Narrative:

The first flight attendant notified me that during her preflight she found the #1 right door escape slide pressure indication at the door/slide gauge to be at or near the bottom of its green band. I verified this and called company maintenance control. They asked me what the pressure was reading and I gave them the value and asked if a non labeled pressure versus temperature chart on the door was related to that gauge. I was told by maintenance control that it was related and was asked what the minimum pressure for our current temperature was as listed on that graph. The graph listed a pressure of approximately 1700 psi, the door gauge read just below the green band at better than 2300 psi. I was told by maintenance control that the door gauge was not temperature compensated and that pressure slide pressure was good and would be rechked at the next daily inspection. Per my airlines procedures after contacting maintenance control, an 'information only' maintenance logbook entry was made with the applicable information. As I wanted it checked again before the next departure (and not left until the next daily inspection), I wrote an open maintenance logbook write-up at our very next stop regarding the slide pressure, which happened to be at our hub/maintenance base. Line maintenance, while tending to my open write-up, determined that maintenance control had me reference the wrong door temperature/pressure chart which did not apply to the escape slide but to a gauge inside the door pertaining to door pneumatic assist mechanism. Maintenance procedures dictated that if after letting the door 'warm up' on the ground for 1.5 hours the pressure indication was not in the green that the escape slide be replaced. A main cause of misunderstanding was the temperature/pressure chart on the aircraft door without a label. If it would have been labeled 'door pneumatic assist pressure,' then there would have been little room to confuse that graph for the door slide pressure indication. The door pneumatic assist gauge is only visible with the door open. Hence, I did not relate that gauge with this chart. In fact, I did not know such a gauge existed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS 319 DOOR #1 R ESCAPE SLIDE BOTTLE PRESSURE APPEARED LOW AND WAS CHKED OK USING THE PLACARD CHART ON THE DOOR. THE CHART USED WAS FOR THE DOOR ASSIST PRESSURE BOTTLE.

Narrative: THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED ME THAT DURING HER PREFLT SHE FOUND THE #1 R DOOR ESCAPE SLIDE PRESSURE INDICATION AT THE DOOR/SLIDE GAUGE TO BE AT OR NEAR THE BOTTOM OF ITS GREEN BAND. I VERIFIED THIS AND CALLED COMPANY MAINT CTL. THEY ASKED ME WHAT THE PRESSURE WAS READING AND I GAVE THEM THE VALUE AND ASKED IF A NON LABELED PRESSURE VERSUS TEMP CHART ON THE DOOR WAS RELATED TO THAT GAUGE. I WAS TOLD BY MAINT CTL THAT IT WAS RELATED AND WAS ASKED WHAT THE MINIMUM PRESSURE FOR OUR CURRENT TEMP WAS AS LISTED ON THAT GRAPH. THE GRAPH LISTED A PRESSURE OF APPROX 1700 PSI, THE DOOR GAUGE READ JUST BELOW THE GREEN BAND AT BETTER THAN 2300 PSI. I WAS TOLD BY MAINT CTL THAT THE DOOR GAUGE WAS NOT TEMP COMPENSATED AND THAT PRESSURE SLIDE PRESSURE WAS GOOD AND WOULD BE RECHKED AT THE NEXT DAILY INSPECTION. PER MY AIRLINES PROCS AFTER CONTACTING MAINT CTL, AN 'INFO ONLY' MAINT LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS MADE WITH THE APPLICABLE INFO. AS I WANTED IT CHKED AGAIN BEFORE THE NEXT DEP (AND NOT LEFT UNTIL THE NEXT DAILY INSPECTION), I WROTE AN OPEN MAINT LOGBOOK WRITE-UP AT OUR VERY NEXT STOP REGARDING THE SLIDE PRESSURE, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE AT OUR HUB/MAINT BASE. LINE MAINT, WHILE TENDING TO MY OPEN WRITE-UP, DETERMINED THAT MAINT CTL HAD ME REF THE WRONG DOOR TEMP/PRESSURE CHART WHICH DID NOT APPLY TO THE ESCAPE SLIDE BUT TO A GAUGE INSIDE THE DOOR PERTAINING TO DOOR PNEUMATIC ASSIST MECHANISM. MAINT PROCS DICTATED THAT IF AFTER LETTING THE DOOR 'WARM UP' ON THE GND FOR 1.5 HRS THE PRESSURE INDICATION WAS NOT IN THE GREEN THAT THE ESCAPE SLIDE BE REPLACED. A MAIN CAUSE OF MISUNDERSTANDING WAS THE TEMP/PRESSURE CHART ON THE ACFT DOOR WITHOUT A LABEL. IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LABELED 'DOOR PNEUMATIC ASSIST PRESSURE,' THEN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN LITTLE ROOM TO CONFUSE THAT GRAPH FOR THE DOOR SLIDE PRESSURE INDICATION. THE DOOR PNEUMATIC ASSIST GAUGE IS ONLY VISIBLE WITH THE DOOR OPEN. HENCE, I DID NOT RELATE THAT GAUGE WITH THIS CHART. IN FACT, I DID NOT KNOW SUCH A GAUGE EXISTED.

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.