ACR L1011-500 DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE TO REMOVE CARGO CONTAINERS THAT MAY HAVE HELD COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.

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ACFT HAD BEEN DISPATCHED AND WAS ENRTE FROM ATL TO MAN. DURING MY AUDIT OF MEL'S CURRENT FOR MY ACFT/FLTS DURING MY SHIFT; I ENCOUNTERED A RESTRICTIVE ITEM ON AN L1011 ACFT. I HAD THE C/A CARGO COMPARTMENT; MAIN AND ALTERNATE BOTTLES INOP; UNDER MEL M26-23-00C. THIS REQUIRES ONLY NON COMBUSTIBLE CARGO ABLE TO BE LOADED IN THE COMPARTMENT. I CHKED THE OUTBOUND LOAD MESSAGE; AND SAW THAT THERE HAD BEEN 3 CARGO CONTAINERS LOADED IN THE COMPARTMENT. I THEN DISCUSSED THE PROB WITH OUR MAINT COORD DEPT AND CONFIRMED THAT THE MEL ITEM WAS VALID AND CURRENT. I INFORMED THE L1011 SYS COORDINATOR OF THE PROB TO DISCUSS THE OPTIONS THAT WERE AVAILABLE. LNDG AND OFFLOADING THE CARGO SEEMED TO BE THE MOST PRUDENT AND SAFE ALTERNATIVE; AS THE ACFT HAD NOT YET ENTERED THE MINNEAPOLIS AREA AND WAS SHORT OF YQX. I CONTACTED OUR GND SUPPORT AGENCY IN YQX AND AFFIRMED THAT THEY COULD ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK. THEN I CONTACTED THE CREW IN ORDER TO CONFIRM THE SIT WITH THEM; DISCUSS OUR OPTIONS AND INITIATE OUR DIVERSION. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED; THE CARGO WAS OFFLOADED; AND THE ACFT CONTINUED ON TO ITS FINAL DEST. THIS FLT WAS ATL-MAN.