WX radar written up by inbound crew and not repaired. Maintenance deferred based on the flight crew ...

Narrative:

At approximately 25 UTC, I received a call from the maintenance coordinator advising me the WX radar was inoperative on flight and wanted to bring it through den to atl. I advised unable slc-den-atl due to thunderstorm at all 3 airports and en route. At this point I realized the aircraft was already airborne to slc. I immediately went to metropolitan and brought up a briefing of the slc area and asked the meteorologist his opinion of the extent of convective activity along the route of flight and in the slc terminal area. His opinion was there were no lines of thunderstorms and the flight should be able to visually circumnav the buildups. I then sent a SELCAL to the flight to advise the captain of the WX situation in slc and find out if the radar was usable at all. The captain advised he thought the radar would be usable enough to navigation through and around the buildups. I relayed the information I had from metropolitan and gave the circuit breaker remarks from several surrounding stations to the flight. I also gave the boi WX and advised the captain to divert to boi if unable to penetrate the WX around slc. The flight landed uneventful at slc on schedule. When I aschedule the maintenance coordinator how he found out the radar was inoperative he said the inbound crew to geg wrote up the radar in the logbook but did not tell anyone. Then when the outbound crew was preflting the aircraft they called maintenance to find out about the radar. The maintenance coordinator asked a crew member how the WX was from geg-slc and was told pretty good. The maintenance coordinator then took it upon himself to maintenance carry over the WX radar based on only his conversation with the crew member. Flight control was never included in the discussion. Flight control only became aware of the inoperative radar 30 mins after the flight had pushed back and was airborne. Had flight control been consulted prior to departure as required the flight would not have left geg due to WX. I am not sure how the crew member knew what the WX was between geg and slc since this was their first flight of the day. Reason: lack of communication along with maintenance desire to keep the airplane moving.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WX RADAR WRITTEN UP BY INBOUND CREW AND NOT REPAIRED. MAINT DEFERRED BASED ON THE FLC ANALYSIS OF THE WX. NO CONSULTATION WITH DISPATCH.

Narrative: AT APPROX 25 UTC, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE MAINT COORDINATOR ADVISING ME THE WX RADAR WAS INOP ON FLT AND WANTED TO BRING IT THROUGH DEN TO ATL. I ADVISED UNABLE SLC-DEN-ATL DUE TO TSTM AT ALL 3 ARPTS AND ENRTE. AT THIS POINT I REALIZED THE ACFT WAS ALREADY AIRBORNE TO SLC. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO METRO AND BROUGHT UP A BRIEFING OF THE SLC AREA AND ASKED THE METEOROLOGIST HIS OPINION OF THE EXTENT OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY ALONG THE RTE OF FLT AND IN THE SLC TERMINAL AREA. HIS OPINION WAS THERE WERE NO LINES OF TSTMS AND THE FLT SHOULD BE ABLE TO VISUALLY CIRCUMNAV THE BUILDUPS. I THEN SENT A SELCAL TO THE FLT TO ADVISE THE CAPT OF THE WX SITUATION IN SLC AND FIND OUT IF THE RADAR WAS USABLE AT ALL. THE CAPT ADVISED HE THOUGHT THE RADAR WOULD BE USABLE ENOUGH TO NAV THROUGH AND AROUND THE BUILDUPS. I RELAYED THE INFO I HAD FROM METRO AND GAVE THE CB REMARKS FROM SEVERAL SURROUNDING STATIONS TO THE FLT. I ALSO GAVE THE BOI WX AND ADVISED THE CAPT TO DIVERT TO BOI IF UNABLE TO PENETRATE THE WX AROUND SLC. THE FLT LANDED UNEVENTFUL AT SLC ON SCHEDULE. WHEN I ASCHEDULE THE MAINT COORDINATOR HOW HE FOUND OUT THE RADAR WAS INOP HE SAID THE INBOUND CREW TO GEG WROTE UP THE RADAR IN THE LOGBOOK BUT DID NOT TELL ANYONE. THEN WHEN THE OUTBOUND CREW WAS PREFLTING THE ACFT THEY CALLED MAINT TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE RADAR. THE MAINT COORDINATOR ASKED A CREW MEMBER HOW THE WX WAS FROM GEG-SLC AND WAS TOLD PRETTY GOOD. THE MAINT COORDINATOR THEN TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF TO MAINT CARRY OVER THE WX RADAR BASED ON ONLY HIS CONVERSATION WITH THE CREW MEMBER. FLT CTL WAS NEVER INCLUDED IN THE DISCUSSION. FLT CTL ONLY BECAME AWARE OF THE INOP RADAR 30 MINS AFTER THE FLT HAD PUSHED BACK AND WAS AIRBORNE. HAD FLT CTL BEEN CONSULTED PRIOR TO DEP AS REQUIRED THE FLT WOULD NOT HAVE L GEG DUE TO WX. I AM NOT SURE HOW THE CREW MEMBER KNEW WHAT THE WX WAS BTWN GEG AND SLC SINCE THIS WAS THEIR FIRST FLT OF THE DAY. REASON: LACK OF COM ALONG WITH MAINT DESIRE TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE MOVING.

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.

Attributes
ACN	184281
Time
Date	199107
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : geg
State Reference	WA
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zse
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel
Qualification	other
Experience	controller radar : 3
ASRS Report	184281
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

WX radar written up by inbound crew and not repaired. Maintenance deferred based on the flight crew analysis of the WX. No consultation with dispatch.