Narrative:

The 'a' flight attendant reported a passenger with a car seat broke off the tray table latch in seat 20F getting the seat in. We contacted operations who contacted maintenance. A mechanic appeared a short line later. We looked up the MEL and found on page 25-10.4 under MEL 25-10B says 'must be secured upright or removed: tape is not to be used,' all in bold print with the last part capitalized. The mechanic showed rather quickly and when he got in the airplane he didn't stop by the cockpit, but we heard the 'a' flight attendant say he's just going to tape it up. I grabbed the page out of the MEL and went back and he was already in the process of getting ready to tape it up. I showed him the MEL page out of our book and he got rather rude and upset that I was telling him to do something else. He literally stormed out of the airplane and stated to the flight attendants and csa that he (pointing to me) won't let me tape it, so now it's going to take a while. He proceeded to go in to call maintenance controller. He came back to look for an extra latch on the backs of any seats but didn't find any. He then left again. He came back and said the maintenance controller told him to MEL it under 25-6A which is for inoperative seats. The table was never removed nor secured upright.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH A BROKEN SEAT TRAY TABLE LATCH DEFERRED IMPROPERLY. NOT RENDERED INOP PER THE MEL.

Narrative: THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT RPTED A PAX WITH A CAR SEAT BROKE OFF THE TRAY TABLE LATCH IN SEAT 20F GETTING THE SEAT IN. WE CONTACTED OPS WHO CONTACTED MAINT. A MECH APPEARED A SHORT LINE LATER. WE LOOKED UP THE MEL AND FOUND ON PAGE 25-10.4 UNDER MEL 25-10B SAYS 'MUST BE SECURED UPRIGHT OR REMOVED: TAPE IS NOT TO BE USED,' ALL IN BOLD PRINT WITH THE LAST PART CAPITALIZED. THE MECH SHOWED RATHER QUICKLY AND WHEN HE GOT IN THE AIRPLANE HE DIDN'T STOP BY THE COCKPIT, BUT WE HEARD THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT SAY HE'S JUST GOING TO TAPE IT UP. I GRABBED THE PAGE OUT OF THE MEL AND WENT BACK AND HE WAS ALREADY IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING READY TO TAPE IT UP. I SHOWED HIM THE MEL PAGE OUT OF OUR BOOK AND HE GOT RATHER RUDE AND UPSET THAT I WAS TELLING HIM TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. HE LITERALLY STORMED OUT OF THE AIRPLANE AND STATED TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND CSA THAT HE (POINTING TO ME) WON'T LET ME TAPE IT, SO NOW IT'S GOING TO TAKE A WHILE. HE PROCEEDED TO GO IN TO CALL MAINT CTLR. HE CAME BACK TO LOOK FOR AN EXTRA LATCH ON THE BACKS OF ANY SEATS BUT DIDN'T FIND ANY. HE THEN LEFT AGAIN. HE CAME BACK AND SAID THE MAINT CTLR TOLD HIM TO MEL IT UNDER 25-6A WHICH IS FOR INOP SEATS. THE TABLE WAS NEVER REMOVED NOR SECURED UPRIGHT.

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.