Narrative:

During cruise, I noticed the airplane flying in a sideslip with approximately 3 degrees of left bank. I disconnected the autoplt and trimmed the airplane rudder to stop the turn then trimmed the ailerons to level the wings. I took note of the number of units indicated and pointed this out to my flight crew. The aileron trim indicator indicated 2 units of right aileron and the rudder trim indicator indicated 1/4 unit of right rudder. The aileron input indicated on the yoke pointed to 12 degrees. Flight spoiler deployment begins at 9-10 degrees. When I arrived at ZZZ, I began writing this snag in the logbook. As I did so the captain that was taking over the aircraft for the next leg stood in the cockpit door and said, 'we don't have maintenance here in ZZZ, so if you write that up you'll ground the airplane. Do what you like, but we don't have any maintenance here.' as this was being said, my flight engineer had gotten maintenance control on the telephone and then passed the telephone over to me. The maintenance controller became very agitated and was yelling into the phone that if I write up the snag it will ground the airplane because they don't have maintenance available in ZZZ. After exposure to this kind of browbeating not to write the snag, which was mostly written already, I told maintenance controller I would write down that I only had 1 unit of rudder trim required instead of 2 units of aileron. That way, the airplane would not be grounded. He continued to yell at me that they would need to get contract maintenance. I told him it was too late because I had already started to write the snag in the logbook. Maintenance controller continued to yell that they didn't have any maintenance there and did I check the yaw dampers during flight when I checked the trim. I told him that we had gone through this before. I could not switch flight control power switches off during flight to do a test flight with passenger on board. (Maintenance control had wanted me to do this before when I had flight control problems with aircraft last april. The company insisted that there was nothing illegal about it.) the conversation with maintenance controller ended. I sensed that there was going to be fallout for me over this. I went back to completing the snag in the logbook. What was already written was: 1) first officer microphone does not transmit. 2) to fly straight and level with autoplt off, 2 units.... I tried to make a '1' over the '2.' that didn't work. Then I wrote 'one' and blotted out the 'south,' on units. I tried to complete the sentence 'one unit of right rudder required.' it was not legible so I ran a horizontal line through it and re-wrote the line again below on the next line, ie, ' 2) to fly straight and level with autoplt off, 2 units of right rudder required, 1 unit of right rudder required.' my intent was to write the snag correctly. If I had not been interrupted I would have written: 2) to fly straight and level with autoplt off, 2 units of right aileron required.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727-200 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH AILERON TRIM OUT OF MAINT MANUAL LIMITS FOR LEVEL FLT.

Narrative: DURING CRUISE, I NOTICED THE AIRPLANE FLYING IN A SIDESLIP WITH APPROX 3 DEGS OF L BANK. I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND TRIMMED THE AIRPLANE RUDDER TO STOP THE TURN THEN TRIMMED THE AILERONS TO LEVEL THE WINGS. I TOOK NOTE OF THE NUMBER OF UNITS INDICATED AND POINTED THIS OUT TO MY FLC. THE AILERON TRIM INDICATOR INDICATED 2 UNITS OF R AILERON AND THE RUDDER TRIM INDICATOR INDICATED 1/4 UNIT OF R RUDDER. THE AILERON INPUT INDICATED ON THE YOKE POINTED TO 12 DEGS. FLT SPOILER DEPLOYMENT BEGINS AT 9-10 DEGS. WHEN I ARRIVED AT ZZZ, I BEGAN WRITING THIS SNAG IN THE LOGBOOK. AS I DID SO THE CAPT THAT WAS TAKING OVER THE ACFT FOR THE NEXT LEG STOOD IN THE COCKPIT DOOR AND SAID, 'WE DON'T HAVE MAINT HERE IN ZZZ, SO IF YOU WRITE THAT UP YOU'LL GND THE AIRPLANE. DO WHAT YOU LIKE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY MAINT HERE.' AS THIS WAS BEING SAID, MY FE HAD GOTTEN MAINT CTL ON THE TELEPHONE AND THEN PASSED THE TELEPHONE OVER TO ME. THE MAINT CTLR BECAME VERY AGITATED AND WAS YELLING INTO THE PHONE THAT IF I WRITE UP THE SNAG IT WILL GND THE AIRPLANE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE MAINT AVAILABLE IN ZZZ. AFTER EXPOSURE TO THIS KIND OF BROWBEATING NOT TO WRITE THE SNAG, WHICH WAS MOSTLY WRITTEN ALREADY, I TOLD MAINT CTLR I WOULD WRITE DOWN THAT I ONLY HAD 1 UNIT OF RUDDER TRIM REQUIRED INSTEAD OF 2 UNITS OF AILERON. THAT WAY, THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT BE GNDED. HE CONTINUED TO YELL AT ME THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO GET CONTRACT MAINT. I TOLD HIM IT WAS TOO LATE BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY STARTED TO WRITE THE SNAG IN THE LOGBOOK. MAINT CTLR CONTINUED TO YELL THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY MAINT THERE AND DID I CHK THE YAW DAMPERS DURING FLT WHEN I CHKED THE TRIM. I TOLD HIM THAT WE HAD GONE THROUGH THIS BEFORE. I COULD NOT SWITCH FLT CTL PWR SWITCHES OFF DURING FLT TO DO A TEST FLT WITH PAX ON BOARD. (MAINT CTL HAD WANTED ME TO DO THIS BEFORE WHEN I HAD FLT CTL PROBS WITH ACFT LAST APRIL. THE COMPANY INSISTED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ILLEGAL ABOUT IT.) THE CONVERSATION WITH MAINT CTLR ENDED. I SENSED THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE FALLOUT FOR ME OVER THIS. I WENT BACK TO COMPLETING THE SNAG IN THE LOGBOOK. WHAT WAS ALREADY WRITTEN WAS: 1) FO MIKE DOES NOT XMIT. 2) TO FLY STRAIGHT AND LEVEL WITH AUTOPLT OFF, 2 UNITS.... I TRIED TO MAKE A '1' OVER THE '2.' THAT DIDN'T WORK. THEN I WROTE 'ONE' AND BLOTTED OUT THE 'S,' ON UNITS. I TRIED TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCE 'ONE UNIT OF R RUDDER REQUIRED.' IT WAS NOT LEGIBLE SO I RAN A HORIZ LINE THROUGH IT AND RE-WROTE THE LINE AGAIN BELOW ON THE NEXT LINE, IE, ' 2) TO FLY STRAIGHT AND LEVEL WITH AUTOPLT OFF, 2 UNITS OF R RUDDER REQUIRED, 1 UNIT OF R RUDDER REQUIRED.' MY INTENT WAS TO WRITE THE SNAG CORRECTLY. IF I HAD NOT BEEN INTERRUPTED I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN: 2) TO FLY STRAIGHT AND LEVEL WITH AUTOPLT OFF, 2 UNITS OF R AILERON REQUIRED.

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.