FAULTY LOGBOOK; SIGNOFF.

Narrative

I WAS BEING RTE CHKED BY AN FAA INSPECTOR FROM SFO TO MRY AND BACK TO SFO. UPON LNDG IN MRY; I NOTICED THE EMER HYD PRESSURE GAUGE WAS INOP. I CALLED OUR MAINT CTL AND IT WAS DEFERRED UNDER 29-1 OF OUR MEL. AS I WAS PUTTING THE DEFERRAL STICKER NEXT TO THE GAUGE; THE INSPECTOR ASKED WHAT WAS BEING DEFERRED. I TOLD HIM AND HANDED HIM THE MEL. HE QUESTIONED WHETHER THIS GAUGE COULD BE DEFERRED. I OFFERED TO CALL MAINT CTL AGAIN TO VERIFY IT; HE SAID NO. SINCE HE WASN'T SURE; HE DIDN'T WANT TO DELAY THE FLT. WE TALKED SOME MORE AND I AGAIN OFFERED TO CALL MAINT. HE AGAIN SAID NO. THE FLT DEPARTED. ON OUR WAY TO SFO THE INSPECTOR CONTINUED TO LOOK THROUGH THE MEL. WHEN WE ARRIVED; HE SHOWED ME A DIFFERENT SECTION AND IT SHOWED THE GAUGE WAS NOT DEFERRABLE. WE TALKED A LITTLE LONGER ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF THE FLT. BEFORE HE LEFT; THE INSPECTOR SAID THAT NO ONE WOULD GET IN TROUBLE; HE JUST WANTED THIS TO BE A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE. I THANKED HIM FOR HIS INPUT AND HE DEPARTED. IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN; I WOULD HAVE GONE BACK TO MAKE SURE THE ITEM WAS DEFERRABLE. HIS QUESTIONING AND MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE FARS SHOULD HAVE RAISED A RED FLAG IN MY BRAIN. HOWEVER; SINCE HE TWICE SAID NOT TO CALL I DECIDED TO LET THE FLT CONTINUE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 287612: THE WORKLOAD IN MAINT CTL WAS EXTREMELY HVY. I WAS NOTIFIED BY SFO MAINT THAT THEY WEREN'T SURE OF THE DEFERRAL. WE THEN LOOKED UNDER MEL 32 AND WERE UNABLE TO IDENT A JUSTIFIABLE DEFERRAL. THE ACFT'S EMER HYD PRESSURE INDICATION WAS REPAIRED. AT NO TIME DID I INTENTIONALLY OR DELIBERATELY DEFER THIS SYS KNOWING IT WAS INCORRECT.