A CANADAIR CL65 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE ADG AUTO DEPLOY SQUID DEFERRED AS INOP. GENERATOR WAS PINNED PREVENTING MANUAL DEPLOYMENT.

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ON APR/SUN/04; I WAS ASSIGNED THE POS OF CAPT AND WE WERE THE ORIGINATING FLT FOR THAT DAY. ANOTHER CREW HAD BROUGHT THE ACFT IN THE NIGHT BEFORE. THE ACFT HAD 2 DEFERRED ITEMS: THE APU (MEL 40-10-01) AND THE ADG AUTO DEPLOYMENT SQUIB SYS (MEL 24-23-01). THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD SEEN A WRITE-UP DEALING WITH THE ADG. I READ THE MEL PROCS AND VERIFIED THAT THE MAINT PERSON WHO DEFERRED ADG AUTO DEPLOYMENT SYS HAD SIGNED OFF ON THE 'M' ITEM WORK; BRIEFED THE FO ON THE DEFERRED ITEMS; AND DEPARTED. THERE WERE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPENED THAT MORNING PRIOR TO DEP THAT WERE KEEPING ME BUSY; SO I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO REALLY LOOK AT THE WAY THE ADG AUTO DEPLOY SYS WAS BEING DEFERRED. I ONLY KNEW THAT THE ACFT HAD FLOWN FOR THE PAST 3 DAYS LIKE THIS (SEVERAL CREW CHANGES) THROUGH ONE OF OUR MAJOR HUBS; AND ASSUMED THAT IT WAS SAFE TO DO SO. ONCE WE WERE IN CRUISE FLT; I DECIDED TO LOOK A LITTLE HARDER AT THE WRITE-UP AND THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE DECISION TO DEFER THE AUTO DEPLOYMENT SYS OF THE ADG. THE WORK DONE BY THE MAINT PERSONNEL CALLED FOR AMM TASK 24-23-22-040-801 TO BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO DEFER THE ADG AUTO DEPLOYMENT SYS. THE WRITE-UP IN THE LOG INDICATED THAT THE ADG WAS 'PINNED' AND THE PLACARD ON THE ADG DEPLOYMENT HANDLE IN THE COCKPIT SAID THAT THE ADG WAS 'SECURED.' BOTH OF THOSE WORDS CAUSED ME TO DECIDE TO GND THE ACFT ONCE WE LANDED IN ZZZ1 UNTIL WE COULD DETERMINE IF IN FACT THE ADG WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF COMMISSION (DUE TO IT BEING MECHANICALLY PINNED); OR IF IT WAS JUST THE AUTO DEPLOYMENT SQUIB FUNCTION THAT WAS INOP AS THE MEL STATED. WHEN WE LANDED; I OPENED THE NOSE GEAR DOORS AND FOUND THAT THE ADG PIN WAS INSTALLED WITHOUT THE 'REMOVE BEFORE FLT' TAG AND THAT THE PIN WAS SAFETY WIRED TO THE FRAME OF THE ACFT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE; AS THE MAINT TASK DID NOT CALL FOR PINNING THE ADG; IN EFFECT PREVENTING IT FROM BEING DEPLOYED EVEN IF THE CREW USED THE MANUAL DEPLOYMENT HANDLE. I KNOW THAT THE FLT CREWS WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN THIS ACFT WOULD NOT KNOW THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T DO THE MAINT; AND DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE TASKS; BUT COMMON SENSE TOLD ME THAT WE SHOULDN'T BE FLYING THIS ACFT AROUND WITHOUT AN EMER BACK-UP SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL PWR. WHAT MADE MATERS WORSE WAS THAT THE APU WAS DETERRED AND INOP ALSO. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLYING LIKE THIS IN REVENUE SVC FOR 3 DAYS AND HAD GONE THROUGH A MAINT HUB 4 TIMES (WITHOUT LINE MAINT VERIFYING THE WORK DONE BY THE CONTRACT PERSONNEL); 7 CREW SWAPS WITHOUT ANYONE CATCHING THE IMPROPER MAINT. AT THIS POINT I CALLED MAINT CTL TO INQUIRE AS TO WHY THE ADG WAS PINNED. THEY SENT A LINE MAINT PERSON TO THE ACFT AND COMMENCED TO FIX THE IMPROPER MAINT BY COMPLETING THE TASK CORRECTLY. I CAN SEE HOW THIS TYPE OF PROB COULD BE OVERLOOKED BECAUSE ONLY THE WORDS ON THE LOG PAGE AND ON THE PLACARD IN THE COCKPIT MADE ME EVEN THINK TWICE ABOUT THE WORK POSSIBLY BEING DONE INCORRECTLY. AS A CAPT; MY ROLE IS TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF PREVIOUSLY RPTED DISCREPANCIES. I SHOULD ACCOMPLISH THIS BY REFING THE LOG AND THE X PAGE TO ENSURE THAT THE INOP ITEM WAS APPROPRIATELY DEFERRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEL PROC. IF A MAINT ACTION IS REQUIRED; VERIFY THAT THE PERSON COMPLETING THE WORK HAS MADE THE APPROPRIATE ENTRY ON THE AFML PAGE AND TRANSCRIBED THE ITEM TO THE DDL PAGE. I FEEL THAT I ACCOMPLISHED THESE TASKS PRIOR TO MY DEP. HOWEVER; HAD I BEEN PAYING CLOSER ATTN TO THE PHRASEOLOGY USED BY THE MAINT PERSON DEFERRING THE AUTO DEPLOY SYS; I MIGHT POSSIBLY HAVE QUESTIONED THE WORK SOONER -- POSSIBLY EVEN PRIOR TO MY DEP.