Narrative:

Flight attendant write-up: row xxa/B/C call light will not stop chiming. I called maintenance control and told him that I found the passenger to flight attendant call button for that row was sticking. I was able to get it unstuck, thus stopping the chime. The aircraft had a short turnaround time so I asked if there was an MEL that would cover this as I was unable to find one under air traffic area chapter 23 (communications) or chapter 25 (passenger equipment). He looked around the MEL book too and advised that since there was none and that this was not an airworthiness item, defer the logbook write-up to maintenance control and placard the call button inoperative. I did as instructed. Later that night, at the aircraft's overnight station, another technician replaced the switch and cleared the logbook write-up. 2 days later, the same aircraft, the same write-up, but at another station. The technician there obviously didn't have enough time to troubleshoot and repair the write-up either, so he deferred it too. But there was an MEL for it! In air traffic area chapter 33! In my opinion, this was not an airworthiness item. Maintenance control felt the same. But there was an MEL for it. I was not able to locate this MEL or was even aware of it. I put my trust in maintenance control and did as he instructed. In the future, I'll spend more time on my own researching the MEL book and also ask other fellow technicians if they know of any MEL that would cover a particular write-up.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 IS RELEASED FOR FLT WITH AN INOP PAX CALL BUTTON WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN MEL DEFERRED, BUT WAS SIMPLY PLACARDED INOP WITH AN ASSOCIATED LOGBOOK WRITE-UP AT ZZZ, US.

Narrative: FLT ATTENDANT WRITE-UP: ROW XXA/B/C CALL LIGHT WILL NOT STOP CHIMING. I CALLED MAINT CTL AND TOLD HIM THAT I FOUND THE PAX TO FLT ATTENDANT CALL BUTTON FOR THAT ROW WAS STICKING. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT UNSTUCK, THUS STOPPING THE CHIME. THE ACFT HAD A SHORT TURNAROUND TIME SO I ASKED IF THERE WAS AN MEL THAT WOULD COVER THIS AS I WAS UNABLE TO FIND ONE UNDER ATA CHAPTER 23 (COMS) OR CHAPTER 25 (PAX EQUIP). HE LOOKED AROUND THE MEL BOOK TOO AND ADVISED THAT SINCE THERE WAS NONE AND THAT THIS WAS NOT AN AIRWORTHINESS ITEM, DEFER THE LOGBOOK WRITE-UP TO MAINT CTL AND PLACARD THE CALL BUTTON INOP. I DID AS INSTRUCTED. LATER THAT NIGHT, AT THE ACFT'S OVERNIGHT STATION, ANOTHER TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE SWITCH AND CLRED THE LOGBOOK WRITE-UP. 2 DAYS LATER, THE SAME ACFT, THE SAME WRITE-UP, BUT AT ANOTHER STATION. THE TECHNICIAN THERE OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO TROUBLESHOOT AND REPAIR THE WRITE-UP EITHER, SO HE DEFERRED IT TOO. BUT THERE WAS AN MEL FOR IT! IN ATA CHAPTER 33! IN MY OPINION, THIS WAS NOT AN AIRWORTHINESS ITEM. MAINT CTL FELT THE SAME. BUT THERE WAS AN MEL FOR IT. I WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE THIS MEL OR WAS EVEN AWARE OF IT. I PUT MY TRUST IN MAINT CTL AND DID AS HE INSTRUCTED. IN THE FUTURE, I'LL SPEND MORE TIME ON MY OWN RESEARCHING THE MEL BOOK AND ALSO ASK OTHER FELLOW TECHNICIANS IF THEY KNOW OF ANY MEL THAT WOULD COVER A PARTICULAR WRITE-UP.

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.