A B767-ER IS DISPATCHED IN VIOLATION OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MEL; HAVING AN APU DEFERRED PAST THE SECOND FLT; FROM EGPF; FO.

Narrative

6 HRS AFTER TKOF FROM GLA; THE DISPATCHER CALLED TO INFORM US THAT THE FLT HAD BEEN ERRONEOUSLY DISPATCHED ON THE THIRD LEG WITH THE APU INOP. THE MEL STATES THAT FOR ETOPS; THE ACFT CAN ONLY BE FLOWN FOR 2 FLTS WITH AN INOP APU. BACKGND INFO: WHILE WE WERE PREPARING THE ACFT FOR DEP; A MECH AT GLA INFORMED US THAT THE APU WAS INOP AND THAT WE HAD AN ETOPS 120 MIN FLT RESTR. HE KEPT THE LOGBOOK TO USE WHILE BRIEFING THE FLT ATTENDANTS ON THE DEFERRED CABIN ITEMS. AFTER CHKING THE MEL FOR THE INOP APU AND ALTERNATE BRAKE VALVE; WE DISCUSSED THE ETOPS REQUIREMENTS AND CHKED OUR RTE OF FLT TO ENSURE IT COMPLIED WITH THE RESTR. THE LOGBOOK WAS GIVEN TO US JUST PRIOR TO DEP. THE APU WAS PLACARDED ON AUG/WED/02 AND TODAY WAS AUG/THU/02. WE THOUGHT OUR FLT WAS THE SECOND FLT WITH THE INOP APU. WE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE APU HAD BEEN PLACARDED IN MAN ON AUG/WED/02; THEN FLEW MAN-ORD; THEN ORD-GLA ALL ON AUG/WED/02. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: OUR ACFT WAS LATE ARRIVING IN GLA AND WE WERE TRYING TO GET OUT ASAP. THE LOGBOOK WASN'T GIVEN TO US UNTIL JUST PRIOR TO DEP. WE HAD TO HAND-LOAD OUR RTE SINCE IT WOULDN'T UPLINK DUE TO AN OMISSION IN THE NAV DATABASE; AND HAD DIFFICULTY OBTAINING OUR OCEANIC CLRNC ON THE GND IN GLA VIA ACARS AND HAD TO CALL SHANWICK. DUE TO BEING OVERLOADED AND HURRIED; WE MISSED THE FACT THAT THE APU HAD BEEN PLACARDED IN MAN AND NOT ORD. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL SLOW DOWN; TAKE THE DELAY; AND METICULOUSLY EXAMINE THE LOGBOOK. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 556826: I ARRIVED AT THE GATE AT XA35 AND WAS ALLOWED ON THE ACFT AT XA45 FOR AN XB15 DEP -- 2 HRS LATE. THE MAINT BOOK WAS NOT YET ON THE ACFT. I LOOKED UP APU INOP IN THE MEL AND REVIEWED THIS EXTENSIVELY WITH BOTH CAPT/CHK AIRMAN. WE ALL CONCURRED THAT WE WERE LEGAL TO FLY THE ACFT ON ITS RETURN LEG TO ORD AS PER THE MEL.