A Dispatcher reports an ERJ-170 was flown with two of the same MEL's: 57-52-01 FLAP CANOE SEALS. Maintenance Control was unaware that Dispatch was only able to provide one Performance Limitations penalty calculation for one canoe seal on the ERJ-170; whereas the ERJ-190 can have numerous canoe seals damaged or missing and applied under one MEL performance penalty.
Synopsis
A Dispatcher reports an ERJ-170 was flown with two of the same MEL's: 57-52-01 FLAP CANOE SEALS. Maintenance Control was unaware that Dispatch was only able to provide one Performance Limitations penalty calculation for one canoe seal on the ERJ-170; whereas the ERJ-190 can have numerous canoe seals damaged or missing and applied under one MEL performance penalty.
Narrative
An ERJ-170 aircraft was flown with two of the same MEL's: 57-52-01 FLAP CANOE SEALs December 2010. Maintenance Control was unaware that due to this MEL; limiting performance by application of 'Drag45'; and Dispatch [being] unable to provide two 'Drag45' limiting performance calculations; this flight should not have been dispatched. There was a memo earlier in the year that only one 'Drag45' limiting MEL may be applied at a time; and due to both MEL's being on the same wing; I was unaware that this needed to be applied twice. Maintenance Control said this flight was legal to dispatch with both of these MEL's; which I think would have been the case if Dispatch was able to calculate more than one 'Drag45' Limiting Factor.Seeing that the performance was affected by roughly 300LBS of fuel; I added an additional 1;000LBS of fuel from the original release that did not have these limiting MEL's (400 extra and 600 hold). If Maintenance Control was aware that we could not calculate two Performance limiting factors of 'Drag45'; we would not have had this issue. Maintenance Control still said it was legal to fly with both of these MEL's under 57-52-01 FLAP CANOE SEALS.
NASA callback
Reporter stated that at present; no one seems to be able to explain why the ERJ-170 is limited to applying only one 'Drag45' calculation for MEL/CDL Performance Limitations involving only one canoe seal being missing or damaged; when the ERJ-190 can have numerous flap fairing canoe seals missing and only one 'Drag45' Performance Limitation penalty is ever calculated and applied to that aircraft. Reporter stated there is a definite communication break between Dispatch and Maintenance Control. Even though Maintenance Control believes the ERJ-190 single application of the 'Drag45' Performance Limitations can be applied to their ERJ-170s; Dispatch doesn't have any documents to give that MEL/CDL relief at this time. Reporter stated his carrier is supposedly reviewing the performance limitations for the ERJ-190 to see if the MEL/CDL can be revised to include the ERJ-170 equipment.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.