2011-12 · NASA ASRS report 983518
A Maintenance Controller; Maintenance Supervisor and a Line Mechanic report about their involvement with the deferral of a Captain's forward windshield squeal on an Embraer aircraft; by deferring a functioning Pressurization System.
December 2011; an Embraer jet aircraft had an inbound discrepancy [regarding] loud squeal coming from Captain's windshield area. Maintenance was doing Pressurization Checks and retorqued the windshield. No help. Maintenance called me at Maintenance Control to report what had been done and asked if they could have MEL 21-18 issued so we would not loose the flight. I put Maintenance on hold to talk to my Equipment Coordinator and Dispatcher; inquiring if we could do a non-pressurized flight. They both agreed that a non-pressurized flight was OK as far as the weather was concerned. I then issued MEL 21-18. Maintenance deactivated the Pressurization System and the aircraft departed. The event happened due to inexperience with company policies. I thought that deferring the next higher assembly was not an issue. We were trying to move a flight; but I did not feel any pressure from that. Suggest relying on the TEAM concept that is put in place and ask more questions. Study the MEL's more to understand what can and cannot be done with each.
December 2011. I was working as a Maintenance Supervisor; when an Embraer jet aircraft sent an inflight message across the Maintenance Operations program about a 'SQUEAL IN COCKPIT POSSIBLE CA WINDSHIELD LEAK'. The Maintenance crew met the aircraft at the gate and spoke with the flight crew. The maintenance crew pressurized the aircraft in accordance with the applicable Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) and noted that a slight sound was coming from the left forward windshield area. They then used Sherlock Leak Detector [fluid] on the exterior of the windshield surface and verified there was in fact a leak. The Maintenance crew then performed a re-torque of the same windshield in accordance with an Engineering Note and the AMM. They then performed another leak check which failed. I decided that before grounding the aircraft for the rest of the day and leaving customers stranded I would call Maintenance Control to see if I could defer the Pressurization System and fly the aircraft to their destination. The Controller I spoke with said let me check with Dispatch. Moments later the Controller replied yes; we can defer. The aircraft was then deferred in accordance with the Embraer MEL Manual and left for their destination. [This was] a non-standard situation.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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