Narrative:

Prior to departure the captain and I were informed that a maintenance 'B' check was in progress on our aircraft and would consequently be late to the gate. While reviewing the flight papers we noticed a remark on our release from the dispatcher. There was a cdl... (Confign deviation list) item with associated weight penalties for our maximum takeoff and landing weights. The captain retrieved his MEL/cdl manual to check the provisions for cdl number 32-12-01. The penalties we found in the manual matched the weight penalties on our release papers. The only difference we noticed was our release stated item 32-12-01 as a 'main landing gear wing door' and the cdl manual used 'main landing gear shock strut door.' we dismissed this difference since the weight penalties matched. The captain performed the exterior preflight inspection confirming the landing gear wing door was removed. I preflted the cockpit and was present when maintenance finally brought the logbook to the aircraft just 20 min before departure. All seemed in order and we proceeded on our flight to dfw. The following day, after this aircraft had flown another flight with an FAA inspector on board we received a call questioning whether we had exceeded cdl limitations on our flight. Having been aware of only weight limits we assumed no limits had been exceeded. Unfortunately, cdl item 32-12-02 is found in 2 separate locations in our company's cdl manual. In the widebody transport section there was a limitation to weights and maximum aircraft speed. Maintenance is required to place a placard on the airspeed indicator with the speed limits yet there was no placard. Also the widebody transport weights were different than the weights we were provided by our dispatcher on our release...dispatch apparently had incorrectly referenced the cdl also. Please note our cdl manual does not have a tab separating the large transport and widebody transport sections. The reference numbers are the same in both sections for similar components. In addition, our performance manual and operating manuals separate large transport information on green colored pages while widebody transport information is on white colored pages. A possible additional factor in this situation was this flight was the first time either the captain or myself have flown this model of the widebody transport and in recent months have exclusively been flying only the large transport on scheduled trips. Supplemental information from acn 201355. Both cdl items for both aircraft have the same cdl # 32-12-1. These are located in the cdl section in 2 different locations of the cdl part of the MEL manual. The copilot and I likewise in checking the cdl manual turned to the back of the manual first. It was the widebody transport section but cdl numbers 75---. So I flipped forward to item 32---. In the progress we completely paged through the widebody transport part and were now by mistake in the large transport section. We read and confirmed the same weight restrictions as listed by dispatch with no mention of speed restrictions. A color coding the same as other widebody transport/large transport manuals would have immediately kept us out of the wrong section. A different cdl number for different type aircraft with the same part missing would help also. At the top of each cdl page is an large transport or widebody transport heading. I believe in this case, however, that maintenance dispatch and I looked at the large transport page and applied that data to a widebody transport aircraft by mistake.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NON COMPLIANCE WITH MEL REQUIREMENTS IN THAT IMPROPER OR WRONG PLACARDS WERE PLACED IN ACFT AND WRONG NOTATIONS IN LOGBOOK. MAINT, DISPATCH AND FLC ALL MISSED THE ERROR. CAUGHT BY ACI IN LATER FLT.

Narrative: PRIOR TO DEP THE CAPT AND I WERE INFORMED THAT A MAINT 'B' CHK WAS IN PROGRESS ON OUR ACFT AND WOULD CONSEQUENTLY BE LATE TO THE GATE. WHILE REVIEWING THE FLT PAPERS WE NOTICED A REMARK ON OUR RELEASE FROM THE DISPATCHER. THERE WAS A CDL... (CONFIGN DEV LIST) ITEM WITH ASSOCIATED WT PENALTIES FOR OUR MAX TKOF AND LNDG WTS. THE CAPT RETRIEVED HIS MEL/CDL MANUAL TO CHK THE PROVISIONS FOR CDL NUMBER 32-12-01. THE PENALTIES WE FOUND IN THE MANUAL MATCHED THE WT PENALTIES ON OUR RELEASE PAPERS. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WE NOTICED WAS OUR RELEASE STATED ITEM 32-12-01 AS A 'MAIN LNDG GEAR WING DOOR' AND THE CDL MANUAL USED 'MAIN LNDG GEAR SHOCK STRUT DOOR.' WE DISMISSED THIS DIFFERENCE SINCE THE WT PENALTIES MATCHED. THE CAPT PERFORMED THE EXTERIOR PREFLT INSPECTION CONFIRMING THE LNDG GEAR WING DOOR WAS REMOVED. I PREFLTED THE COCKPIT AND WAS PRESENT WHEN MAINT FINALLY BROUGHT THE LOGBOOK TO THE ACFT JUST 20 MIN BEFORE DEP. ALL SEEMED IN ORDER AND WE PROCEEDED ON OUR FLT TO DFW. THE FOLLOWING DAY, AFTER THIS ACFT HAD FLOWN ANOTHER FLT WITH AN FAA INSPECTOR ON BOARD WE RECEIVED A CALL QUESTIONING WHETHER WE HAD EXCEEDED CDL LIMITATIONS ON OUR FLT. HAVING BEEN AWARE OF ONLY WT LIMITS WE ASSUMED NO LIMITS HAD BEEN EXCEEDED. UNFORTUNATELY, CDL ITEM 32-12-02 IS FOUND IN 2 SEPARATE LOCATIONS IN OUR COMPANY'S CDL MANUAL. IN THE WDB SECTION THERE WAS A LIMITATION TO WTS AND MAX ACFT SPD. MAINT IS REQUIRED TO PLACE A PLACARD ON THE AIRSPD INDICATOR WITH THE SPD LIMITS YET THERE WAS NO PLACARD. ALSO THE WDB WTS WERE DIFFERENT THAN THE WTS WE WERE PROVIDED BY OUR DISPATCHER ON OUR RELEASE...DISPATCH APPARENTLY HAD INCORRECTLY REFERENCED THE CDL ALSO. PLEASE NOTE OUR CDL MANUAL DOES NOT HAVE A TAB SEPARATING THE LGT AND WDB SECTIONS. THE REF NUMBERS ARE THE SAME IN BOTH SECTIONS FOR SIMILAR COMPONENTS. IN ADDITION, OUR PERFORMANCE MANUAL AND OPERATING MANUALS SEPARATE LGT INFO ON GREEN COLORED PAGES WHILE WDB INFO IS ON WHITE COLORED PAGES. A POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL FACTOR IN THIS SITUATION WAS THIS FLT WAS THE FIRST TIME EITHER THE CAPT OR MYSELF HAVE FLOWN THIS MODEL OF THE WDB AND IN RECENT MONTHS HAVE EXCLUSIVELY BEEN FLYING ONLY THE LGT ON SCHEDULED TRIPS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 201355. BOTH CDL ITEMS FOR BOTH ACFT HAVE THE SAME CDL # 32-12-1. THESE ARE LOCATED IN THE CDL SECTION IN 2 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OF THE CDL PART OF THE MEL MANUAL. THE COPLT AND I LIKEWISE IN CHKING THE CDL MANUAL TURNED TO THE BACK OF THE MANUAL FIRST. IT WAS THE WDB SECTION BUT CDL NUMBERS 75---. SO I FLIPPED FORWARD TO ITEM 32---. IN THE PROGRESS WE COMPLETELY PAGED THROUGH THE WDB PART AND WERE NOW BY MISTAKE IN THE LGT SECTION. WE READ AND CONFIRMED THE SAME WT RESTRICTIONS AS LISTED BY DISPATCH WITH NO MENTION OF SPD RESTRICTIONS. A COLOR CODING THE SAME AS OTHER WDB/LGT MANUALS WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY KEPT US OUT OF THE WRONG SECTION. A DIFFERENT CDL NUMBER FOR DIFFERENT TYPE ACFT WITH THE SAME PART MISSING WOULD HELP ALSO. AT THE TOP OF EACH CDL PAGE IS AN LGT OR WDB HDG. I BELIEVE IN THIS CASE, HOWEVER, THAT MAINT DISPATCH AND I LOOKED AT THE LGT PAGE AND APPLIED THAT DATA TO A WDB ACFT BY MISTAKE.

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.