A B727 CARGO ACFT IS RELEASED FOR FLT BY MAINT UNDER AN MEL DEFERRAL NUMBER THAT WAS INCORRECT. FLT LEFT ILLEGALLY FROM OAK; CA.

Narrative

UPON ARR OF FLT TO OAK; INBOUND CAPT HAD PROBS WITH THE FO'S COMPASS CARD OSCILLATING IN THE HSI. THE GND TIME FOR THE ACFT WAS APPROX 55 MINS; THERE WERE MULTIPLE DISCREPANCIES AND THE NEW SYS FOR USING THE MEL (ON-LINE) IS STILL QUITE DIFFICULT TO USE. THE DISCREPANCY REQUIRED MORE TIME THAN I HAD TO GIVE DUE TO THE MINIMUM DOWN TIME SO I DECIDED TO DEFER THE WRITE-UP. THE MEL REF THAT WAS USED WAS FOR THE DEFERRING OF THE FO'S HSI WAS THE TO/FROM INDICATORS WHICH LATER; AFTER READING INTO THE MEL FURTHER; I READ A NOTE STATING THAT THE COMPASS CARD OF THE HSI MUST OPERATE NORMALLY. I DID NOT NOTICE THIS UNTIL THE ACFT HAD LEFT THIS STATION AND ARRIVED AT THE NEXT STATION AND THE FLC FOR THE OUTBOUND FLT REFUSED THE ACFT THE FLC WAS RIGHT IN REFUSING THE ACFT BUT AM STILL IN AWE HOW I ALONG WITH THE OUTBOUND CREW FROM OAK AND MAINT OPS ALL FAILED ON OUR CHKS AND BALS. THE FINAL ACTION FOR THE OCCURRENCE WAS THAT THE #2 DG AT THE DOWNWARD STATION WAS CHANGED AND THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY AGAIN.