Narrative:

Upon arrival in omaha, an FAA inspector performed a ramp inspection of our flight. He found a couple of cabin discrepancies which were noted on a piece of paper given to me. He implied that these items could be taken care of upon our return to denver. To him the items were not very important. However, I called maintenance control and got MEL's for the items in question, which were; seatbacks 18C and 22C push forward with too little resistance (MEL 25-06) and overhead bin above 6 abc opened too easily (MEL 25-10). The seats were placarded inoperative and not used by passengers. The overhead bin was emptied and secured shut. I entered the seat discrepancies on one log page and the overhead bin on another. All items were entered, along with the MEL on the discrepancy line of the log pages. This is my understanding of how it is to be done, and it has been confirmed by maintenance control. However, the problem is that there are no directions in the operations manual on how to fill out the pages when done by the captain at an out station that lacks maintenance support. I later decided that I had filled out the log correctly, but should have placed the seat discrepancies each on an individual page. My intention was to make the correction en route to denver. We were distraction, however, by a loud bang after takeoff from omaha. Subsequent investigation and analysis led us to believe we blew a tire, or had a bird strike. Talking to maintenance control via phone patch, and a fly-by in denver distraction me from changing the logbook as I had intended. After placing the entry on the log page concerning a possible strike, sequentially I could not go back and add the separate seatback entries which occurred before the bird strike entry (ie, page and events would have been out of order). To correct my confusion, precise instructions on entering logbook items by flcs at non maintenance stations should be in the operations manual. I would have had less confusion and could have made the logbook entries in a more timely manner if I didn't have to rely on my memory, and could have just looked the information up. I could have then avoided making a possible logbook error.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF ACR ACFT VOCALIZES CONCERN THAT HE MAY HAVE INCORRECTLY LOGGED SOME ACFT CABIN DISCREPANCIES.

Narrative: UPON ARR IN OMAHA, AN FAA INSPECTOR PERFORMED A RAMP INSPECTION OF OUR FLT. HE FOUND A COUPLE OF CABIN DISCREPANCIES WHICH WERE NOTED ON A PIECE OF PAPER GIVEN TO ME. HE IMPLIED THAT THESE ITEMS COULD BE TAKEN CARE OF UPON OUR RETURN TO DENVER. TO HIM THE ITEMS WERE NOT VERY IMPORTANT. HOWEVER, I CALLED MAINT CTL AND GOT MEL'S FOR THE ITEMS IN QUESTION, WHICH WERE; SEATBACKS 18C AND 22C PUSH FORWARD WITH TOO LITTLE RESISTANCE (MEL 25-06) AND OVERHEAD BIN ABOVE 6 ABC OPENED TOO EASILY (MEL 25-10). THE SEATS WERE PLACARDED INOP AND NOT USED BY PAXS. THE OVERHEAD BIN WAS EMPTIED AND SECURED SHUT. I ENTERED THE SEAT DISCREPANCIES ON ONE LOG PAGE AND THE OVERHEAD BIN ON ANOTHER. ALL ITEMS WERE ENTERED, ALONG WITH THE MEL ON THE DISCREPANCY LINE OF THE LOG PAGES. THIS IS MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW IT IS TO BE DONE, AND IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY MAINT CTL. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE ARE NO DIRECTIONS IN THE OPS MANUAL ON HOW TO FILL OUT THE PAGES WHEN DONE BY THE CAPT AT AN OUT STATION THAT LACKS MAINT SUPPORT. I LATER DECIDED THAT I HAD FILLED OUT THE LOG CORRECTLY, BUT SHOULD HAVE PLACED THE SEAT DISCREPANCIES EACH ON AN INDIVIDUAL PAGE. MY INTENTION WAS TO MAKE THE CORRECTION ENRTE TO DENVER. WE WERE DISTR, HOWEVER, BY A LOUD BANG AFTER TKOF FROM OMAHA. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS LED US TO BELIEVE WE BLEW A TIRE, OR HAD A BIRD STRIKE. TALKING TO MAINT CTL VIA PHONE PATCH, AND A FLY-BY IN DENVER DISTR ME FROM CHANGING THE LOGBOOK AS I HAD INTENDED. AFTER PLACING THE ENTRY ON THE LOG PAGE CONCERNING A POSSIBLE STRIKE, SEQUENTIALLY I COULD NOT GO BACK AND ADD THE SEPARATE SEATBACK ENTRIES WHICH OCCURRED BEFORE THE BIRD STRIKE ENTRY (IE, PAGE AND EVENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT OF ORDER). TO CORRECT MY CONFUSION, PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS ON ENTERING LOGBOOK ITEMS BY FLCS AT NON MAINT STATIONS SHOULD BE IN THE OPS MANUAL. I WOULD HAVE HAD LESS CONFUSION AND COULD HAVE MADE THE LOGBOOK ENTRIES IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO RELY ON MY MEMORY, AND COULD HAVE JUST LOOKED THE INFO UP. I COULD HAVE THEN AVOIDED MAKING A POSSIBLE LOGBOOK ERROR.

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.