A FLC USED AN 'ENRTE MEL' FOR A SIT ON THE GND.

Narrative

WE HAD BEEN FLYING OUR AIRPLANE AROUND WITHOUT THE DOOR ON THE FUELING PANEL FOR 2 DAYS NOW. (THE DOOR WAS GONE AND HAD BEEN LEGALLY 'CDL'ED ON OUR DISPATCH RELEASE). UP TO NOW; WE HAD NO PROBS WITH THE FUELING PANEL. ONCE ON THE GND IN GUADALAJARA; AS I WAS DOING MY WALKAROUND; I NOTICED THE FUELER WAS FRANTICALLY ATTEMPTING TO TELL ME SOMETHING IN SPANISH. SINCE I DON'T SPEAK SPANISH; I FOUND ONE OF OUR CUSTOMER SVC AGENTS WHO COULD TRANSLATE FOR ME. MY 'TRANSLATOR' TOLD ME THAT THE FUELERS COULDN'T OBTAIN PWR TO THE FUELING PANEL AT ALL. AT THIS POINT; BOTH THE CAPT AND MYSELF BEGAN TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE FUELING STATION UNDER THE R WING WASN'T PWRED. AFTER THINKING OF EVERYTHING TO TRY THAT WE KNEW ABOUT; WE FINALLY WOUND UP MANUALLY OVERRIDING ALL OF THE FUELING VALVES FOR FUELING AND REFUELED THE PLANE UNEVENTFULLY. PRIOR TO DOING THIS; HOWEVER; WE HAD ATTEMPTED TO CALL MAINT CTL VIA THE RADIO FOR IDEAS ON HOW WE MIGHT PWR THE PANEL. ALSO; IT WAS GETTING CLOSE TO DEP TIME AND WE WERE AFRAID WE'D HAVE TO TAKE A DELAY; SO WE NEEDED TO HAVE MAINT TO ASSIST US IN ORDER TO DEPART ON TIME. BY THE TIME WE ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH MAINT ABOUT 15-25 MIN HAD ELAPSED AND WE HAD SUCCESSFULLY REFUELED BY OVERRIDING THE FUELING VALVES. SEATTLE MAINT CTL THEN GAVE US AN ENRTE MEL NUMBER FOR RELEASE AND DISPATCH GAVE US AN AMENDED RELEASE. WE DEPARTED UNEVENTFULLY. AFTER WE WERE AIRBORNE; THE CAPT AND I STARTED DISCUSSING THE SIT AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WE SHOULD HAVE HAD CONTRACT MAINT COME OUT TO THE PLANE AND SIGN OFF THE FUELING PANEL RATHER THAN HAVE TAKEN AN ENRTE MEL! AFTER REACHING LAX; WE DISCUSSED THIS SIT WITH OUR MAINT PERSONNEL AND WE LEARNED THAT THE ONLY WAY TO PWR THE FUELING STATION WITH THE DOOR REMOVED WAS TO HOLD THE PWR SWITCH IN THE OVERRIDE POS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REFUELING. HAD WE KNOWN THIS; OR OUR FUELERS IN GDL KNOWN THIS; THE WHOLE SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. ALSO; WE SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT AN ENRTE MEL IS TO BE USED ONLY ENRTE; WHICH MEANS AFTER DEP FROM THE GATE. IN OUR CASE; THOUGH; AN ENRTE MEL WAS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!