Narrative:

On nov/sat/93 I operated air carrier medium large transport from fwa to dtw with a right main fuel quantity gauge on MEL and with one dripless stick in the right main fuel tank on MEL. Briefly, this is the chain of events: the aircraft departed from dtw to fwa on the evening of the fri of nov with one of the right main dripless sticks on MEL. The inbound crew left the aircraft in fwa for remain-over-night with an en route maintenance discrepancy on the accuracy of the right main fuel quantity gauge. Fwa station personnel made a maintenance deferral MEL on the right main fuel quantity indicator under the supervision of maintenance control (this is what was stated in a note left with the maintenance logbook). When I arrived at the airport for the am launch of flight to dtw, I found the flight dispatch release and flight papers, the maintenance logbook and the note in the operations office. It is my belief that the dispatch release listed both the fuel quantity indicator and the fuel tank dripless stick as MEL items, however, I do not have a copy of the release and cannot state that with certainty. I had the belief that dispatch and maintenance control concurred that the flight could and would operate and that now I needed to determine the current fuel load and required fuel to be boarded if necessary. I designated this duty to the first officer when I arrived at the aircraft. As I was accomplishing the preflight procedures and as the first officer supervised the fueling procedures, I checked the MEL manual and, in my reading and interpretation of the MEL of the right tank dripless system, I determined that I still had an operative system. I questioned my interpretation but unfortunately did not utilize the resources of dispatch and maintenance control to follow up on this doubt. I let myself believe and interpret that I could operate the flight based primarily on the fact that I believed I had the concurrence from dispatch and maintenance control based on the dispatch release and the maintenance logbook. After determining the fuel load, adding fuel and reconfirming the fuel load, flight was operated from fwa to dtw as a revenue passenger flight. A few days later, I received a copy of a dispatcher incident report stating that I had operated the flight with grounding mels.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG CREW FLEW A TRIP WITH AN IMPROPERLY SINGED OFF LOGBOOK.

Narrative: ON NOV/SAT/93 I OPERATED ACR MLG FROM FWA TO DTW WITH A R MAIN FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE ON MEL AND WITH ONE DRIPLESS STICK IN THE R MAIN FUEL TANK ON MEL. BRIEFLY, THIS IS THE CHAIN OF EVENTS: THE ACFT DEPARTED FROM DTW TO FWA ON THE EVENING OF THE FRI OF NOV WITH ONE OF THE R MAIN DRIPLESS STICKS ON MEL. THE INBOUND CREW LEFT THE ACFT IN FWA FOR REMAIN-OVER-NIGHT WITH AN ENRTE MAINT DISCREPANCY ON THE ACCURACY OF THE R MAIN FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE. FWA STATION PERSONNEL MADE A MAINT DEFERRAL MEL ON THE R MAIN FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF MAINT CTL (THIS IS WHAT WAS STATED IN A NOTE LEFT WITH THE MAINT LOGBOOK). WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ARPT FOR THE AM LAUNCH OF FLT TO DTW, I FOUND THE FLT DISPATCH RELEASE AND FLT PAPERS, THE MAINT LOGBOOK AND THE NOTE IN THE OPS OFFICE. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE DISPATCH RELEASE LISTED BOTH THE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR AND THE FUEL TANK DRIPLESS STICK AS MEL ITEMS, HOWEVER, I DO NOT HAVE A COPY OF THE RELEASE AND CANNOT STATE THAT WITH CERTAINTY. I HAD THE BELIEF THAT DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL CONCURRED THAT THE FLT COULD AND WOULD OPERATE AND THAT NOW I NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE CURRENT FUEL LOAD AND REQUIRED FUEL TO BE BOARDED IF NECESSARY. I DESIGNATED THIS DUTY TO THE FO WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT. AS I WAS ACCOMPLISHING THE PREFLT PROCS AND AS THE FO SUPERVISED THE FUELING PROCS, I CHKED THE MEL MANUAL AND, IN MY READING AND INTERP OF THE MEL OF THE R TANK DRIPLESS SYS, I DETERMINED THAT I STILL HAD AN OPERATIVE SYS. I QUESTIONED MY INTERP BUT UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT UTILIZE THE RESOURCES OF DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL TO FOLLOW UP ON THIS DOUBT. I LET MYSELF BELIEVE AND INTERPRET THAT I COULD OPERATE THE FLT BASED PRIMARILY ON THE FACT THAT I BELIEVED I HAD THE CONCURRENCE FROM DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL BASED ON THE DISPATCH RELEASE AND THE MAINT LOGBOOK. AFTER DETERMINING THE FUEL LOAD, ADDING FUEL AND RECONFIRMING THE FUEL LOAD, FLT WAS OPERATED FROM FWA TO DTW AS A REVENUE PAX FLT. A FEW DAYS LATER, I RECEIVED A COPY OF A DISPATCHER INCIDENT RPT STATING THAT I HAD OPERATED THE FLT WITH GNDING MELS.

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.