Narrative:

Prior to departing jfk en route to sju, a maintenance technician advised the captain and I that he had discovered a damaged cable in the right main gear wheel well, which disabled the gear down-lock indicator atop the wings. He placarded that item. All remaining gear indicating system were functional and we retained the necessary redundancy. Upon arrival in sju, we advised maintenance of an anomalous indication in one of our hydraulic system. It was subsequently placarded. During the investigation of the hydraulic system, maintenance opened the right main gear door. While the door was open, we noted the gear door indicator on the forward instrument panel indicated the door was indeed open, however, the overhead gear indicating panel failed to indicate the position of the gear door. After further investigation, maintenance advised us the problem was the failure of the overhead right gear door indicator. They also noted that they would placard the item. We were satisfied that, even though the gear door on the overhead panel was to be placarded, we still retained redundant gear indicating system because the gear indicators on both the overhead and forward panels functioned normally. We discovered this morning that maintenance had actually placarded the entire overhead panel and thus we violated the MEL, having flown the aircraft with technically a single gear indicating system. I believe our short ground time in sju, the failure of our maintenance computer to highlight the incompatible placards, the late arrival of our cabin crew (5 min before scheduled departure), 22 departees who caused a good deal of confusion prior to our departure and a string of maintenance problems all contributed to this incident. Supplemental information from acn 266887: the landing gear indicating panels, MEL 32-1, and the visual down-locks, MEL 32-2, were both placarded inoperative. One or the other may be inoperative, but not both. Neither item requires dispatcher concurrence. The discrepancy was not discovered until the first flight of the next day, in which the flight was delayed over 5 hours restoring the landing gear indicating panels. Note: had this been a dispatcher concurrence item, both placards never would have been approved.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MEL VIOLATION.

Narrative: PRIOR TO DEPARTING JFK ENRTE TO SJU, A MAINT TECHNICIAN ADVISED THE CAPT AND I THAT HE HAD DISCOVERED A DAMAGED CABLE IN THE R MAIN GEAR WHEEL WELL, WHICH DISABLED THE GEAR DOWN-LOCK INDICATOR ATOP THE WINGS. HE PLACARDED THAT ITEM. ALL REMAINING GEAR INDICATING SYS WERE FUNCTIONAL AND WE RETAINED THE NECESSARY REDUNDANCY. UPON ARR IN SJU, WE ADVISED MAINT OF AN ANOMALOUS INDICATION IN ONE OF OUR HYD SYS. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY PLACARDED. DURING THE INVESTIGATION OF THE HYD SYS, MAINT OPENED THE R MAIN GEAR DOOR. WHILE THE DOOR WAS OPEN, WE NOTED THE GEAR DOOR INDICATOR ON THE FORWARD INST PANEL INDICATED THE DOOR WAS INDEED OPEN, HOWEVER, THE OVERHEAD GEAR INDICATING PANEL FAILED TO INDICATE THE POS OF THE GEAR DOOR. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION, MAINT ADVISED US THE PROB WAS THE FAILURE OF THE OVERHEAD R GEAR DOOR INDICATOR. THEY ALSO NOTED THAT THEY WOULD PLACARD THE ITEM. WE WERE SATISFIED THAT, EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR DOOR ON THE OVERHEAD PANEL WAS TO BE PLACARDED, WE STILL RETAINED REDUNDANT GEAR INDICATING SYS BECAUSE THE GEAR INDICATORS ON BOTH THE OVERHEAD AND FORWARD PANELS FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. WE DISCOVERED THIS MORNING THAT MAINT HAD ACTUALLY PLACARDED THE ENTIRE OVERHEAD PANEL AND THUS WE VIOLATED THE MEL, HAVING FLOWN THE ACFT WITH TECHNICALLY A SINGLE GEAR INDICATING SYS. I BELIEVE OUR SHORT GND TIME IN SJU, THE FAILURE OF OUR MAINT COMPUTER TO HIGHLIGHT THE INCOMPATIBLE PLACARDS, THE LATE ARR OF OUR CABIN CREW (5 MIN BEFORE SCHEDULED DEP), 22 DEPARTEES WHO CAUSED A GOOD DEAL OF CONFUSION PRIOR TO OUR DEP AND A STRING OF MAINT PROBS ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 266887: THE LNDG GEAR INDICATING PANELS, MEL 32-1, AND THE VISUAL DOWN-LOCKS, MEL 32-2, WERE BOTH PLACARDED INOP. ONE OR THE OTHER MAY BE INOP, BUT NOT BOTH. NEITHER ITEM REQUIRES DISPATCHER CONCURRENCE. THE DISCREPANCY WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL THE FIRST FLT OF THE NEXT DAY, IN WHICH THE FLT WAS DELAYED OVER 5 HRS RESTORING THE LNDG GEAR INDICATING PANELS. NOTE: HAD THIS BEEN A DISPATCHER CONCURRENCE ITEM, BOTH PLACARDS NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROVED.

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.