Airworthiness item misidentified and minimum equipment list misapplied by company maintenance person...

Attributes
ACN	117889
Time
Date	198907
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : san
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : private pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 150
ASRS Report	117889
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

Flight release obtained from operations listed the 'main landing wing door' as an MEL item. Aircraft log book contained an entry dated 7/wed/89 that the 'lt main gear fairing panel missing' with a corrective action of 'placarded left medium large transport trunnion door missing.' during walk-around, crew noted a missing component at the leading edge of the left main landing gear on the wings lower surface. At the time, the crew did not question the previous write-up or the corrective action. However,, in flight we examined the MEL/cdl and began to suspect that the item had been misidented. After landing we contacted a maintenance supervisor who confirmed our suspicions. The 'door' was really a 'panel' and the aircraft should not have flown. It appears obvious that maintenance had misdiagnosed the condition of the aircraft and failed to ground it. (The supervisor told us that because of rapid expansion of the airlines and inexperienced new hire mechanics, situations like this have become more commonplace.) I must add, however, that our blind acceptance of their diagnosis/corrective action lured us into flying the aircraft when we shouldn't have.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIRWORTHINESS ITEM MISIDENTIFIED AND MINIMUM EQUIPMENT LIST MISAPPLIED BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL RESULTING IN DISPATCH OF WDB IN UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION.

Narrative: FLT RELEASE OBTAINED FROM OPS LISTED THE 'MAIN LNDG WING DOOR' AS AN MEL ITEM. ACFT LOG BOOK CONTAINED AN ENTRY DATED 7/WED/89 THAT THE 'LT MAIN GEAR FAIRING PANEL MISSING' WITH A CORRECTIVE ACTION OF 'PLACARDED L MLG TRUNNION DOOR MISSING.' DURING WALK-AROUND, CREW NOTED A MISSING COMPONENT AT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT MAIN LNDG GEAR ON THE WINGS LOWER SURFACE. AT THE TIME, THE CREW DID NOT QUESTION THE PREVIOUS WRITE-UP OR THE CORRECTIVE ACTION. HOWEVER,, IN FLT WE EXAMINED THE MEL/CDL AND BEGAN TO SUSPECT THAT THE ITEM HAD BEEN MISIDENTED. AFTER LNDG WE CONTACTED A MAINT SUPVR WHO CONFIRMED OUR SUSPICIONS. THE 'DOOR' WAS REALLY A 'PANEL' AND THE ACFT SHOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN. IT APPEARS OBVIOUS THAT MAINT HAD MISDIAGNOSED THE CONDITION OF THE ACFT AND FAILED TO GND IT. (THE SUPVR TOLD US THAT BECAUSE OF RAPID EXPANSION OF THE AIRLINES AND INEXPERIENCED NEW HIRE MECHS, SITUATIONS LIKE THIS HAVE BECOME MORE COMMONPLACE.) I MUST ADD, HOWEVER, THAT OUR BLIND ACCEPTANCE OF THEIR DIAGNOSIS/CORRECTIVE ACTION LURED US INTO FLYING THE ACFT WHEN WE SHOULDN'T HAVE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.

Airworthiness item misidentified and minimum equipment list misapplied by company maintenance personnel resulting in dispatch of widebody transport in unairworthy condition.