FLC OF A BEECH 1900D OPERATED OVER THE ELT DEFERRAL TIME LIMIT DUE TO WX DELAYS. THIS INCIDENT HAS RESULTED IN A COMPANY MEL DEFERRAL PROC CHANGE TO HELP BRING THE DEFERRAL EXPIRATION TIME LIMIT TO THE ATTN OF ALL CONCERNED.

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ON DEC MON 1996 I INADVERTENTLY OPERATED A BEECH 1900D DURING SCHEDULED OPS WITH AN EXPIRED MEL ITEM. THE ITEM IN QUESTION WAS AN ELT REMOTE SWITCH WHICH HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP AND WAS PLACED ON THE DEFERRED MAINT LOG WITH A MUST REPAIR BY DATE OF DEC SUN 1996. THE COURSE OF EVENTS WERE AS FOLLOWS: I RPTED FOR DUTY AT XA00 EST ON DEC SUN 1996 AND NOTED THAT THE ELT REMOTE SWITCH WAS DUE FOR MAINT THAT DAY. KNOWING THAT OUR TRIP WAS SCHEDULED TO LAND IN PLATTSBURGH; NY; AT XD00 EST; I FELT ASSURED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING FURTHER TO CONSIDER ABOUT THE MAINT ITEM; AS PLATTSBURGH IS OUR COMPANY'S MAINT BASE; AND WE WERE SCHEDULED TO LAND ON DEC SUN 1996; WITH 3 HRS TO SPARE BEFORE THE MUST REPAIR BY DATE WOULD EXPIRE. HOWEVER; AS THE DAY PROGRESSED; WX; ATC; AND FUELING DELAYS ALL COMPOUNDED TO PUT THE FLT 2; 3; AND EVENTUALLY 4 HRS BEHIND SCHEDULE. THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THESE DELAYS; MY THOUGHTS WERE CONCERNED MORE AND MORE WITH THE TASKS OF OBTAINING CLRNCS; WHEELS UP TIMES; FUELING SUFFICIENTLY FOR ALTERNATE REQUIREMENTS; AND REDUCING GND STOP DELAYS. WHEN THE CLOCK TICKED PAST YY00; I DID NOT CONSIDER THE FACT THAT IT HAD OFFICIALLY BECOME THE NEXT CALENDAR DAY; AND THEREFORE; UNINTENTIONALLY OPERATED THE ACFT PAST THE MUST REPAIR BY DATE WITHOUT CORRECTIVE ACTION ON THE MEL ITEM. IT WAS ONLY AFTER LNDG IN PLATTSBURGH SHORTLY AFTER XA00 ON DEC MON 1996 AND HANDING THE LOGBOOK TO THE MECH IN CHARGE; THAT I RECOGNIZED MY ERROR. IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION TO STRETCH THE MUST REPAIR BY DATE; OR VIOLATE ANY PRESCRIBED PROCS FOR DEFERRED MAINT. IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF THIS ERROR; I THINK THE FOLLOWING PROC WOULD HELP. IN THE FUTURE; DISPATCH RELEASES SHOULD HAVE BOTH THE MEL ITEM AND THE MUST REPAIR BY DATE. THIS WAY; THE DISPATCH RELEASE WOULD CONTAIN ALL THE NECESSARY INFO TO MAKE A COMPARISON BTWN THE DATE OF THE FLT AND THE MUST REPAIR BY DATE; MAKING IT EASIER TO CATCH AN EXPIRED MUST REPAIR BY DATE FOR AN MEL ITEM. DURING A CONVERSATION WITH THE CHIEF PLT OF OUR COMPANY ON DEC WED 1996; I WAS ASSURED THAT THIS PROC IS BEING IMPLEMENTED.