Flight conducted with an apparently illegtal maintenance item.

Attributes
ACN	128037
Time
Date	198911
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : orf
State Reference	VA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Transport
Flight Phase	ground : parked ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 8700
ASRS Report	128037
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Ambiguous
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

I was called in to replace a captain at the end of this trip. He told me that the flight/taxi switch (which retracts the spoilers on the ground and automatically deploys them on landing) was broken. It had been MEL'd earlier in the day by the morning shift. (I was the third captain to fly the aircraft that day.) I thought something was not correct about the way our maintenance department had done this, but they swore on a stack of bibles that it was legal and proper to do this. Like an idiot, I took their word for it and didn't check it myself. After I completed the trip (2 legs, orf-dca-orf), I found that the switch must be operative. Maintenance had MEL'd the ground spoiler system, but under the terms of the MEL, the switch must be operative. The only way to prevent a future occurrence of this nature is to go with your gut feeling and check out anything and everything dispatch tells you is legal. Someone has to do a thorough job, and if they don't, the flight crew (captain) must.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CONDUCTED WITH AN APPARENTLY ILLEGTAL MAINTENANCE ITEM.

Narrative: I WAS CALLED IN TO REPLACE A CAPT AT THE END OF THIS TRIP. HE TOLD ME THAT THE FLT/TAXI SWITCH (WHICH RETRACTS THE SPOILERS ON THE GND AND AUTOMATICALLY DEPLOYS THEM ON LNDG) WAS BROKEN. IT HAD BEEN MEL'D EARLIER IN THE DAY BY THE MORNING SHIFT. (I WAS THE THIRD CAPT TO FLY THE ACFT THAT DAY.) I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS NOT CORRECT ABOUT THE WAY OUR MAINT DEPT HAD DONE THIS, BUT THEY SWORE ON A STACK OF BIBLES THAT IT WAS LEGAL AND PROPER TO DO THIS. LIKE AN IDIOT, I TOOK THEIR WORD FOR IT AND DIDN'T CHK IT MYSELF. AFTER I COMPLETED THE TRIP (2 LEGS, ORF-DCA-ORF), I FOUND THAT THE SWITCH MUST BE OPERATIVE. MAINT HAD MEL'D THE GND SPOILER SYS, BUT UNDER THE TERMS OF THE MEL, THE SWITCH MUST BE OPERATIVE. THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT A FUTURE OCCURRENCE OF THIS NATURE IS TO GO WITH YOUR GUT FEELING AND CHK OUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING DISPATCH TELLS YOU IS LEGAL. SOMEONE HAS TO DO A THOROUGH JOB, AND IF THEY DON'T, THE FLT CREW (CAPT) MUST.

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.