Narrative:

In sum: the reporting crew flew an air carrier airbus A-320 4 legs with an inoperative APU bleed system, phx-elp, elp-phx, phx-oak, and oak-phx. The 1ST 2 legs were flown with a company check pilot aboard. The third leg had an oak FSDO air carrier inspector aboard. Special starting pros are required when there is no APU bleed air and the aircraft had to carry a special hose to allow 2 air carts to supply starting air for engine #2. 1 is started with xbleed air. An 'unmanned station airworthiness release' was required because the aircraft would be flying to stations with no air carrier maintenance (elp and oak) as well as a 'MEL' item in the log book regarding the inoperative APU air. The aircraft arrived in elp to find that there was no ground air conditioning and that the ground electrical power would have to be held in place by hand. The crew returned to phx after a slight delay were the oak FSDO representative came aboard. The FSDO representative looked over all of the paperwork that he could find and found a few discrepancies, including a missing inoperative sticker that should have been placed on the APU master switch. The time period on the APU MEL item was 10 days, this was the 10TH day. The reporter is unsure if the FSDO is going to pursue the air carrier over MEL non- compliance regarding the sticker placement. Departing oak was a further problem with oak tower that didn't understand why all of the equipment was required to start the aircraft. The reporter deplores his air carrier's attempt to get all of the flight time out of the aircraft before fixing it and placing the crew in a tenuous position regarding the MEL, FAA, and the unmanned station airworthiness situation. The aircraft was removed from service in phx after this series of flts. Other discrepancies were noted and cleared from the ECAM.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS A-320 HAD MULTIPLE PROBS ALL STEMMING FROM AN MEL ITEM THAT WAS ABOUT TO EXPIRE.

Narrative: IN SUM: THE RPTING CREW FLEW AN ACR AIRBUS A-320 4 LEGS WITH AN INOP APU BLEED SYS, PHX-ELP, ELP-PHX, PHX-OAK, AND OAK-PHX. THE 1ST 2 LEGS WERE FLOWN WITH A COMPANY CHK PLT ABOARD. THE THIRD LEG HAD AN OAK FSDO ACR INSPECTOR ABOARD. SPECIAL STARTING PROS ARE REQUIRED WHEN THERE IS NO APU BLEED AIR AND THE ACFT HAD TO CARRY A SPECIAL HOSE TO ALLOW 2 AIR CARTS TO SUPPLY STARTING AIR FOR ENG #2. 1 IS STARTED WITH XBLEED AIR. AN 'UNMANNED STATION AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE' WAS REQUIRED BECAUSE THE ACFT WOULD BE FLYING TO STATIONS WITH NO ACR MAINT (ELP AND OAK) AS WELL AS A 'MEL' ITEM IN THE LOG BOOK REGARDING THE INOP APU AIR. THE ACFT ARRIVED IN ELP TO FIND THAT THERE WAS NO GND AIR CONDITIONING AND THAT THE GND ELECTRICAL PWR WOULD HAVE TO BE HELD IN PLACE BY HAND. THE CREW RETURNED TO PHX AFTER A SLIGHT DELAY WERE THE OAK FSDO REPRESENTATIVE CAME ABOARD. THE FSDO REPRESENTATIVE LOOKED OVER ALL OF THE PAPERWORK THAT HE COULD FIND AND FOUND A FEW DISCREPANCIES, INCLUDING A MISSING INOP STICKER THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE APU MASTER SWITCH. THE TIME PERIOD ON THE APU MEL ITEM WAS 10 DAYS, THIS WAS THE 10TH DAY. THE RPTR IS UNSURE IF THE FSDO IS GOING TO PURSUE THE ACR OVER MEL NON- COMPLIANCE REGARDING THE STICKER PLACEMENT. DEPARTING OAK WAS A FURTHER PROB WITH OAK TWR THAT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY ALL OF THE EQUIP WAS REQUIRED TO START THE ACFT. THE RPTR DEPLORES HIS ACR'S ATTEMPT TO GET ALL OF THE FLT TIME OUT OF THE ACFT BEFORE FIXING IT AND PLACING THE CREW IN A TENUOUS POS REGARDING THE MEL, FAA, AND THE UNMANNED STATION AIRWORTHINESS SIT. THE ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM SVC IN PHX AFTER THIS SERIES OF FLTS. OTHER DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED AND CLRED FROM THE ECAM.

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.