AN SB340 WAS OPERATED 2 DAYS AND 4 FLTS WITH THE CVR DEFERRED AS INOP PER THE MEL. ACTUAL LOG RPT WAS FLT DATA RECORDER FAILED.

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INITIAL CALL TO MAINT CTL WAS THE RADIO ALTIMETER FAILED ENRTE. POSTFLT CREW CALLED MAINT CTL AND ASKED FOR THE RADIO ALTIMETER TO BE DEFERRED. AFTER A FEW QUESTIONS FROM MAINT CTL; IT WAS DETERMINED THE RADIO ALTIMETER COULD BE DEFERRED. AFTER DEFERRAL THE CAPT CALLED MAINT CTL BACK AND STATED THEY HAD ANOTHER PROB. CAPT SAID THEY NEEDED THE CVR DEFERRED PER MEL 23-70-1. MAINT CTL ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CVR AND THEY STATED THE LIGHT WAS INTERMITTENT. BASED ON THIS INFO FROM THE CREW; THE CVR WAS THEN DEFERRED OVER THE PHONE PER COMPANY GMM. THE NEXT FLYING DAY THE FOURTH CAPT BROUGHT TO MAINT CTL'S ATTN THAT THERE APPEARS TO BE AN INAPPROPRIATE MEL FROM A PREVIOUS PROB. THE CREW STATED THE ORIGINAL WRITE-UP IN THE BOOK THE CREW DOCUMENTED THE FLT DATA RECORDER FAILED; NOT THE CVR AND THAT THE DEFERRAL IN THE CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS FOR THE CVR NOT THE FLT DATA RECORDER. AFTER RESEARCHING IT WAS FOUND THAT IN FACT THERE WAS A MISTAKE. CORRECTIONS WERE THEN MADE TO THE LOGBOOK; DEFERRAL BOOK AND THE DISPATCH RELEASE TO REFLECT THE APPROPRIATE MEL ON THE FLT DATA RECORDER NOT THE CVR.