Narrative:

Flying into X, we were informed by operations that we would swap aircraft for our round trip to Y. We swapped into the other aircraft. The crew getting out of that aircraft mentioned nothing about a mechanical problem. Nor did operations give a reason for the swap. We thought we were getting a sound aircraft and we found no problems during the preflight. There were no unaddressed mechanical discrepancies in the aircraft's maintenance log. During the flight to Y, a mechanical problem became evident and was sufficient for us to ground the aircraft in Y. During the captain's discussions with dispatch and maintenance, he determined that both maintenance and dispatch knew of the problem with our aircraft well before we taxied from the gate in X. The captain said that he was told that mechanics would be arriving in a couple of hours (from a maintenance base 700 mi away) to fix the exact problem that we had discovered not more than an hour before during our flight to Y. Maintenance, dispatch, and one of the previous crews that had flown that aircraft knew of the problem in X. But not us. We, the crew that was to fly the airplane to Y and back with passenger, were not informed about the problem with the aircraft. In Y, we were instructed to swap into another aircraft for the return flight to X. We did so and the flight proceeded normally. I believe that all those who knew about the problem on this aircraft either just didn't care or didn't want to answer to management for downing the aircraft and subsequently cancelling flts. This is a potentially dangerous practice. It allows those people most informed about a mechanical condition of an aircraft to dictate to those least informed about it -- the pilot, to climb inside and fly the thing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states he had actually forgotten about the situation since he filed the report. He left it up to the captain to do any follow-up and has not checked back with him. He will do so. Believes this is not an ongoing trend within the company but there are occasional snafus.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LTT DISPATCHED WITH KNOWN MECHANICAL PROB.

Narrative: FLYING INTO X, WE WERE INFORMED BY OPS THAT WE WOULD SWAP ACFT FOR OUR ROUND TRIP TO Y. WE SWAPPED INTO THE OTHER ACFT. THE CREW GETTING OUT OF THAT ACFT MENTIONED NOTHING ABOUT A MECHANICAL PROB. NOR DID OPS GIVE A REASON FOR THE SWAP. WE THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING A SOUND ACFT AND WE FOUND NO PROBS DURING THE PREFLT. THERE WERE NO UNADDRESSED MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES IN THE ACFT'S MAINT LOG. DURING THE FLT TO Y, A MECHANICAL PROB BECAME EVIDENT AND WAS SUFFICIENT FOR US TO GND THE ACFT IN Y. DURING THE CAPT'S DISCUSSIONS WITH DISPATCH AND MAINT, HE DETERMINED THAT BOTH MAINT AND DISPATCH KNEW OF THE PROB WITH OUR ACFT WELL BEFORE WE TAXIED FROM THE GATE IN X. THE CAPT SAID THAT HE WAS TOLD THAT MECHS WOULD BE ARRIVING IN A COUPLE OF HRS (FROM A MAINT BASE 700 MI AWAY) TO FIX THE EXACT PROB THAT WE HAD DISCOVERED NOT MORE THAN AN HR BEFORE DURING OUR FLT TO Y. MAINT, DISPATCH, AND ONE OF THE PREVIOUS CREWS THAT HAD FLOWN THAT ACFT KNEW OF THE PROB IN X. BUT NOT US. WE, THE CREW THAT WAS TO FLY THE AIRPLANE TO Y AND BACK WITH PAX, WERE NOT INFORMED ABOUT THE PROB WITH THE ACFT. IN Y, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO SWAP INTO ANOTHER ACFT FOR THE RETURN FLT TO X. WE DID SO AND THE FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY. I BELIEVE THAT ALL THOSE WHO KNEW ABOUT THE PROB ON THIS ACFT EITHER JUST DIDN'T CARE OR DIDN'T WANT TO ANSWER TO MGMNT FOR DOWNING THE ACFT AND SUBSEQUENTLY CANCELLING FLTS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PRACTICE. IT ALLOWS THOSE PEOPLE MOST INFORMED ABOUT A MECHANICAL CONDITION OF AN ACFT TO DICTATE TO THOSE LEAST INFORMED ABOUT IT -- THE PLT, TO CLB INSIDE AND FLY THE THING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HE HAD ACTUALLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE SIT SINCE HE FILED THE RPT. HE LEFT IT UP TO THE CAPT TO DO ANY FOLLOW-UP AND HAS NOT CHKED BACK WITH HIM. HE WILL DO SO. BELIEVES THIS IS NOT AN ONGOING TREND WITHIN THE COMPANY BUT THERE ARE OCCASIONAL SNAFUS.

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.