1995-04 · NASA ASRS report 303989
FLC OF AN MDT FAILED TO PROPERLY HAVE MAINT SIGN OFF CONFORMATION OF A MEL'D ACFT ITEM IN ACFT LOG.
IT WAS RECENTLY BROUGHT TO MY ATTN THAT I FLEW AN ACFT FOR WHICH THE MAINT LOG WAS NOT PROPERLY CLRED. I BELIEVE THAT THIS RESULTED FROM A CHANGE IN COMPANY MEL PROCS OF WHICH I WAS NOT PROPERLY INFORMED. THE MAINT PROB WAS THAT A RED LIGHT IN THE GEAR HANDLE WAS MISSING. THIS LIGHT COMES ON WHEN THE HANDLE IS IN THE DOWN POS AND THE GEARS ARE NOT FULLY LOCKED DOWN. PLEASE NOTE THAT ON THIS ACFT THERE ARE 2 INDEPENDENT SYS EACH WITH ITS OWN INDICATOR TO INDICATE GEAR POS. ADDITIONALLY; ANY TIME YOU ARE BELOW 500 FT AGL AND DSNDING AND THE GEAR ARE NOT DOWN; A VOICE RECORDING SCREAMS IN THE FLT DECK 'TOO LOW; GEAR.' FOR THESE REASONS THE RED LIGHT IN THE HANDLE IS QUITE MINOR; SOME MIGHT SAY AN ANACHRONISM. UNTIL RECENTLY; FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 14 YRS; THE MEL PROCS PROVIDED THAT; WHEN A CAPT DISCOVERED A DISCREPANCY AT A NON-MAINT BASE; HE CALLED MAINT CTL. TOGETHER WITH MAINT CTL HE MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY; A PLACARD ON THE FRONT COVER OF THE LOG CAN; AND A PLACARD WAS PLACED ON THE ACFT BY THE MEL ITEM. ADDITIONALLY; DISPATCH WAS NOTIFIED AND THE RELEASE WOULD INDICATE THE MEL ITEM. WHAT WAS NEW AND WHAT I MISSED WAS THAT ONCE THE ACFT PASSED THROUGH A MAINT BASE; SOMEONE FROM MAINT WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE A LOG CAN ENTRY STATING 'INFO NOTED.' THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLYING FOR THE PREVIOUS 2 DAYS WITHOUT THOSE KEY WORDS EVEN THOUGH EVERY OTHER LEG GOES THROUGH A MAINT BASE 10 TIMES A DAY. WHEN I PICKED UP THE ACFT; MY RELEASE SHOWED THIS DISCREPANCY. THE LOG SHOWED A COVER ENTRY AND AUTH BY MAINT THE ACFT WAS CORRECTLY PLACARDED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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