An md super 80 was dispatched in non compliance with an unanswered open technician's report on the A...

Attributes
ACN	453975
Time
Date	199910
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Super 80
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : multi engine
ASRS Report	453975
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical maintenance problem : improper maintenance maintenance problem : non compliance with mel maintenance problem : improper documentation non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : apu gen bus light
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	other
Factors
Maintenance	contributing factor : schedule pressure performance deficiency : logbook entry performance deficiency : testing performance deficiency : non compliance with legal requirements
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft Maintenance Human Performance
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

Narrative:

Normal origination preflight with logbook not in cockpit. Panel check routine with no placards noted. APU start was normal with APU blue ready light illuminated and volts/frequency normal. At this time the crew chief arrived with the logbook asking if we needed assistance due to discrepancy logged by maintenance that morning. Write-up in the action taken block stated that APU generator would not come on line/inoperative, but air was ok. Never put APU generator on the busses and tried to find the maintenance technician who made the entry to explain since all indications were normal. Bottom line is that the captain and I continued to search for the technician so the entry could be resolved. Thought the technician might not have reset the APU generator. We never got to him/her but left the gate without reviewing the MEL. Our mindset was that we probably had the APU generator yet the paperwork did not reflect that. A gotcha. At dfw the APU generator was placed back in service.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD SUPER 80 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH AN UNANSWERED OPEN TECHNICIAN'S RPT ON THE APU PWR SWITCHING.

Narrative: NORMAL ORIGINATION PREFLT WITH LOGBOOK NOT IN COCKPIT. PANEL CHK ROUTINE WITH NO PLACARDS NOTED. APU START WAS NORMAL WITH APU BLUE READY LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND VOLTS/FREQ NORMAL. AT THIS TIME THE CREW CHIEF ARRIVED WITH THE LOGBOOK ASKING IF WE NEEDED ASSISTANCE DUE TO DISCREPANCY LOGGED BY MAINT THAT MORNING. WRITE-UP IN THE ACTION TAKEN BLOCK STATED THAT APU GENERATOR WOULD NOT COME ON LINE/INOP, BUT AIR WAS OK. NEVER PUT APU GENERATOR ON THE BUSSES AND TRIED TO FIND THE MAINT TECHNICIAN WHO MADE THE ENTRY TO EXPLAIN SINCE ALL INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THE CAPT AND I CONTINUED TO SEARCH FOR THE TECHNICIAN SO THE ENTRY COULD BE RESOLVED. THOUGHT THE TECHNICIAN MIGHT NOT HAVE RESET THE APU GENERATOR. WE NEVER GOT TO HIM/HER BUT LEFT THE GATE WITHOUT REVIEWING THE MEL. OUR MINDSET WAS THAT WE PROBABLY HAD THE APU GENERATOR YET THE PAPERWORK DID NOT REFLECT THAT. A GOTCHA. AT DFW THE APU GENERATOR WAS PLACED BACK IN SVC.

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.

An md super 80 was dispatched in non compliance with an unanswered open technician's report on the APU power switching.