A B737-300 CAPT DESCRIBES AN ACR MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR'S ATTEMPT TO GET HIM TO FLY ACFT WITH REPEATED; UN-REPAIRED INFLT MAINTENANCE ANOMALIES.

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FIRST ACFT WAS ASSIGNED TO OUR FLT ZZZ-ZZZ1; WAS NOSE NUMBER XXX. IT HAD 2 DEFERRALS: #5 SLAT OVERHEAD AND LE FLAPS LIGHTS INOP AND R WING ICE ILLUMINATION LIGHT INOP. MEL CARD REQUIRED A VISUAL CHK OF PROPER POS OF SLATS BEFORE TKOF AND LNDG. SINCE FLT WAS AT NIGHT; I CALLED MAINT AND ASKED HOW I COULD DO A VISUAL CHK WITH LIGHT INOP? HE SAID I COULDN'T AND THAT ONE OF THE DEFERRALS HAD TO BE FIXED. I CALLED DISPATCH AND REFUSED PLANE; AROUND XA10. DEP SCHEDULED FOR XB04. SCHEDULED ARR WAS XC31L; 29 MINS OF MARGIN FOR CURFEW. NEW ACFT ASSIGNED. IT HAD A DEFERRAL FOR #2 SLAT LIGHTS INOP DUE TO IN TRANSIT LIGHTS COMING ON IN FLT. THERE WERE 4 REOCCURRING WRITE-UPS IN PAST 3 DAYS FOR SAME ISSUE. FIRST FIX WAS CYCLED FLAPS ON GND COULD NOT DUPLICATE. SECOND FIX WAS CHANGE OUT POS INDICATION MODULE; GND CHK NORMAL. THE INCIDENT WAS FROM CREW SAYING THEY CYCLED FLAPS AND LIGHT WENT OUT. THE 4TH INCIDENT WAS AN OPEN LOG WRITE-UP INBOUND SO IT WAS BEING DEFERRED FOR OUR FLT. DISPATCH CALLED ME IN OPS TO LET ME KNOW ABOUT NEW ACFT THAT HAD SAME ISSUE BUT IT HAD BEEN FIXED. I ASKED HIM WHAT THE FIX WAS AND HE SET UP A 3-WAY CALL WITH MAINT SUPVR. AS SOON AS MAINT CAME ON THE LINE; DISPATCH SAID WE HAVE CAPT ON THE LINE AND WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE FIX WAS. MAINT ANSWERED RUDELY; 'MAYBE IF THE CAPT WOULD READ THE SIGNOFF HE WOULD KNOW.' I POLITELY RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND PLANE WITH SIMILAR ISSUE; AND THIS INCIDENT WAS THE 4TH ONE IN 3 DAYS. HE SAID IT WAS THE FIRST. I HAD PLANE HISTORY WITH ME AND WALKED HIM THROUGH THE 3 PREVIOUS WRITE-UPS ON DAY 1; DAY 2; AND DAY 3. SAID HE DIDN'T APPRECIATE ME QUESTIONING HIS PROFESSIONALISM AS A MECH. I SAID I WASN'T; BUT I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE FIX WAS. HE SAID THEY REPLACED LIGHT BULBS IN OVERHEAD SLAT PANEL. I SAID I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW CHANGING OUT A LIGHT THAT WORKS WOULD FIX THE PROB. MAINT WENT IN TO ANOTHER LECTURE ON HOW HE WAS BEING SAFE AND I WAS ACCUSING HIM OF BEING UNSAFE. I TOLD DISPATCH THAT MAYBE IT WOULD BE BEST TO END THIS CALL. MAINT HUNG UP AND I ASKED DISPATCH TO GET MAINT CTL ON THE LINE. HE AGREED AND GOT MAINT CTL ON. MAINT CTL SAID THAT THE WRITE-UP WAS 'ILLIGIT' AND HE WONDERED ALSO HOW CHANGING OUT A WORKING LIGHT WOULD SOLVE THE PROB. I ASKED HIM TO CALL ZZZ MAINT. I REFUSED THE ACFT BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK WE HAD A LEGAL MAINT SIGNOFF. DISPATCH AGREED AND SUPPORTED MY DECISION. I CALLED THE FLT DUTY MGR TO FILL HIM IN ON ISSUE. I CALLED ZONE TO LET THEM KNOW THAT MY FO AND I WERE IN FLT OPS WAITING FOR A NEW PLANE AND THAT WE WERE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO MAKE IT INTO ZZZ1 DUE TO CURFEW. THEY SAID LCL MAINT WAS TRYING TO GET HOLD OF ME AND ASKED ME TO CALL. I TRIED BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. I DECIDED TO CALL MAINT CTL BACK AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE FOUND OUT. WHILE TALKING TO HIM AROUND XB45; MAINT SUPVR AND ONCOMING SUPVR CAME UP TO FLT OPS. I ASKED MAINT CTL TO HOLD ON; I PUT MY HAND OUT AND INTRODUCED MYSELF TO MAINT; WHO REFUSED TO SHAKE MY HAND AND MY FO'S. HE DEMANDED RUDELY; TO KNOW WHY WE WERE NOT AT THE PLANE AND DEMANDED I CALL TO TALK TO ANOTHER MECH WHO CHANGED THE BULBS. MAINT CTL ASK TO SPEAK WITH MAINT AND I GAVE HIM THE PHONE. I CALLED AND SPOKE TO SOMEONE WHO EXPLAINED HOW CHANGING OUT THE BULBS 'FIXED' THE PROB; BECAUSE IT GND CHKS NORMAL NOW. I TOLD HIM I WAS CONCERNED THAT IT DIDN'T FIX THE PROB BECAUSE THE PROB WAS ONLY HAPPENING IN THE AIR AND THAT YOU CAN'T DUPLICATE THE INFLT CONDITIONS ON THE GND. I HUNG UP AND FOUND MAINT TALKING TO MY FO WHO LATER RELAYED TO ME THAT MAINT SAID THERE WAS ANOTHER ACR PLT AT THE GATE WHO SAID HE WOULD TAKE THE PLANE. MAINT LEFT FLT OPS. THE FLT DUTY MGR HAD CALLED ME BACK AND ASKED WHAT THE STATUS WAS AND I RELAYED TO HIM THAT I WOULD REFUSE THIS PLANE. HE SAID ZONE HAD CALLED HIM AND ASKED HIM WHAT TO DO WITH PAX WHO WERE LOADED ON PLANE. I ASKED HIM TO HAVE THEM TAKEN OFF. MAINT SUPVR NIGHT SHIFT; SAID THAT HE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT THE DAY SHIFT GUYS DID AND WOULDN'T ANSWER FOR THEM; BUT HECOULD REMOVE THE WRONG FIX AND DEFER THE #2 SLAT LIGHTS. I SAID THAT I WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH THE STATUS OF THE PLANE AND WHAT WAS LEGAL OR NOT. HE SAID HE WOULD REMOVE THE WRONG WRITE-UP FROM LOG HISTORY AND DEFER IT SO I COULD REFUSE IT. I CALLED THE NEW DISPATCHER AND LET HER KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. NEW PLANE WAS BROUGHT IN FROM HANGAR WHICH WAS THERE TO REPLACE FO WINDSHIELD FOR SCRATCHES; BUT USABLE. WHILE PREFLTING COCKPIT; A JUMPSEATER INTRODUCES HIMSELF AND I ASKED HIM IF HE TOLD A MECH THAT HE WOULD BE WILLING TO FLY THE PLANE. HE DENIED MAKING THAT STATEMENT BUT DID TALK TO THE MECH. THE JUMPSEATER DID SAY THAT MAINT SAID THAT IF THE JUMPSEATER WANTED A JOB AT THE ACR THAT THERE IS A NEW CAPT OPENING. NEXT DAY; I PULLED UP ACFT ROUTING FOR THE ACR; AND IT HAD FLOWN DAY 4 AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME SLAT #2 INDICATIONS AGAIN WHILE ON THE GND.