Narrative:

On jun/mon/05 at approximately XA30; I received a call on the radio for a first class seat not working on aircraft X. When I arrived in the cabin; a flight attendant told me that seat 4A made 'a lot of noise and jumped when it retracted from the recline position.' I started working on the seat to do a rest when it jammed in the down or 'bed' position; another mechanic helped me for several mins to try to get this resolved when the captain came and asked us if we were going to fix seat 4D (the seat that he originally had written up for not reclining). We told him that the flight attendant told us that 4A was the seat that needed attention; then the captain informed us that this seat (4A) was already deferred and the seat he wrote up was 4D. We accomplished a reset on seat 4D and returned to seat 4A to try to get it put back in the upright position. During this time; passenger were starting to board and our gate controller called us on the radio to check the status of the sat; I explained that the seat was jammed in the bed position and we could not get it to return upright and that we may have to inoperative it unusable. He said; 'ok understand the seat is unusable; keep an eye on the clock.' I took this as meaning the flight departure time was approaching and we needed to make the decision to get the airplane released for its departure. We left the seat in the down position and told the flight crew it was unusable. Then we tired to get a hold of gate controller to get his help with station control so everyone would know the seat could not be used and got no answer. We were told he went home. During this time the captain came down to the gate house and informed us that yet another seat (2C) had no power and would not recline. We went back upstairs to see what could be done and found this seat had a power problem. And would have to be deferred as well. Again we tried calling gate controller; operations or any management person to help with the deferral process of these seats and got no answer. We finally got the seat 2C deferred and released the airplane as it was pushing back. I then made an information comment in the deferral text for seat 4A that this seat was unusable because it was stuck in the bed ode. At approximately XB30; operations called me on the radio and asked me to give him a call on the phone. I tried calling and got no answer; so I called my supervisor to find out what he needed. He finally got back to me and told me to contact an airframe controller in lie maintenance control. Airframe controller told me that the seat we let go in the recline or bed position was 'highly illegal and couldn't be any moe illegal than that.' he also told me that I would 'fry' because of this.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 WAS DISPATCHED WITH 2 FIRST CLASS SEATS INOP AND DEFERRED PER THE MEL. ONE SEAT WAS IMPROPERLY DEFERRED AS SPECIAL PROCS WERE NOT ACCOMPLISHED.

Narrative: ON JUN/MON/05 AT APPROX XA30; I RECEIVED A CALL ON THE RADIO FOR A FIRST CLASS SEAT NOT WORKING ON ACFT X. WHEN I ARRIVED IN THE CABIN; A FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME THAT SEAT 4A MADE 'A LOT OF NOISE AND JUMPED WHEN IT RETRACTED FROM THE RECLINE POS.' I STARTED WORKING ON THE SEAT TO DO A REST WHEN IT JAMMED IN THE DOWN OR 'BED' POS; ANOTHER MECH HELPED ME FOR SEVERAL MINS TO TRY TO GET THIS RESOLVED WHEN THE CAPT CAME AND ASKED US IF WE WERE GOING TO FIX SEAT 4D (THE SEAT THAT HE ORIGINALLY HAD WRITTEN UP FOR NOT RECLINING). WE TOLD HIM THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD US THAT 4A WAS THE SEAT THAT NEEDED ATTN; THEN THE CAPT INFORMED US THAT THIS SEAT (4A) WAS ALREADY DEFERRED AND THE SEAT HE WROTE UP WAS 4D. WE ACCOMPLISHED A RESET ON SEAT 4D AND RETURNED TO SEAT 4A TO TRY TO GET IT PUT BACK IN THE UPRIGHT POS. DURING THIS TIME; PAX WERE STARTING TO BOARD AND OUR GATE CTLR CALLED US ON THE RADIO TO CHK THE STATUS OF THE SAT; I EXPLAINED THAT THE SEAT WAS JAMMED IN THE BED POS AND WE COULD NOT GET IT TO RETURN UPRIGHT AND THAT WE MAY HAVE TO INOP IT UNUSABLE. HE SAID; 'OK UNDERSTAND THE SEAT IS UNUSABLE; KEEP AN EYE ON THE CLOCK.' I TOOK THIS AS MEANING THE FLT DEP TIME WAS APCHING AND WE NEEDED TO MAKE THE DECISION TO GET THE AIRPLANE RELEASED FOR ITS DEP. WE LEFT THE SEAT IN THE DOWN POS AND TOLD THE FLT CREW IT WAS UNUSABLE. THEN WE TIRED TO GET A HOLD OF GATE CTLR TO GET HIS HELP WITH STATION CTL SO EVERYONE WOULD KNOW THE SEAT COULD NOT BE USED AND GOT NO ANSWER. WE WERE TOLD HE WENT HOME. DURING THIS TIME THE CAPT CAME DOWN TO THE GATE HOUSE AND INFORMED US THAT YET ANOTHER SEAT (2C) HAD NO POWER AND WOULD NOT RECLINE. WE WENT BACK UPSTAIRS TO SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE AND FOUND THIS SEAT HAD A POWER PROB. AND WOULD HAVE TO BE DEFERRED AS WELL. AGAIN WE TRIED CALLING GATE CTLR; OPS OR ANY MANAGEMENT PERSON TO HELP WITH THE DEFERRAL PROCESS OF THESE SEATS AND GOT NO ANSWER. WE FINALLY GOT THE SEAT 2C DEFERRED AND RELEASED THE AIRPLANE AS IT WAS PUSHING BACK. I THEN MADE AN INFO COMMENT IN THE DEFERRAL TEXT FOR SEAT 4A THAT THIS SEAT WAS UNUSABLE BECAUSE IT WAS STUCK IN THE BED ODE. AT APPROX XB30; OPS CALLED ME ON THE RADIO AND ASKED ME TO GIVE HIM A CALL ON THE PHONE. I TRIED CALLING AND GOT NO ANSWER; SO I CALLED MY SUPVR TO FIND OUT WHAT HE NEEDED. HE FINALLY GOT BACK TO ME AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT AN AIRFRAME CTLR IN LIE MAINT CTL. AIRFRAME CTLR TOLD ME THAT THE SEAT WE LET GO IN THE RECLINE OR BED POS WAS 'HIGHLY ILLEGAL AND COULDN'T BE ANY MOE ILLEGAL THAN THAT.' HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT I WOULD 'FRY' BECAUSE OF THIS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.