Narrative:

Inbound equipment arrived late, so I occupied my seat, after completing external preflight, about 20 mins before scheduled pushback. At about 5 mins before pushback time, I discovered that my right armrest was stuck in the up position. I got out of my seat and attempted to free it up, but no luck. I then contacted maintenance and asked them to bring some lubricant to lubricate the mechanism. He did so, but to no avail. We figured that we could just go with it in the up position and have maintenance check it in anc. It did not occur to us to look it up in the MEL as it did not seem to be a safety of flight item, but rather a convenience item. The mechanic said that he would teletype a message to anc to alert them as to our need to have the armrest fixed. Upon arrival at anc, we were told by the mechanic that the armrest was a no-go item. The flight on to fai was canceled due to this fact, and that no parts or spare seat was available in anc. The captain and I were both amazed that something as simple and innocuous as an armrest would be considered a no-go item. In the future, I will check the MEL for any item, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to determine its status as required equipment or not. It is also incumbent upon maintenance to point that out to us if an item is a no-go item. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was flying the B757-200. As this discrepancy was found at the last min and the mechanic was so off-handed in his remark about getting the seat fixed at anc, no one thought to look into the MEL. This air carrier has the MEL in the aircraft as part of the aircraft's library for all to see. An FAA maintenance inspector was monitoring the teletype at anc when the message from sea arrived requesting anc maintenance fix the armrest. He immediately remarked that the armrest should have been fixed at sea, effectively grounding the aircraft. There was no more chance for a cover-up. The reporter and your analyst agreed that either this must be a glaring 'hole in the MEL logic' or that the armrests are considered to be a safety item. There are some crewpersons that use them for leverage when needed while other crewpersons never use the armrests. The reporter has not heard from his air carrier or the FAA on this. Supplemental information from acn 314952: it was to be first officer's leg, so he was doing final adjusting of all his side when he discovered that his right armrest operation was very stiff and he couldn't get it full down. So he called sea maintenance and asked a mechanic with a can of lubricant to spray the mechanism and hopefully free it up. Maintenance arrived quickly and surveyed the situation and stated that lubricant would not solve the problem as he suspected a pin had been flattened. Flight departed sea 16 mins late due to late arrival and cargo loading. Upon arrival anc, maintenance again surveyed the situation and informed me that the stiffness was not due to a flattened pin, but instead a forced sleeve. After 45 mins of discussion with maintenance and flight control -- flight anc -- fai was canceled and crew released to the hotel to await further assignment. It never occurred to sea maintenance or me, that the adjustment of a seat armrest would be considered a 'no-go' item.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR FLC FLEW AN ACFT UNAIRWORTHY PER MEL.

Narrative: INBOUND EQUIP ARRIVED LATE, SO I OCCUPIED MY SEAT, AFTER COMPLETING EXTERNAL PREFLT, ABOUT 20 MINS BEFORE SCHEDULED PUSHBACK. AT ABOUT 5 MINS BEFORE PUSHBACK TIME, I DISCOVERED THAT MY R ARMREST WAS STUCK IN THE UP POS. I GOT OUT OF MY SEAT AND ATTEMPTED TO FREE IT UP, BUT NO LUCK. I THEN CONTACTED MAINT AND ASKED THEM TO BRING SOME LUBRICANT TO LUBRICATE THE MECHANISM. HE DID SO, BUT TO NO AVAIL. WE FIGURED THAT WE COULD JUST GO WITH IT IN THE UP POS AND HAVE MAINT CHK IT IN ANC. IT DID NOT OCCUR TO US TO LOOK IT UP IN THE MEL AS IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE A SAFETY OF FLT ITEM, BUT RATHER A CONVENIENCE ITEM. THE MECH SAID THAT HE WOULD TELETYPE A MESSAGE TO ANC TO ALERT THEM AS TO OUR NEED TO HAVE THE ARMREST FIXED. UPON ARR AT ANC, WE WERE TOLD BY THE MECH THAT THE ARMREST WAS A NO-GO ITEM. THE FLT ON TO FAI WAS CANCELED DUE TO THIS FACT, AND THAT NO PARTS OR SPARE SEAT WAS AVAILABLE IN ANC. THE CAPT AND I WERE BOTH AMAZED THAT SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AND INNOCUOUS AS AN ARMREST WOULD BE CONSIDERED A NO-GO ITEM. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL CHK THE MEL FOR ANY ITEM, NO MATTER HOW SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT, TO DETERMINE ITS STATUS AS REQUIRED EQUIP OR NOT. IT IS ALSO INCUMBENT UPON MAINT TO POINT THAT OUT TO US IF AN ITEM IS A NO-GO ITEM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS FLYING THE B757-200. AS THIS DISCREPANCY WAS FOUND AT THE LAST MIN AND THE MECH WAS SO OFF-HANDED IN HIS REMARK ABOUT GETTING THE SEAT FIXED AT ANC, NO ONE THOUGHT TO LOOK INTO THE MEL. THIS ACR HAS THE MEL IN THE ACFT AS PART OF THE ACFT'S LIBRARY FOR ALL TO SEE. AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR WAS MONITORING THE TELETYPE AT ANC WHEN THE MESSAGE FROM SEA ARRIVED REQUESTING ANC MAINT FIX THE ARMREST. HE IMMEDIATELY REMARKED THAT THE ARMREST SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED AT SEA, EFFECTIVELY GNDING THE ACFT. THERE WAS NO MORE CHANCE FOR A COVER-UP. THE RPTR AND YOUR ANALYST AGREED THAT EITHER THIS MUST BE A GLARING 'HOLE IN THE MEL LOGIC' OR THAT THE ARMRESTS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE A SAFETY ITEM. THERE ARE SOME CREWPERSONS THAT USE THEM FOR LEVERAGE WHEN NEEDED WHILE OTHER CREWPERSONS NEVER USE THE ARMRESTS. THE RPTR HAS NOT HEARD FROM HIS ACR OR THE FAA ON THIS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 314952: IT WAS TO BE FO'S LEG, SO HE WAS DOING FINAL ADJUSTING OF ALL HIS SIDE WHEN HE DISCOVERED THAT HIS R ARMREST OP WAS VERY STIFF AND HE COULDN'T GET IT FULL DOWN. SO HE CALLED SEA MAINT AND ASKED A MECH WITH A CAN OF LUBRICANT TO SPRAY THE MECHANISM AND HOPEFULLY FREE IT UP. MAINT ARRIVED QUICKLY AND SURVEYED THE SIT AND STATED THAT LUBRICANT WOULD NOT SOLVE THE PROB AS HE SUSPECTED A PIN HAD BEEN FLATTENED. FLT DEPARTED SEA 16 MINS LATE DUE TO LATE ARR AND CARGO LOADING. UPON ARR ANC, MAINT AGAIN SURVEYED THE SIT AND INFORMED ME THAT THE STIFFNESS WAS NOT DUE TO A FLATTENED PIN, BUT INSTEAD A FORCED SLEEVE. AFTER 45 MINS OF DISCUSSION WITH MAINT AND FLT CTL -- FLT ANC -- FAI WAS CANCELED AND CREW RELEASED TO THE HOTEL TO AWAIT FURTHER ASSIGNMENT. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO SEA MAINT OR ME, THAT THE ADJUSTMENT OF A SEAT ARMREST WOULD BE CONSIDERED A 'NO-GO' ITEM.

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.