Narrative:

Plane arrived from the hangar a little later then we'd like; so preflight was a quick affair. Had a total of 3 preflight discrepancies discovered and these were sent via ACARS and followed up with a radio call to maintenance. The write-ups were: 11D seatback pocket's metal frame had come loose from the seat and was partially blocking the exit; seats 16BC had seat pockets that were torn loose at the bottom; and the white navigation light was inoperative on system #2. The mechanic came onboard and I saw him taping up the 11D pocket; then he was leaving. I stopped him and handed him a spare part we found onboard (it was a plastic strip that sticks out on the sides of the seat at the aisle as a 'rub strip;' all of ours were installed). Then the door was shut and we finished our checklists and reviewed the maintenance release. The maintenance release showed that all 3 items were deferred and that 11D pocket was taped in position. We pushed back and had to confirm with the flight attendants that they had been told what to do with the contents of those pockets; and they told us that 16BC were fixed. We assumed also that the mechanics had looked at the white navigation light that we had switched to (system #1) and that it was working properly. No mechanic came to the cockpit to tell us the status of the airplane; and none came to apply the deferred sticker on the navigation light switch. In order to check the navigation light ourselves; once we got the maintenance release we would have had to bring back the jetway and taken an even longer delay. I later applied the deferred sticker myself; so that was taken care of. But the paperwork still shows that 16BC is deferred after the flight attendant's report that they were fixed. Fast-forward to engine start. #1 generator didn't come online. We got the ECAM and generator fault lights; accomplished the ECAM procedure and it worked fine. I remembered that the paperwork had said that the generator not coming online had become chronic; and that the inbound write-up had been about flashing lights in the aft galley. This became important later. We pulled into the penalty box to talk with maintenance control about the generator problem; he looked through the history and since we had only done 1 reset; we were good to go. Off we went. My assumption was that the flight attendant who had checked the seat-pockets just hadn't looked too closely at the bottom of them; so I ignored that maintenance release discrepancy. On the way; I started to put 2 and 2 together and I called the flight attendants asking them if their lights were flashing in the back. They confirmed that yes; they were. We sent a message to maintenance control for this problem; and then sent a text message hinting at the solution when I asked them if they thought the flashing lights and the generator not coming online (both now chronic problems) were related. He sent us a deferral for the generator; requiring us to have maintenance in ZZZ1 inoperative the #1 generator. Flickering lights in the cabin are one of the symptoms of a phase failure in a generator. Accompany that with a generator that keeps having trouble coming online; and all sorts of bells; whistles; horns and sirens should have gone off at the big maintenance headquarters in the sky. But that's not what happened. I'm a pilot; I'm not a mechanic. I don't get paid to be a mechanic; I don't know enough to be one and yet I find myself more and more being the system expert on an incredibly complex machine like the airbus. I understand my job; and I don't shirk my responsibility to know the system; but shouldn't maintenance be all over this stuff even more than me? Maybe we should start looking a little harder at trying to find root causes to problems like this; instead of trying to find another legal way to defer an airplane that is screaming at you in every way it can; that it is broken. I refused the aircraft at ZZZ1 for the lack of all the generators. The company canceled the flight to ZZZ2 and deadheaded us to ZZZ3. As a couple of asides; I'd like to mention that ZZZ3 maintenance is usually outstanding. Really outstanding. But today wasn't a good picture of their best work. Also;this airplane came from the hangar. That means it was up there where mechanics have unlimited access to it as well as relatively easy access to the small parts inventory we have. Wouldn't it have been better to troubleshoot the generator problem further than a 'could not duplicate; lights operations normal' action in response to the flickering lights write-up? Shouldn't our maintenance procedures raise flags when the generator keeps kicking out faults and then you have a write-up of flickering lights? Our mechanics are some of; if not the best in the world. From my perspective; they have been cut back way too far and maybe that's the exact reason we had this problem and why there's an airbus sitting empty at a gate in ZZZ1.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS A319 CAPTAIN EXPRESSES FRUSTRATION ABOUT INADEQUATE MAINT TROUBLESHOOTING OF HIS #1 ENG GENERATOR DUE TO MAINT PERSONNEL CUTBACKS. FLIGHT WAS CANCELED.

Narrative: PLANE ARRIVED FROM THE HANGAR A LITTLE LATER THEN WE'D LIKE; SO PREFLT WAS A QUICK AFFAIR. HAD A TOTAL OF 3 PREFLT DISCREPANCIES DISCOVERED AND THESE WERE SENT VIA ACARS AND FOLLOWED UP WITH A RADIO CALL TO MAINT. THE WRITE-UPS WERE: 11D SEATBACK POCKET'S METAL FRAME HAD COME LOOSE FROM THE SEAT AND WAS PARTIALLY BLOCKING THE EXIT; SEATS 16BC HAD SEAT POCKETS THAT WERE TORN LOOSE AT THE BOTTOM; AND THE WHITE NAV LIGHT WAS INOP ON SYS #2. THE MECH CAME ONBOARD AND I SAW HIM TAPING UP THE 11D POCKET; THEN HE WAS LEAVING. I STOPPED HIM AND HANDED HIM A SPARE PART WE FOUND ONBOARD (IT WAS A PLASTIC STRIP THAT STICKS OUT ON THE SIDES OF THE SEAT AT THE AISLE AS A 'RUB STRIP;' ALL OF OURS WERE INSTALLED). THEN THE DOOR WAS SHUT AND WE FINISHED OUR CHKLISTS AND REVIEWED THE MAINT RELEASE. THE MAINT RELEASE SHOWED THAT ALL 3 ITEMS WERE DEFERRED AND THAT 11D POCKET WAS TAPED IN POS. WE PUSHED BACK AND HAD TO CONFIRM WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT THEY HAD BEEN TOLD WHAT TO DO WITH THE CONTENTS OF THOSE POCKETS; AND THEY TOLD US THAT 16BC WERE FIXED. WE ASSUMED ALSO THAT THE MECHS HAD LOOKED AT THE WHITE NAV LIGHT THAT WE HAD SWITCHED TO (SYS #1) AND THAT IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY. NO MECH CAME TO THE COCKPIT TO TELL US THE STATUS OF THE AIRPLANE; AND NONE CAME TO APPLY THE DEFERRED STICKER ON THE NAV LIGHT SWITCH. IN ORDER TO CHK THE NAV LIGHT OURSELVES; ONCE WE GOT THE MAINT RELEASE WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO BRING BACK THE JETWAY AND TAKEN AN EVEN LONGER DELAY. I LATER APPLIED THE DEFERRED STICKER MYSELF; SO THAT WAS TAKEN CARE OF. BUT THE PAPERWORK STILL SHOWS THAT 16BC IS DEFERRED AFTER THE FLT ATTENDANT'S RPT THAT THEY WERE FIXED. FAST-FORWARD TO ENG START. #1 GENERATOR DIDN'T COME ONLINE. WE GOT THE ECAM AND GENERATOR FAULT LIGHTS; ACCOMPLISHED THE ECAM PROC AND IT WORKED FINE. I REMEMBERED THAT THE PAPERWORK HAD SAID THAT THE GENERATOR NOT COMING ONLINE HAD BECOME CHRONIC; AND THAT THE INBOUND WRITE-UP HAD BEEN ABOUT FLASHING LIGHTS IN THE AFT GALLEY. THIS BECAME IMPORTANT LATER. WE PULLED INTO THE PENALTY BOX TO TALK WITH MAINT CTL ABOUT THE GENERATOR PROB; HE LOOKED THROUGH THE HISTORY AND SINCE WE HAD ONLY DONE 1 RESET; WE WERE GOOD TO GO. OFF WE WENT. MY ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT WHO HAD CHKED THE SEAT-POCKETS JUST HADN'T LOOKED TOO CLOSELY AT THE BOTTOM OF THEM; SO I IGNORED THAT MAINT RELEASE DISCREPANCY. ON THE WAY; I STARTED TO PUT 2 AND 2 TOGETHER AND I CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANTS ASKING THEM IF THEIR LIGHTS WERE FLASHING IN THE BACK. THEY CONFIRMED THAT YES; THEY WERE. WE SENT A MESSAGE TO MAINT CTL FOR THIS PROB; AND THEN SENT A TEXT MESSAGE HINTING AT THE SOLUTION WHEN I ASKED THEM IF THEY THOUGHT THE FLASHING LIGHTS AND THE GENERATOR NOT COMING ONLINE (BOTH NOW CHRONIC PROBS) WERE RELATED. HE SENT US A DEFERRAL FOR THE GENERATOR; REQUIRING US TO HAVE MAINT IN ZZZ1 INOP THE #1 GENERATOR. FLICKERING LIGHTS IN THE CABIN ARE ONE OF THE SYMPTOMS OF A PHASE FAILURE IN A GENERATOR. ACCOMPANY THAT WITH A GENERATOR THAT KEEPS HAVING TROUBLE COMING ONLINE; AND ALL SORTS OF BELLS; WHISTLES; HORNS AND SIRENS SHOULD HAVE GONE OFF AT THE BIG MAINT HEADQUARTERS IN THE SKY. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED. I'M A PLT; I'M NOT A MECH. I DON'T GET PAID TO BE A MECH; I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH TO BE ONE AND YET I FIND MYSELF MORE AND MORE BEING THE SYS EXPERT ON AN INCREDIBLY COMPLEX MACHINE LIKE THE AIRBUS. I UNDERSTAND MY JOB; AND I DON'T SHIRK MY RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW THE SYS; BUT SHOULDN'T MAINT BE ALL OVER THIS STUFF EVEN MORE THAN ME? MAYBE WE SHOULD START LOOKING A LITTLE HARDER AT TRYING TO FIND ROOT CAUSES TO PROBS LIKE THIS; INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER LEGAL WAY TO DEFER AN AIRPLANE THAT IS SCREAMING AT YOU IN EVERY WAY IT CAN; THAT IT IS BROKEN. I REFUSED THE ACFT AT ZZZ1 FOR THE LACK OF ALL THE GENERATORS. THE COMPANY CANCELED THE FLT TO ZZZ2 AND DEADHEADED US TO ZZZ3. AS A COUPLE OF ASIDES; I'D LIKE TO MENTION THAT ZZZ3 MAINT IS USUALLY OUTSTANDING. REALLY OUTSTANDING. BUT TODAY WASN'T A GOOD PICTURE OF THEIR BEST WORK. ALSO;THIS AIRPLANE CAME FROM THE HANGAR. THAT MEANS IT WAS UP THERE WHERE MECHS HAVE UNLIMITED ACCESS TO IT AS WELL AS RELATIVELY EASY ACCESS TO THE SMALL PARTS INVENTORY WE HAVE. WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN BETTER TO TROUBLESHOOT THE GENERATOR PROB FURTHER THAN A 'COULD NOT DUPLICATE; LIGHTS OPS NORMAL' ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE FLICKERING LIGHTS WRITE-UP? SHOULDN'T OUR MAINT PROCS RAISE FLAGS WHEN THE GENERATOR KEEPS KICKING OUT FAULTS AND THEN YOU HAVE A WRITE-UP OF FLICKERING LIGHTS? OUR MECHS ARE SOME OF; IF NOT THE BEST IN THE WORLD. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE; THEY HAVE BEEN CUT BACK WAY TOO FAR AND MAYBE THAT'S THE EXACT REASON WE HAD THIS PROB AND WHY THERE'S AN AIRBUS SITTING EMPTY AT A GATE IN ZZZ1.

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.