Flight dispatched. Released by maintenance with GPWS inoperative.

Attributes
ACN	139290
Time
Date	199003
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : den
State Reference	CO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	139290
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Scheduled flight den to pdx. Night, forecast VMC. GPWS deferred, inoperative. Maintenance supervisor said it's legal. (We don't have MEL books on aircraft.) dispatcher unaware of it, since it's not a performance type of item and not forwarded to him by maintenance. We have gotten bulletins from flight safety department telling of two aircraft that nearly hit mountains near pdx in IMC and that statistics show our next major accident will be 'controled flight into terrain'. How can the FAA allow an airline to defer an inoperative GPWS (except maybe day/VFR)? The fdr is a no-go item. Why isn't the GPWS?

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT DISPATCHED. RELEASED BY MAINTENANCE WITH GPWS INOPERATIVE.

Narrative: SCHEDULED FLT DEN TO PDX. NIGHT, FORECAST VMC. GPWS DEFERRED, INOP. MAINT SUPVR SAID IT'S LEGAL. (WE DON'T HAVE MEL BOOKS ON ACFT.) DISPATCHER UNAWARE OF IT, SINCE IT'S NOT A PERFORMANCE TYPE OF ITEM AND NOT FORWARDED TO HIM BY MAINT. WE HAVE GOTTEN BULLETINS FROM FLT SAFETY DEPT TELLING OF TWO ACFT THAT NEARLY HIT MOUNTAINS NEAR PDX IN IMC AND THAT STATISTICS SHOW OUR NEXT MAJOR ACCIDENT WILL BE 'CTLED FLT INTO TERRAIN'. HOW CAN THE FAA ALLOW AN AIRLINE TO DEFER AN INOP GPWS (EXCEPT MAYBE DAY/VFR)? THE FDR IS A NO-GO ITEM. WHY ISN'T THE GPWS?

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.