Narrative:

This is a 2 piece mistake. During preflight, my B flight attendant informed me that the door to the rear lavatory trash bin was broken and separated from the bin. I thought we could get it repaired by maintenance at mdw. I did not write up the discrepancy in the logbook. Upon reaching mdw, the mechanic advised it was a no-go item. I showed him the MEL which allows relief if the entire lavatory is secured to prevent access to the trash bin. He rechked with this supervisor and learned of an airworthiness directive restricting this part of the MEL owing to a controversial interpretation of that section. We then discovered, to my shock and surprise, an open write-up by the first officer on the last flight of the previous evening. I did review the logbook during preflight and found a current airworthiness release, but failed to find the open write-up regarding the task bin lid. Had I more diligently reviewed the logbook, we could've avoided this. Had I contacted dispatch about the actual discrepancy we could've avoided this. As we say, it's all my fault,' but there's an interesting side bar to this story. I contacted the captain of the previous evening's flight. He knew nothing of the write-up and said he and the first officer were finishing up their evening sequence in mci and were to deadhead to mdw. The captain, wanting to meet his wife, left the shutdown of the aircraft to the first officer. I then spoke with the first officer. A flight attendant had advised him of the broken bin lid. Not knowing exactly what to do, but knowing there was a mechanic in mci, he write up the discrepancy. I asked if he had called dispatch or maintenance duty control, he replied no. He did tell the operations agent and the mechanic. Further questioning revealed he had not told the mechanic personally, but was assured by the operations agent that the mechanic would be told. Whether it happened or not, how knows. In trying to be helpful, he failed to complete the task properly and set us up, unintentionally. I don't think unsupervised first officer's should make maintenance entries in the aircraft logbook. Supplemental information from acn 512196: maintenance and dispatch were immediately notified. Unable to fix the discrepancy, we were assigned another aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 FLC TAKES A FLT FROM ZZZ WITH A REAR TRASH BIN BROKEN AND FIND, IN MDW, THAT THIS IS A NO-GO ITEM THAT HAS TO BE FIXED. ITEM HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP IN ZZZ BUT OVERLOOKED BY THE CAPT.

Narrative: THIS IS A 2 PIECE MISTAKE. DURING PREFLT, MY B FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME THAT THE DOOR TO THE REAR LAVATORY TRASH BIN WAS BROKEN AND SEPARATED FROM THE BIN. I THOUGHT WE COULD GET IT REPAIRED BY MAINT AT MDW. I DID NOT WRITE UP THE DISCREPANCY IN THE LOGBOOK. UPON REACHING MDW, THE MECH ADVISED IT WAS A NO-GO ITEM. I SHOWED HIM THE MEL WHICH ALLOWS RELIEF IF THE ENTIRE LAVATORY IS SECURED TO PREVENT ACCESS TO THE TRASH BIN. HE RECHKED WITH THIS SUPVR AND LEARNED OF AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE RESTRICTING THIS PART OF THE MEL OWING TO A CONTROVERSIAL INTERP OF THAT SECTION. WE THEN DISCOVERED, TO MY SHOCK AND SURPRISE, AN OPEN WRITE-UP BY THE FO ON THE LAST FLT OF THE PREVIOUS EVENING. I DID REVIEW THE LOGBOOK DURING PREFLT AND FOUND A CURRENT AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE, BUT FAILED TO FIND THE OPEN WRITE-UP REGARDING THE TASK BIN LID. HAD I MORE DILIGENTLY REVIEWED THE LOGBOOK, WE COULD'VE AVOIDED THIS. HAD I CONTACTED DISPATCH ABOUT THE ACTUAL DISCREPANCY WE COULD'VE AVOIDED THIS. AS WE SAY, IT'S ALL MY FAULT,' BUT THERE'S AN INTERESTING SIDE BAR TO THIS STORY. I CONTACTED THE CAPT OF THE PREVIOUS EVENING'S FLT. HE KNEW NOTHING OF THE WRITE-UP AND SAID HE AND THE FO WERE FINISHING UP THEIR EVENING SEQUENCE IN MCI AND WERE TO DEADHEAD TO MDW. THE CAPT, WANTING TO MEET HIS WIFE, LEFT THE SHUTDOWN OF THE ACFT TO THE FO. I THEN SPOKE WITH THE FO. A FLT ATTENDANT HAD ADVISED HIM OF THE BROKEN BIN LID. NOT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT TO DO, BUT KNOWING THERE WAS A MECH IN MCI, HE WRITE UP THE DISCREPANCY. I ASKED IF HE HAD CALLED DISPATCH OR MAINT DUTY CTL, HE REPLIED NO. HE DID TELL THE OPS AGENT AND THE MECH. FURTHER QUESTIONING REVEALED HE HAD NOT TOLD THE MECH PERSONALLY, BUT WAS ASSURED BY THE OPS AGENT THAT THE MECH WOULD BE TOLD. WHETHER IT HAPPENED OR NOT, HOW KNOWS. IN TRYING TO BE HELPFUL, HE FAILED TO COMPLETE THE TASK PROPERLY AND SET US UP, UNINTENTIONALLY. I DON'T THINK UNSUPERVISED FO'S SHOULD MAKE MAINT ENTRIES IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 512196: MAINT AND DISPATCH WERE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED. UNABLE TO FIX THE DISCREPANCY, WE WERE ASSIGNED ANOTHER ACFT.

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.