A300 DISPATCHER QUESTIONS THE MAINT PERFORMED; WHEN THE INBOUND CREW WAS REQUIRED TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE NOSE GEAR.

Narrative

AIRBUS ARRIVED SJU ON FLT ZZZ-SJU. FLT DECLARED AN EMER AFTER MANUALLY EXTENDING THE NOSE GEAR. AFTER LNDG AT SJU; ACFT WAS ASSIGNED TO DELAYED FLT SJU-ZZZ1. AS THE DISPATCHER PICKING UP FLT FEB/THU/04 FROM THE PREVIOUS SHIFT; I FIRST LEARNED OF THE NOSE GEAR PROB WHEN THE CAPT FOR FLT CONTACTED DISPATCH. THE REASON FLT FEB/THU SJU-ZZZZ1 WAS OPERATING ON FEB/FRI (EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO REVENUE) WAS A DECISION BY THE COMPANY TO HOLD THE COCKPIT CREW TO THAT FLT NUMBER. IF THE COMPANY HAD DESIGNATED THE FLT AS A FERRY FLT THEN ANOTHER CREW WOULD HAVE TO BE ASSIGNED TO FLY IT. THE CAPT FOR FLT FEB/THU/04 SJU-ZZZ1 ADVISED DISPATCH THAT ACFT X WAS OTS AND THAT THERE WAS NO ONE WORKING ON THE ACFT. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT AND THE DISPATCHER DID NOT KNOW THAT PREVIOUS FLT HAD MANUALLY EXTENDED THE GEAR. WE WERE ONLY AWARE THAT THE PREVIOUS FLT HAD DECLARED AN EMER FOR A GEAR PROB. I CONTACTED THE SECTOR MGR AND EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS ABOUT ACFT. IN THE SUMMER OF 2003 A FLT DEPARTED SJU AND COULD NOT GET THE R MAIN TO RETRACT. FLT RETURNED TO SJU AND MAINT DECLARED A POSITIVE FIX. MAINT WOULD NOT JACK UP THE ACFT AND SWING THE GEAR BECAUSE OF NOT ENOUGH PERSONNEL. THAT FLT DEPARTED A SECOND TIME AND THE R MAIN WOULD NOT RETRACT. BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2003 MAINT STATED THEN THAT THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE MANUAL THAT REQUIRED A GEAR SWING FOR THIS SIT. I ADVISED THE SECTOR MGR THAT I DID NOT WANT TO GO DOWN THIS ROAD AGAIN AND THAT IF AN EMER WAS DECLARED ON PREVIOUS FLT FOR A GEAR PROB THEN I THINK IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO HAVE THE GEAR SWUNG. SECTOR MGR SAID THAT THERE WERE NO JACKS IN SJU. I CONTACTED SJU AND DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE ACFT JACKS AVAILABLE. CAPT CONTACTED DISPATCH AGAIN AND ADVISED THAT AFTER READING THE LOGBOOK HE HAD DISCOVERED THAT THE PREVIOUS CREW HAD TO CRANK DOWN THE GEAR. I TOLD HIM THAT; DUE TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS; I THOUGHT THE PRUDENT THING TO DO WAS A GEAR SWING. HE AGREED AND SAID HE WOULD ADVISE MAINT. THE CAPT CONTACTED DISPATCH AND SAID MAINT WAS NOT GOING TO DO THE GEAR SWING. I THEN HAD A CONFERENCE CALL WITH THE MGR ON DUTY AT MOC; MYSELF; AND THE CAPT. THE MGR ON DUTY PATCHED IN A300 TECHNICIAN. THEIR POS WAS THAT BECAUSE THE MANUAL DID NOT SAY TO SWING THE GEAR; THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO IT. TECHNICIAN CONVINCED THE CAPT THAT THE GEAR WAS FIXED AND THE CAPT SAID HE WOULD TAKE THE ACFT. I RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO LET THE FLT GO AND STATED AGAIN THAT THE ONLY WAY WE COULD ENSURE THAT THE GEAR WAS WORKING WAS TO SWING IT WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON JACKS. SECTOR MGR (MR X) WAS STANDING NEXT TO MY DESK. I TOLD HIM THAT THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. AT THIS TIME HE TOLD ME THAT I HAD NO BUSINESS QUESTIONING MAINT ABOUT THIS ACFT AND IT WAS NOT MY JOB. I REMINDED HIM THAT IT WAS MY DECISION TO RELEASE THE FLT AND I HAD EVERY RIGHT TO DETERMINE THE SAFE OP OF THAT FLT. HE THEN TOLD ME IN FRONT OF OTHER DISPATCHERS THAT IF MAINT SAYS THE ACFT IS OK; I HAVE TO RELEASE THE FLT. I BELIEVE THAT SJU MAINT WANTED TO PUT THE ACFT ON JACKS AND SWING THE GEAR AND WAS INTIMIDATED BY MOC NOT TO. THE SAME MANTRA IS USED: THE MAINT MANUAL DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT A GEAR SWING. THERE SEEMS TO BE A CAVALIER ATTITUDE AT MOC REGARDING GEAR PROBS. I HOPE THAT SOMEONE WILL REVIEW THE MAINT PROCS REGARDING GEAR PROBS AND WHEN A GEAR SWING IS REQUIRED.