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A fuel indicator on a B737 was deferred using an incorrect MEL reference.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1506603 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201712 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737-800 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Fuel Quantity-Pressure Indication |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Other / Unknown |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural MEL Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
I received a call from [maintenance] supervisor on speaker phone with shift manager. [The supervisor] wanted to use MEL for #1 main fuel tank flight deck indicator. They were adamant that this was the correct MEL and that I was just interpreting the MEL incorrectly. This MEL is intended for the refuel control panel ind. We see this issue often with this MEL and numerous other MEL's due to the way they are formatted in edocs. It is very concerning that it [got] misinterpreted by technicians; supervisor and shift managers. The issue is the title lines are combined on the header of the MEL with the name of the system; equipment; or location affected by the MEL on the first line and second and third line contain stipulations. In this case; the #1 tank fuel ind in the flt deck was reading incorrectly and they wanted to use MEL for the 'refueling control panel quantity indicators' when the flight deck fuel qty indicators are also inoperative. Clearly to those of us that live in the MEL every day; this is incorrect; but I understand how it's easily misinterpreted. We often get calls from tech with this MEL as well as others with the same argument. This could be a safety of flight issue as the incorrect MEL could easily be added.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A fuel indicator on a B737 was deferred using an incorrect MEL reference.
Narrative: I received a call from [Maintenance] Supervisor on speaker phone with Shift Manager. [The Supervisor] wanted to use MEL for #1 Main Fuel Tank Flight Deck Indicator. They were adamant that this was the correct MEL and that I was just interpreting the MEL incorrectly. This MEL is intended for the Refuel Control Panel Ind. We see this issue often with this MEL and Numerous other MEL's due to the way they are formatted in EDOCs. It is very concerning that it [got] misinterpreted by Technicians; Supervisor and Shift Managers. The Issue is the Title lines are combined on the header of the MEL with the name of the system; equipment; or location affected by the MEL on the first line and second and third line contain stipulations. In this case; the #1 Tank Fuel ind in the flt deck was reading incorrectly and they wanted to use MEL for the 'Refueling Control Panel Quantity Indicators' when the Flight Deck Fuel Qty Indicators are also Inoperative. Clearly to those of us that live in the MEL every day; this is incorrect; but I understand how it's easily misinterpreted. We often get calls from tech with this MEL as well as others with the same argument. This could be a safety of flight issue as the incorrect MEL could easily be added.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.