Narrative:

Our fleet of air ambulance PA31T are maintained by our in-house maintenance department. The status sheets they provide to the pilots are sometimes strewn with typo's and incorrect values. 1 airplane was consistently not updated regarding the time a hot section was due and the answers to our pilot inquiries to the maintenance department were incorrect. 1 plane status sheet had a value for hot section due that had not been updated. Another plane had a value for hot section due that was correct but the pilots (me included) were told that it was a typo or had not yet been updated in their computer system. 1 plane actually did go over the hot section due time. The maintenance department thought that it has been completed but just had not yet been updated because they did; in fact; conduct a hot section event but on the wrong engine. Therefore the hot section was overdue when pilots were flying the plane through sep and oct 2006. Maintenance corrected the problem when it was discovered during a quarterly internal audit function and a self-disclosure was initiated with FAA pmi. The chief pilot also made changes to procedures for reviewing inspection due times and dates by changing forms and adding an airplane section to the pilot's status board. Layers were added to the checks and balances of the process. Also; from now on the pilots (me included) will not dispatch without the status verified and if there is any question either maintenance or management will make the change prior to dispatching.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PIPER PA31T PLT IS CONCERNED WITH MAINT STATUS OF ACFT.

Narrative: OUR FLEET OF AIR AMBULANCE PA31T ARE MAINTAINED BY OUR IN-HOUSE MAINT DEPT. THE STATUS SHEETS THEY PROVIDE TO THE PLTS ARE SOMETIMES STREWN WITH TYPO'S AND INCORRECT VALUES. 1 AIRPLANE WAS CONSISTENTLY NOT UPDATED REGARDING THE TIME A HOT SECTION WAS DUE AND THE ANSWERS TO OUR PLT INQUIRIES TO THE MAINT DEPT WERE INCORRECT. 1 PLANE STATUS SHEET HAD A VALUE FOR HOT SECTION DUE THAT HAD NOT BEEN UPDATED. ANOTHER PLANE HAD A VALUE FOR HOT SECTION DUE THAT WAS CORRECT BUT THE PLTS (ME INCLUDED) WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS A TYPO OR HAD NOT YET BEEN UPDATED IN THEIR COMPUTER SYS. 1 PLANE ACTUALLY DID GO OVER THE HOT SECTION DUE TIME. THE MAINT DEPT THOUGHT THAT IT HAS BEEN COMPLETED BUT JUST HAD NOT YET BEEN UPDATED BECAUSE THEY DID; IN FACT; CONDUCT A HOT SECTION EVENT BUT ON THE WRONG ENG. THEREFORE THE HOT SECTION WAS OVERDUE WHEN PLTS WERE FLYING THE PLANE THROUGH SEP AND OCT 2006. MAINT CORRECTED THE PROB WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED DURING A QUARTERLY INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION AND A SELF-DISCLOSURE WAS INITIATED WITH FAA PMI. THE CHIEF PLT ALSO MADE CHANGES TO PROCS FOR REVIEWING INSPECTION DUE TIMES AND DATES BY CHANGING FORMS AND ADDING AN AIRPLANE SECTION TO THE PLT'S STATUS BOARD. LAYERS WERE ADDED TO THE CHKS AND BALS OF THE PROCESS. ALSO; FROM NOW ON THE PLTS (ME INCLUDED) WILL NOT DISPATCH WITHOUT THE STATUS VERIFIED AND IF THERE IS ANY QUESTION EITHER MAINT OR MGMNT WILL MAKE THE CHANGE PRIOR TO DISPATCHING.

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.