Narrative:

While climbing through fl 250; we were offered fl 350 by ATC and accepted that clearance. As we were climbing; we discussed whether we had a speed restriction due to the MEL 27-X-xx. I quickly reviewed the paperwork and saw that the speed restriction for the MEL did not affect us because it only applied to [the] -800 aircraft. After leveling off at fl 350; I once again reviewed the MEL paperwork and saw that the -800 MEL that I had previously read was not the one applied to our aircraft; and that we were in fact restricted and had exceeded mach .65 which was our limit. After landing; I contacted the chief pilot on call and discussed the situation; and we both agreed that an as soon as possible report would be appropriate.there is one page of information in the MEL/cdl text for the first and last MEL shown on the release; but there are 11 pages of information for MEL 27-X. I failed to note item: 'maximum speed is limited to 300 KIAS at or below fl 200 or .65 mach above fl 200.' in the MEL text for MEL 27-X-xx; perhaps due to the sign off in the corrective action 'verified flaps/slats ops check normal'. On our second release for this aircraft the release under remarks 'planned at M.65 for MEL 27-X-xx.obviously; we need to pay closer attention to the details for any MEL! I feel that the most important aspect of MEL 27-X-xx is the speed restriction; but it is not listed in the MEL section of the release!?! The addition of notes in the MEL section of the release lead us to believe that the important aspect of any MEL such as 'repetitive action required' will be included in that section. I applaud the dispatcher of our second leg for including the restriction in the remarks section of the release. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff. I carry scissors with me and will discard all unnecessary MEL documentation provided. I realize there is difficulty eliminating MEL's left over from the classic fleet; but the ability of dispatch to parse the MEL down to what is appropriate to the situation would be helpful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 Captain reported that the speed restriction was exceeded due to misinterpretation of the MEL.

Narrative: While climbing through FL 250; we were offered FL 350 by ATC and accepted that clearance. As we were climbing; we discussed whether we had a speed restriction due to the MEL 27-X-XX. I quickly reviewed the paperwork and saw that the speed restriction for the MEL did not affect us because it only applied to [the] -800 aircraft. After leveling off at FL 350; I once again reviewed the MEL paperwork and saw that the -800 MEL that I had previously read was not the one applied to our aircraft; and that we were in fact restricted and had exceeded Mach .65 which was our limit. After landing; I contacted the Chief Pilot on Call and discussed the situation; and we both agreed that an ASAP report would be appropriate.There is one page of information in the MEL/CDL text for the first and last MEL shown on the release; but there are 11 pages of information for MEL 27-X. I failed to note item: 'Maximum speed is limited to 300 KIAS at or below FL 200 or .65 Mach above FL 200.' in the MEL Text for MEL 27-X-XX; perhaps due to the sign off in the corrective action 'Verified Flaps/Slats Ops Check Normal'. On our second release for this aircraft the release under remarks 'PLANNED AT M.65 FOR MEL 27-X-XX.Obviously; we need to pay closer attention to the details for any MEL! I feel that the most important aspect of MEL 27-X-XX is the speed restriction; but it is not listed in the MEL section of the Release!?! The addition of notes in the MEL section of the Release lead us to believe that the important aspect of any MEL such as 'repetitive action required' will be included in that section. I applaud the Dispatcher of our second leg for including the restriction in the remarks section of the release. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff. I carry scissors with me and will discard all unnecessary MEL documentation provided. I realize there is difficulty eliminating MEL's left over from the Classic fleet; but the ability of Dispatch to parse the MEL down to what is appropriate to the situation would be helpful.

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.