AN A320 WITH NINETEEN PREVIOUS COCKPIT DOOR LOCK MAINTENANCE WRITE-UPS WAS REFUSED BY A FLT CREW FOLLOWING A FLT WITH ANOTHER DOOR LOCK FAILURE.

Narrative

DURING PREFLT; REFUSED THE ACFT DUE TO CHRONIC WRITE-UPS INVOLVING THE COCKPIT DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM. A MINIMUM OF 19 PREVIOUS ENTRIES EXISTED CONCERNING FAILURES OF THE COCKPIT DOOR LOCKING SYS. THE CURRENT DEFERRAL GRIPE WAS 'COCKPIT DOOR TOP LATCH IS NOT ENGAGING. IT IS NOT VERT. NO FAULT LIGHT.' MAINT ACTION COMPLETED TO CLR THE ITEM WAS CYCLING THE COCKPIT DOOR UNLOCK/LOCK SWITCH. DURING FLT; CLBING THROUGH FL200; THE COCKPIT DOOR OPEN LIGHT ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION; ALL THE COCKPIT DOOR LATCHES WERE FOUND TO BE IN THE UNLOCKED POS; RESULTING IN AN UNSECURED DOOR. THIS WAS CONSISTENT WITH NUMEROUS PREVIOUS GRIPES. RECYCLED DOOR SWITCH AND VERIFIED DOOR LATCHES IN LOCKED POS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATED THAT WHEN HE ACCEPTED THE ACFT FOR FLT FOLLOWING THE PREVIOUS FLT; MAINTENANCE HAD JUST CLEARED THE DOOR LOCK WRITE UP BY RECYCLING THE SWITCH. SOMETIME DURING CLIMB AFTER TKOF; THE DOOR LOCK FAILED AGAIN MAKING THIS THE TWENTIETH FAILURE. THE CREW AT THAT POINT REFUSED TO FLY THE ACFT ON THE NEXT FLT BECAUSE OF CHRONIC DOOR LOCK FAILURES. THE REPORTER CHECKED THE ACFT'S MAINTENANCE HISTORY AND TO DATE IT HAD NOT BEEN FIXED. THE REPORTER DOES NOT SEE THE AIRBUS DOOR LOCK SYSTEM AS A CHRONIC FAILURE SYSTEM.