Narrative:

During aircraft preflight, it was noted that aircraft's standby attitude gyroscope had been MEL'ed 4 days prior. Most items in our MEL are category 'C' (10-day) items, but this one is a 'B' (3-DAY) item. Aircraft had been signed off by maintenance 2 days prior and flown into our domicile by a different crew the previous night. (They also failed to notice that this deferred item was overdue.) since I was 'sure' the standby gyroscope was a 10-day item, and all of the maintenance paperwork seemed in order, we departed with our morning flight. Upon arrival at our hub, we were met by mechanics who hurriedly replaced the standby gyroscope and then told us, 'we're taking this thing to the hangar because it needs an 'inspection' right away,' which probably means maintenance record doctoring. By now, I suspected that something wasn't quite right, so I dug out the MEL and discovered that the standby gyroscope is in fact a 3-DAY item. I had to search the cockpit in order to find the pad of old log pages containing the page with the original write-up. Our maintenance department use a system of control numbers to log in deferred maintenance items for our fleet, but this one obviously slipped through the cracks. Henceforth, I will not be so trusting of maintenance and will take as much time as necessary to ascertain the paperwork status of the airplane, even if it causes us the take a delay. Having worked under part 121 in the past, I look forward to the implementation of the new regulations at scheduled part 135 commuters. Commuter crews have more to do, with less help, and with less time in which to do it, than do pilots working under part 121. A dispatcher/flight release system would have caught this maintenance oversight days before it occurred.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON PREFLT ATX FLC NOTED STANDBY ATTITUDE GYROSCOPE HAD BEEN MEL'ED 4 DAYS. THOUGHT OK FOR 10 DAYS DEFERRED. MAINT CONCURRED AND FLEW THE ACFT. NEXT LNDG, ACFT TAKEN OTS SINCE THE DEFERRED ITEM WAS ONLY GOOD FOR 3 DAYS.

Narrative: DURING ACFT PREFLT, IT WAS NOTED THAT ACFT'S STANDBY ATTITUDE GYROSCOPE HAD BEEN MEL'ED 4 DAYS PRIOR. MOST ITEMS IN OUR MEL ARE CATEGORY 'C' (10-DAY) ITEMS, BUT THIS ONE IS A 'B' (3-DAY) ITEM. ACFT HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF BY MAINT 2 DAYS PRIOR AND FLOWN INTO OUR DOMICILE BY A DIFFERENT CREW THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. (THEY ALSO FAILED TO NOTICE THAT THIS DEFERRED ITEM WAS OVERDUE.) SINCE I WAS 'SURE' THE STANDBY GYROSCOPE WAS A 10-DAY ITEM, AND ALL OF THE MAINT PAPERWORK SEEMED IN ORDER, WE DEPARTED WITH OUR MORNING FLT. UPON ARR AT OUR HUB, WE WERE MET BY MECHS WHO HURRIEDLY REPLACED THE STANDBY GYROSCOPE AND THEN TOLD US, 'WE'RE TAKING THIS THING TO THE HANGAR BECAUSE IT NEEDS AN 'INSPECTION' RIGHT AWAY,' WHICH PROBABLY MEANS MAINT RECORD DOCTORING. BY NOW, I SUSPECTED THAT SOMETHING WASN'T QUITE RIGHT, SO I DUG OUT THE MEL AND DISCOVERED THAT THE STANDBY GYROSCOPE IS IN FACT A 3-DAY ITEM. I HAD TO SEARCH THE COCKPIT IN ORDER TO FIND THE PAD OF OLD LOG PAGES CONTAINING THE PAGE WITH THE ORIGINAL WRITE-UP. OUR MAINT DEPT USE A SYS OF CTL NUMBERS TO LOG IN DEFERRED MAINT ITEMS FOR OUR FLEET, BUT THIS ONE OBVIOUSLY SLIPPED THROUGH THE CRACKS. HENCEFORTH, I WILL NOT BE SO TRUSTING OF MAINT AND WILL TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS NECESSARY TO ASCERTAIN THE PAPERWORK STATUS OF THE AIRPLANE, EVEN IF IT CAUSES US THE TAKE A DELAY. HAVING WORKED UNDER PART 121 IN THE PAST, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW REGS AT SCHEDULED PART 135 COMMUTERS. COMMUTER CREWS HAVE MORE TO DO, WITH LESS HELP, AND WITH LESS TIME IN WHICH TO DO IT, THAN DO PLTS WORKING UNDER PART 121. A DISPATCHER/FLT RELEASE SYS WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THIS MAINT OVERSIGHT DAYS BEFORE IT OCCURRED.

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.