A B737-200 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE PAX OXYGEN PRESSURE INDICATOR DEFERRED AS INOP BUT BOTTLE PRESSURE NOT VISUALLY CHKED PER MEL REQUIREMENTS.

Narrative

WHEN I CAME ON DUTY ABOUT XA15 ON MAY/THU/02; ACFT HAD AN MEL 35-3. THE MEL WAS ON MY CURRENT RUN. HOWEVER; I WAS UNAWARE OF THE REQUIREMENT TO CHK THE PAX OXYGEN PRESSURE PRIOR TO EACH DEP. PRIOR TO; I BELIEVE; FLT TO XXX; DISPATCH AND THE CAPT CALLED ME AND QUESTIONED IF THE MEL REQUIRED IT TO BE INSPECTED EACH FLT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I BECAME AWARE OF AN INSPECTION REQUIREMENT DIRECTED BY THE MEL. I READ THE MEL AND MISINTERPED IT TO BE AT TIME OF DEFERRAL ONLY. IT WAS DOCUMENTED IN THE LOGBOOK THAT THE INSPECTION WAS COMPLIED WITH AT TIME OF DEFERRAL. I TOLD THE CAPT AND DISPATCHER THIS; AND THEY SAID OK; AND THE FLT CONTINUED ON TO DEST WHERE THE FLT TERMINATED. IT WAS A BUSY EVENING AND THE OTHER CTLRS WERE ALL ON THE PHONE; OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR THEIR INTERP. LATER IN THE EVENING; LINE CALLED AND SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART TO REPAIR THE MEL. AT THIS TIME; I REVIEWED THE MEL AGAIN TO CONSIDER CARRYING THE MEL ANOTHER DAY. AT THIS TIME; I STARTED TO DOUBT MY PREVIOUS DECISION AND I ASKED THE OTHER CTLRS FOR THEIR INTERP AND REALIZED MY ERROR. THE ACFT FLEW 4 LEGS DURING MY SHIFT WITHOUT BEING INSPECTED. WE BORROWED THE REQUIRED PART FROM RETIRED ACFT AND REPAIRED THE MEL ON ACFT. I ALSO ASKED ZZZ LINE IF THE PAX OXYGEN BOTTLE WAS STILL FULL UPON ARR; AND THEY SAID IT WAS.