Narrative:

On our flight from sig to vqs, I picked up mr X an FAA safety inspector from FSDO 21. Upon arrival in vieques, he informed me that there were 4 discrepancies with the aircraft. Items that were inoperative, the right engine oil temperature gauge, the right main tank fuel gauge, the left turn coordinator and the exhaust temperature gauge when selected to the rear engine. I politely informed him that, while the right oil temperature gauge did occasionally jump to right full deflection for a fraction of a second, it worked on the ground perfectly and it was possible to get an accurate reading from it in flight also, and that the right main tank fuel gauge, while it did swing and occasionally go to full right deflection (which I consider to be normal for fuel gauges on this class of aircraft), worked and it was possible to get an accurate reading from it on the ground and in the air, that the right turn coordinator was working (he said it was 'erratic') with no excessive bank indicated on turns on the ground, no red flag, that the left turn coordinator had no red flag and did not indicate excessive bank on ground turns, however, it did seem that it did not indicate more than 5 degrees bank during flight so I would write that item as a mechanic irregularity in the aircraft maintenance log, and that the exhaust temperature gauge (which apparently was not operation when selected to rear engine had been selected to right engine during taxi and takeoff. And was therefore 'off.' and that 'inoperative' meant 'not working' and, by that definition, not all these items were inoperative. Mr X became incensed, told me that he had so many yrs of experience in this business and how dare I try to tell him that these items were not inoperative. I told him that since he was with the FAA I had no choice but to ground the aircraft for all the items he indicated, but that I did so under protest and that, in my best judgment, doing so was not acting in the best interests of my company, safety or any FAA regulation. When I returned from lunch, I was assigned to another aircraft to include mr. X back to san juan. After the takeoff checklist, mr. X informed me that the flap indicator was not operating. I checked it and it indicated up and full down correctly, however, in the takeoff position, the needle hung below the 25 degree white takeoff arc. I carefully checked and every other item of gauges and operating mechanisms were operating correctly on that aircraft. I was aware from our operations manual section V (company operating procedures) that the flap position indicator was listed in the MEL, so I placarded the indicator 'inoperative' the aircraft as 'day VFR only' and departed. During the flight, the right oil temperature gauge intermittently indicated full scale right deflection (for a brief time), however, it would return to the green arc and indicate correctly. On arrival in san juan, I grounded the aircraft for the oil temperature gauge and wrote it in the aircraft maintenance log. After discussions with mr. X, it was determined that there was a discrepancy between the aircraft MEL and the company operations manual, and that the date of the aircraft MEL (which did not include the flap position indicator) was more current. I am now aware that the more current of the 2 dates is applicable, although I did not know the 2 MEL lists were different at the time. I added the flap indicator to the aircraft maintenance log mechanical irregularity list. I also became aware that, although an item is on the MEL, that is for departures from airports where maintenance is not available (not our maintenance base) although I was of the opinion that maintenance would not be available since, at time of departure, 30 percent of our fleet had been grounded. In the future, I will cancel flts with MEL discrepancies from our maintenance base until they have been corrected.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE MINOR DISCREPANCIES PLUS AN MEL MISUNDERSTANDING.

Narrative: ON OUR FLT FROM SIG TO VQS, I PICKED UP MR X AN FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR FROM FSDO 21. UPON ARR IN VIEQUES, HE INFORMED ME THAT THERE WERE 4 DISCREPANCIES WITH THE ACFT. ITEMS THAT WERE INOP, THE R ENG OIL TEMP GAUGE, THE R MAIN TANK FUEL GAUGE, THE L TURN COORDINATOR AND THE EXHAUST TEMP GAUGE WHEN SELECTED TO THE REAR ENG. I POLITELY INFORMED HIM THAT, WHILE THE R OIL TEMP GAUGE DID OCCASIONALLY JUMP TO R FULL DEFLECTION FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND, IT WORKED ON THE GND PERFECTLY AND IT WAS POSSIBLE TO GET AN ACCURATE READING FROM IT IN FLT ALSO, AND THAT THE R MAIN TANK FUEL GAUGE, WHILE IT DID SWING AND OCCASIONALLY GO TO FULL R DEFLECTION (WHICH I CONSIDER TO BE NORMAL FOR FUEL GAUGES ON THIS CLASS OF ACFT), WORKED AND IT WAS POSSIBLE TO GET AN ACCURATE READING FROM IT ON THE GND AND IN THE AIR, THAT THE R TURN COORDINATOR WAS WORKING (HE SAID IT WAS 'ERRATIC') WITH NO EXCESSIVE BANK INDICATED ON TURNS ON THE GND, NO RED FLAG, THAT THE L TURN COORDINATOR HAD NO RED FLAG AND DID NOT INDICATE EXCESSIVE BANK ON GND TURNS, HOWEVER, IT DID SEEM THAT IT DID NOT INDICATE MORE THAN 5 DEGS BANK DURING FLT SO I WOULD WRITE THAT ITEM AS A MECH IRREGULARITY IN THE ACFT MAINT LOG, AND THAT THE EXHAUST TEMP GAUGE (WHICH APPARENTLY WAS NOT OP WHEN SELECTED TO REAR ENG HAD BEEN SELECTED TO R ENG DURING TAXI AND TKOF. AND WAS THEREFORE 'OFF.' AND THAT 'INOP' MEANT 'NOT WORKING' AND, BY THAT DEFINITION, NOT ALL THESE ITEMS WERE INOP. MR X BECAME INCENSED, TOLD ME THAT HE HAD SO MANY YRS OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS BUSINESS AND HOW DARE I TRY TO TELL HIM THAT THESE ITEMS WERE NOT INOP. I TOLD HIM THAT SINCE HE WAS WITH THE FAA I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GND THE ACFT FOR ALL THE ITEMS HE INDICATED, BUT THAT I DID SO UNDER PROTEST AND THAT, IN MY BEST JUDGMENT, DOING SO WAS NOT ACTING IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF MY COMPANY, SAFETY OR ANY FAA REG. WHEN I RETURNED FROM LUNCH, I WAS ASSIGNED TO ANOTHER ACFT TO INCLUDE MR. X BACK TO SAN JUAN. AFTER THE TKOF CHKLIST, MR. X INFORMED ME THAT THE FLAP INDICATOR WAS NOT OPERATING. I CHKED IT AND IT INDICATED UP AND FULL DOWN CORRECTLY, HOWEVER, IN THE TKOF POS, THE NEEDLE HUNG BELOW THE 25 DEG WHITE TKOF ARC. I CAREFULLY CHKED AND EVERY OTHER ITEM OF GAUGES AND OPERATING MECHANISMS WERE OPERATING CORRECTLY ON THAT ACFT. I WAS AWARE FROM OUR OPS MANUAL SECTION V (COMPANY OPERATING PROCS) THAT THE FLAP POS INDICATOR WAS LISTED IN THE MEL, SO I PLACARDED THE INDICATOR 'INOP' THE ACFT AS 'DAY VFR ONLY' AND DEPARTED. DURING THE FLT, THE R OIL TEMP GAUGE INTERMITTENTLY INDICATED FULL SCALE R DEFLECTION (FOR A BRIEF TIME), HOWEVER, IT WOULD RETURN TO THE GREEN ARC AND INDICATE CORRECTLY. ON ARR IN SAN JUAN, I GNDED THE ACFT FOR THE OIL TEMP GAUGE AND WROTE IT IN THE ACFT MAINT LOG. AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH MR. X, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY BTWN THE ACFT MEL AND THE COMPANY OPS MANUAL, AND THAT THE DATE OF THE ACFT MEL (WHICH DID NOT INCLUDE THE FLAP POS INDICATOR) WAS MORE CURRENT. I AM NOW AWARE THAT THE MORE CURRENT OF THE 2 DATES IS APPLICABLE, ALTHOUGH I DID NOT KNOW THE 2 MEL LISTS WERE DIFFERENT AT THE TIME. I ADDED THE FLAP INDICATOR TO THE ACFT MAINT LOG MECHANICAL IRREGULARITY LIST. I ALSO BECAME AWARE THAT, ALTHOUGH AN ITEM IS ON THE MEL, THAT IS FOR DEPS FROM ARPTS WHERE MAINT IS NOT AVAILABLE (NOT OUR MAINT BASE) ALTHOUGH I WAS OF THE OPINION THAT MAINT WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE SINCE, AT TIME OF DEP, 30 PERCENT OF OUR FLEET HAD BEEN GNDED. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL CANCEL FLTS WITH MEL DISCREPANCIES FROM OUR MAINT BASE UNTIL THEY HAVE BEEN CORRECTED.

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.