An erj captain expressed concern that repeated dispatch of an aircraft with obvious periodic infligh...

Narrative:

We flew a round trip out and back with what I believe was a non-synchronous vibration. At 36;000 and M .76 it was occurring at approximately 2 minute intervals for 15-20 seconds. We tried different airspeeds unsuccessfully and ultimately found relief at a lower flight level. The first officer suggested engine anti-ice from another experience; which worked; especially on the return flight when ATC couldn't give us a new flight level fast enough.I believe the [continued operation with this] vibration is degrading our company's perceived commitment to safety and is creating a culture that encourages in-flight troubleshooting and flying with known discrepancies. I am embarrassed to fly this airplane. We received a comment from a non-revving pilot in the cabin after landing. I saw this airplane has some previous write-ups for vibration; but that we are creating a situation where individuals are discouraged from stepping forward.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An ERJ Captain expressed concern that repeated dispatch of an aircraft with obvious periodic inflight vibrations; despite previous logbook writeups; presented a poor perception of his company's commitment to safety and encouraged flight crews to become complacent about deferred maintenance.

Narrative: We flew a round trip out and back with what I believe was a non-synchronous vibration. At 36;000 and M .76 it was occurring at approximately 2 minute intervals for 15-20 seconds. We tried different airspeeds unsuccessfully and ultimately found relief at a lower flight level. The First Officer suggested engine anti-ice from another experience; which worked; especially on the return flight when ATC couldn't give us a new flight level fast enough.I believe the [continued operation with this] vibration is degrading our company's perceived commitment to safety and is creating a culture that encourages in-flight troubleshooting and flying with known discrepancies. I am embarrassed to fly this airplane. We received a comment from a non-revving pilot in the cabin after landing. I saw this airplane has some previous write-ups for vibration; but that we are creating a situation where individuals are discouraged from stepping forward.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1092882
Time
Date	201306
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	EMB ERJ 170/175 ER/LR
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Maintenance Deviation - Procedural MEL

An erj captain expressed concern that repeated dispatch of an aircraft with obvious periodic inflight vibrations; despite previous logbook writeups; presented a poor perception of his company's commitment to safety and encouraged flight crews to become complacent about deferred maintenance.