATOR SAID I (THE CAPT) CAN WRITE THE INVALID TEST IN THE DISCREPANCY BLOCK AND THEN WRITE OUR 'FIX' IN THE CORRECTIVE ACTION BLOCK - E.G.; 'RE-LAMPED AND RE-SEATED HANDLE; TESTS GOOD.' PLUS PUT MY INITIALS THERE. I HAD NOT HEARD OF THIS 'NEW' PROC BUT TOOK THE MAN AS THE AUTH ON THIS TYPE OF DOCUMENTATION. LATER I FOUND OUT THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTED METHOD OF DOCUMENTATION. THE PROB WAS FIXED BEFORE MOVING THE PLANE BUT THE PAPERWORK IS BECOMING A NIGHTMARE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 269517: THIS WAS DONE BY PHONE. IT WAS LATER FOUND TO BE A WRONG ACTION ON OUR PART. WE NOW KNOW THAT IT MUST BE A LICENSED MECH WHO FILLS OUT THE CORRECTIVE ACTION BLOCK AND THAT A TELETYPE MESSAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN LEGAL.