Narrative:

Reference flight abc ZZZ-ZZZ1 on may/mon/02 aircraft X logbook had a repeat write-ups reference to left generator. Before we departed the gate maintenance personnel requested a left engine start and a 2 min run-up. The left generator worked fine. However, as we taxied out 7 mins after we started the left engine's left generator failed and also the left AC bus failed -- APU was still running. We returned to gate xo. I called dispatch immediately to advise him of the problem and that we can't take a long delay, our flight attendant will run out of duty day. They signed in early that morning at ZZZ2 and about the curfew in ZZZ1 dispatch told me that he will call ZZZ1 tower and they normally will wait for us up to XI00-XI30 if we were airborne. He said that a decision would be made shortly about aircraft X. Eventually we were given another airplane that was on the ground. However, it was waiting for its gate xo, our gate. I called ramp control and advised him of the problem and he ought to find a new gate for that inbound flight, preferably close to us at xo. Eventually the inbound flight got xa. We got the new aircraft ready. All cockpit checks were completed. When we received an ACARS message that the flight was going to be delayed until tomorrow morning it was about XF35 due to ZZZ1 curfew. Cabin crew was already on the airplane cleaning and we had about 90 bags to load. The following morning I got to operations and found out that we had been assigned an aircraft with an MEL item APU generator inoperative. And maintenance was working on changing the brakes on wheel #1. They still had another set of wheel brakes to change. I called dispatch at sign-in and advised him that this flight has already been delayed for over 12 hours, and asked if he can get us another aircraft. He told me to go preflight the aircraft and then determine its airworthiness. Maintenance was having trouble putting #1 tire back on its truck. From talking to our lead maintenance they had been struggling with it for a while with no success. He requested a fresh day crew, but was refused. They didn't want them to work overtime. Meanwhile our entire delayed passenger were watching their airplane at xb on a jack with 1/2 dozen of maintenance personnel around the left main wheel. The agent already told them that a decision would be made at XF30 to when this flight will depart. Eventually we were given a new aircraft. Yes we were back at aircraft X at xo. After they took aircraft X OTS that evening, of the monday they reassigned it to another flight that same night. The aircraft, again, went OTS with this write-up and fix. During left engine start at 50 degrees N3, left generator failed. Left bus isln light came on and left engine flamed out. Reference item. Pbcu faulted l-hand generator dp trip. Accomplished wiring checks/no faults found, suspect bad idg/placarded l-hand idg inoperative per MEL. Accomplished mpm procedure/svced oils on l-hand, and r-hand idg and APU generator entered in microphone sheet/ disconnected l-hand. I accepted the aircraft reluctantly, to prevent any further delays and inconvenience to our passenger. We flew to ZZZ1 without any problems. However, on the way back to ZZZ our APU failed in-flight. We followed the checklist. We were able to restart it but later, in-flight, it failed again. We were down to 1 generator. We landed at the first suitable airport. Was the aircraft legal to fly? Yes. Was it prudent and wise to assign the same aircraft or any aircraft with open MEL items with a history of same electric problems to fly our passenger that were delayed over 14 hours? No. We should not have been assigned the same airplane with the same deferred open item. I think the flight should not have been delayed overnight. If we had the motivation and the urgency to get the flight out, we would have succeeded, and we wouldn't have inconvenienced our passenger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 WAS DISPATCHED ON AN OVERWATER FLT FROM A MAINT STATION WITH A CHRONIC FAILED #1 GENERATOR DEFERRED, ENRTE THE APU FAILED.

Narrative: REF FLT ABC ZZZ-ZZZ1 ON MAY/MON/02 ACFT X LOGBOOK HAD A REPEAT WRITE-UPS REF TO L GENERATOR. BEFORE WE DEPARTED THE GATE MAINT PERSONNEL REQUESTED A L ENG START AND A 2 MIN RUN-UP. THE L GENERATOR WORKED FINE. HOWEVER, AS WE TAXIED OUT 7 MINS AFTER WE STARTED THE L ENG'S L GENERATOR FAILED AND ALSO THE L AC BUS FAILED -- APU WAS STILL RUNNING. WE RETURNED TO GATE XO. I CALLED DISPATCH IMMEDIATELY TO ADVISE HIM OF THE PROB AND THAT WE CAN'T TAKE A LONG DELAY, OUR FLT ATTENDANT WILL RUN OUT OF DUTY DAY. THEY SIGNED IN EARLY THAT MORNING AT ZZZ2 AND ABOUT THE CURFEW IN ZZZ1 DISPATCH TOLD ME THAT HE WILL CALL ZZZ1 TWR AND THEY NORMALLY WILL WAIT FOR US UP TO XI00-XI30 IF WE WERE AIRBORNE. HE SAID THAT A DECISION WOULD BE MADE SHORTLY ABOUT ACFT X. EVENTUALLY WE WERE GIVEN ANOTHER AIRPLANE THAT WAS ON THE GND. HOWEVER, IT WAS WAITING FOR ITS GATE XO, OUR GATE. I CALLED RAMP CTL AND ADVISED HIM OF THE PROB AND HE OUGHT TO FIND A NEW GATE FOR THAT INBOUND FLT, PREFERABLY CLOSE TO US AT XO. EVENTUALLY THE INBOUND FLT GOT XA. WE GOT THE NEW ACFT READY. ALL COCKPIT CHKS WERE COMPLETED. WHEN WE RECEIVED AN ACARS MESSAGE THAT THE FLT WAS GOING TO BE DELAYED UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING IT WAS ABOUT XF35 DUE TO ZZZ1 CURFEW. CABIN CREW WAS ALREADY ON THE AIRPLANE CLEANING AND WE HAD ABOUT 90 BAGS TO LOAD. THE FOLLOWING MORNING I GOT TO OPS AND FOUND OUT THAT WE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED AN ACFT WITH AN MEL ITEM APU GENERATOR INOP. AND MAINT WAS WORKING ON CHANGING THE BRAKES ON WHEEL #1. THEY STILL HAD ANOTHER SET OF WHEEL BRAKES TO CHANGE. I CALLED DISPATCH AT SIGN-IN AND ADVISED HIM THAT THIS FLT HAS ALREADY BEEN DELAYED FOR OVER 12 HRS, AND ASKED IF HE CAN GET US ANOTHER ACFT. HE TOLD ME TO GO PREFLT THE ACFT AND THEN DETERMINE ITS AIRWORTHINESS. MAINT WAS HAVING TROUBLE PUTTING #1 TIRE BACK ON ITS TRUCK. FROM TALKING TO OUR LEAD MAINT THEY HAD BEEN STRUGGLING WITH IT FOR A WHILE WITH NO SUCCESS. HE REQUESTED A FRESH DAY CREW, BUT WAS REFUSED. THEY DIDN'T WANT THEM TO WORK OVERTIME. MEANWHILE OUR ENTIRE DELAYED PAX WERE WATCHING THEIR AIRPLANE AT XB ON A JACK WITH 1/2 DOZEN OF MAINT PERSONNEL AROUND THE L MAIN WHEEL. THE AGENT ALREADY TOLD THEM THAT A DECISION WOULD BE MADE AT XF30 TO WHEN THIS FLT WILL DEPART. EVENTUALLY WE WERE GIVEN A NEW ACFT. YES WE WERE BACK AT ACFT X AT XO. AFTER THEY TOOK ACFT X OTS THAT EVENING, OF THE MONDAY THEY REASSIGNED IT TO ANOTHER FLT THAT SAME NIGHT. THE ACFT, AGAIN, WENT OTS WITH THIS WRITE-UP AND FIX. DURING L ENG START AT 50 DEGS N3, L GENERATOR FAILED. L BUS ISLN LIGHT CAME ON AND L ENG FLAMED OUT. REF ITEM. PBCU FAULTED L-HAND GENERATOR DP TRIP. ACCOMPLISHED WIRING CHKS/NO FAULTS FOUND, SUSPECT BAD IDG/PLACARDED L-HAND IDG INOP PER MEL. ACCOMPLISHED MPM PROC/SVCED OILS ON L-HAND, AND R-HAND IDG AND APU GENERATOR ENTERED IN MIC SHEET/ DISCONNECTED L-HAND. I ACCEPTED THE ACFT RELUCTANTLY, TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER DELAYS AND INCONVENIENCE TO OUR PAX. WE FLEW TO ZZZ1 WITHOUT ANY PROBS. HOWEVER, ON THE WAY BACK TO ZZZ OUR APU FAILED INFLT. WE FOLLOWED THE CHKLIST. WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART IT BUT LATER, INFLT, IT FAILED AGAIN. WE WERE DOWN TO 1 GENERATOR. WE LANDED AT THE FIRST SUITABLE ARPT. WAS THE ACFT LEGAL TO FLY? YES. WAS IT PRUDENT AND WISE TO ASSIGN THE SAME ACFT OR ANY ACFT WITH OPEN MEL ITEMS WITH A HISTORY OF SAME ELECTRIC PROBS TO FLY OUR PAX THAT WERE DELAYED OVER 14 HRS? NO. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED THE SAME AIRPLANE WITH THE SAME DEFERRED OPEN ITEM. I THINK THE FLT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DELAYED OVERNIGHT. IF WE HAD THE MOTIVATION AND THE URGENCY TO GET THE FLT OUT, WE WOULD HAVE SUCCEEDED, AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE INCONVENIENCED OUR PAX.

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.