Narrative:

I was the first officer on the origination of flight in cha. After all the passenger were boarded, the captain and I were called outside by a ramp agent and shown that the forward cargo door would not lock closed. Cha is a non-maintenance base. The maintenance coordinator in atl was contacted and it was decided to utilize contract maintenance located at the airfield. The passenger were notified of the delay and told to remain on the aircraft. It was at this time that the station manager started to become actively involved in the process. The mechanics initial troubleshooting led him to believe that the faulty door latch would be easily and quickly repaired. We relayed this to the passenger. Unfortunately, when the door was tried, it did not latch properly and the 'fwd cargo door' annunciator light remained on in the cockpit. Again the maintenance coordinator in atl was consulted and asked for guidance. In the meantime, the station manager started to become overwrought with his passenger situation. The advice from atl to the contract mechanic was to replace a small part and torque it harder. The mechanic had to go back to his place of work to search for a part. Upon his return and subsequent repair attempts, he was able to force the cargo door latch mechanism to function marginally. It could only be closed/opened once and all the while the 'fwd cargo door' light was on. Now, over 1 hour past dispatch had passed, the station manager started saying, 'we dispatch planes out of here with door lights all the time.' this is bullshit, plain and simple. A meeting was held in operations with the contract mechanic where his reluctance to sight off the discrepancy was evident. Because the door was closed (light still on), atl maintenance decided to dispatch the aircraft with a discrepancy that stated, 'fwd cargo door annunciator light inoperative.' I was very upset with this and stated my displeasure with the captain's decision to take the aircraft like this. The poor contract mechanic was basically browbeaten into signing it off. We took off for atl with the door light on. When the aircraft pressurized after liftoff, the light extinguished, indicating to me that the light functioned normally as the door was seated by pressurization. Upon landing in atl, the light again illuminated when depressurization occurred. The captain made a bad decision; he let the pressures of schedule integrity compromise his judgement concerning the safe operation of a passenger aircraft. Next time, I will refuse to fly under these conditions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG DISPATCHED WITH CARGO DOOR NOT PROPERLY LATCHED AND DOOR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED.

Narrative: I WAS THE F/O ON THE ORIGINATION OF FLT IN CHA. AFTER ALL THE PAX WERE BOARDED, THE CAPT AND I WERE CALLED OUTSIDE BY A RAMP AGENT AND SHOWN THAT THE FORWARD CARGO DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK CLOSED. CHA IS A NON-MAINT BASE. THE MAINT COORDINATOR IN ATL WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS DECIDED TO UTILIZE CONTRACT MAINT LOCATED AT THE AIRFIELD. THE PAX WERE NOTIFIED OF THE DELAY AND TOLD TO REMAIN ON THE ACFT. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT THE STATION MGR STARTED TO BECOME ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. THE MECHS INITIAL TROUBLESHOOTING LED HIM TO BELIEVE THAT THE FAULTY DOOR LATCH WOULD BE EASILY AND QUICKLY REPAIRED. WE RELAYED THIS TO THE PAX. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THE DOOR WAS TRIED, IT DID NOT LATCH PROPERLY AND THE 'FWD CARGO DOOR' ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT REMAINED ON IN THE COCKPIT. AGAIN THE MAINT COORDINATOR IN ATL WAS CONSULTED AND ASKED FOR GUIDANCE. IN THE MEANTIME, THE STATION MGR STARTED TO BECOME OVERWROUGHT WITH HIS PAX SITUATION. THE ADVICE FROM ATL TO THE CONTRACT MECH WAS TO REPLACE A SMALL PART AND TORQUE IT HARDER. THE MECH HAD TO GO BACK TO HIS PLACE OF WORK TO SEARCH FOR A PART. UPON HIS RETURN AND SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ATTEMPTS, HE WAS ABLE TO FORCE THE CARGO DOOR LATCH MECHANISM TO FUNCTION MARGINALLY. IT COULD ONLY BE CLOSED/OPENED ONCE AND ALL THE WHILE THE 'FWD CARGO DOOR' LIGHT WAS ON. NOW, OVER 1 HR PAST DISPATCH HAD PASSED, THE STATION MGR STARTED SAYING, 'WE DISPATCH PLANES OUT OF HERE WITH DOOR LIGHTS ALL THE TIME.' THIS IS BULLSHIT, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. A MEETING WAS HELD IN OPS WITH THE CONTRACT MECH WHERE HIS RELUCTANCE TO SIGHT OFF THE DISCREPANCY WAS EVIDENT. BECAUSE THE DOOR WAS CLOSED (LIGHT STILL ON), ATL MAINT DECIDED TO DISPATCH THE ACFT WITH A DISCREPANCY THAT STATED, 'FWD CARGO DOOR ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT INOP.' I WAS VERY UPSET WITH THIS AND STATED MY DISPLEASURE WITH THE CAPT'S DECISION TO TAKE THE ACFT LIKE THIS. THE POOR CONTRACT MECH WAS BASICALLY BROWBEATEN INTO SIGNING IT OFF. WE TOOK OFF FOR ATL WITH THE DOOR LIGHT ON. WHEN THE ACFT PRESSURIZED AFTER LIFTOFF, THE LIGHT EXTINGUISHED, INDICATING TO ME THAT THE LIGHT FUNCTIONED NORMALLY AS THE DOOR WAS SEATED BY PRESSURIZATION. UPON LNDG IN ATL, THE LIGHT AGAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN DEPRESSURIZATION OCCURRED. THE CAPT MADE A BAD DECISION; HE LET THE PRESSURES OF SCHEDULE INTEGRITY COMPROMISE HIS JUDGEMENT CONCERNING THE SAFE OPERATION OF A PAX ACFT. NEXT TIME, I WILL REFUSE TO FLY UNDER THESE CONDITIONS.

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.