Narrative:

The aircraft arrived at the gate 1 hour before scheduled departure time. An origination preflight was required since it was the first flight of the day. Maintenance was onboard and had the log books. The #1 omega navigation system (ONS) was placarded inoperative and the #2 ONS was written up and maintenance was working on it. When I completed the preflight maintenance was still working on #2 ONS. It was now 20 mins before departure time and I saw the captain and he told me the first officer was late and hadn't signed in and that he had to make a phone call. I was doing my normal preflight duties getting ready for departure and maintenance wa still working on #2 ONS. Then the captain came back and said the first officer was on his way and that he wanted me to load the waypoints into the ONS and INS. Before I did this, maintenance said we were ready to go and they signed off the log books and left. Then the captain said he had to make another phone call and he left. About the time I loaded the ONS and INS the first officer showed up and asked me if I had seen the paperwork for the trip. I told him that I thought the captain had the paperwork so he went to look for him. Then it was about 10 mins before departure time. The captain showed back up and looked at the log books and signed them. Then we got busy with the checklist and engine's starts and we left the gate and took off. When we were about 20 mins out I looked at the flight plan and noticed that it said that the #1 ONS was required for the flight. Then I looked in the MEL and it said that all installed ONS/INS sets are required. I think that maintenance thought they had fixed the #1 ONS because they changed the antenna on the #2 ONS and that was what was wrong with the #1 ONS. They knew they had to work on an ONS that had a previous inoperative placard, but I guess that the recent write up on the #2 ONS side tricked them and they overlooked the #1 ONS. I think that the captain should have helped out more by loading the navigation units instead of making phone calls, and he should have read the flight plan when he pulled it up out of the computer, so he would have been aware of the #1 ONS being required--or he should have looked in the mle since he is the only one required to carry it. If I hadn't been overloaded by doing all the preflight stuff for 3 people, I would have looked into the MEL myself.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR WDB MADE TKOF WITH NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT INOPERATIVE AND NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH MINIMUM EQUIPMENT LIST REQUIREMENT.

Narrative: THE ACFT ARRIVED AT THE GATE 1 HR BEFORE SCHEDULED DEP TIME. AN ORIGINATION PREFLT WAS REQUIRED SINCE IT WAS THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY. MAINT WAS ONBOARD AND HAD THE LOG BOOKS. THE #1 OMEGA NAV SYS (ONS) WAS PLACARDED INOP AND THE #2 ONS WAS WRITTEN UP AND MAINT WAS WORKING ON IT. WHEN I COMPLETED THE PREFLT MAINT WAS STILL WORKING ON #2 ONS. IT WAS NOW 20 MINS BEFORE DEP TIME AND I SAW THE CAPT AND HE TOLD ME THE F/O WAS LATE AND HADN'T SIGNED IN AND THAT HE HAD TO MAKE A PHONE CALL. I WAS DOING MY NORMAL PREFLT DUTIES GETTING READY FOR DEP AND MAINT WA STILL WORKING ON #2 ONS. THEN THE CAPT CAME BACK AND SAID THE F/O WAS ON HIS WAY AND THAT HE WANTED ME TO LOAD THE WAYPOINTS INTO THE ONS AND INS. BEFORE I DID THIS, MAINT SAID WE WERE READY TO GO AND THEY SIGNED OFF THE LOG BOOKS AND LEFT. THEN THE CAPT SAID HE HAD TO MAKE ANOTHER PHONE CALL AND HE LEFT. ABOUT THE TIME I LOADED THE ONS AND INS THE F/O SHOWED UP AND ASKED ME IF I HAD SEEN THE PAPERWORK FOR THE TRIP. I TOLD HIM THAT I THOUGHT THE CAPT HAD THE PAPERWORK SO HE WENT TO LOOK FOR HIM. THEN IT WAS ABOUT 10 MINS BEFORE DEP TIME. THE CAPT SHOWED BACK UP AND LOOKED AT THE LOG BOOKS AND SIGNED THEM. THEN WE GOT BUSY WITH THE CHKLIST AND ENG'S STARTS AND WE LEFT THE GATE AND TOOK OFF. WHEN WE WERE ABOUT 20 MINS OUT I LOOKED AT THE FLT PLAN AND NOTICED THAT IT SAID THAT THE #1 ONS WAS REQUIRED FOR THE FLT. THEN I LOOKED IN THE MEL AND IT SAID THAT ALL INSTALLED ONS/INS SETS ARE REQUIRED. I THINK THAT MAINT THOUGHT THEY HAD FIXED THE #1 ONS BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE ANTENNA ON THE #2 ONS AND THAT WAS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE #1 ONS. THEY KNEW THEY HAD TO WORK ON AN ONS THAT HAD A PREVIOUS INOP PLACARD, BUT I GUESS THAT THE RECENT WRITE UP ON THE #2 ONS SIDE TRICKED THEM AND THEY OVERLOOKED THE #1 ONS. I THINK THAT THE CAPT SHOULD HAVE HELPED OUT MORE BY LOADING THE NAV UNITS INSTEAD OF MAKING PHONE CALLS, AND HE SHOULD HAVE READ THE FLT PLAN WHEN HE PULLED IT UP OUT OF THE COMPUTER, SO HE WOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE #1 ONS BEING REQUIRED--OR HE SHOULD HAVE LOOKED IN THE MLE SINCE HE IS THE ONLY ONE REQUIRED TO CARRY IT. IF I HADN'T BEEN OVERLOADED BY DOING ALL THE PREFLT STUFF FOR 3 PEOPLE, I WOULD HAVE LOOKED INTO THE MEL MYSELF.

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