Narrative:

Possible illegal flight. 15 mins before pushback for a priority departure flight, the captain's glare shield master warning light became inoperative. 3 line/gate mechanics and 1 supervisor worked the problem and decided to defer. Both the captain and myself were not sure this was legal so we questioned the supervisor further. He said they looked it up and assured us it was a legal deferral. In addition, he stated that since the copilot's master warning worked, plus we had correct EICAS indications when the captain performed the various fire tests, we elected to go. Less than 1 hour after getting to the hotel in phx, the outbound captain called our captain and said he had just grounded the airplane due to an illegal deferral. I was not part of this conversation, but the captain said the outbound captain had several unsuccessful fire tests along with 'other problems' when he conducted his preflight. The outbound captain also stated that it was illegal to fly this plane with a deferred master warning. Conclusions: 1) I am not sure if the outbound captain found more problems than were previously deferred, and 2) this was a priority departure flight. Maintenance was in a hurry to get the flight out and as far as the flight crew was concerned, we had a maintenance release document, an MEL card, and to the best of our knowledge, we had a legal aircraft supplemental information from air carrier. 558086: after arriving in phx the outbound captain called me to say that an item that was deferred at ord before we left for phx was incorrect and not deferrable and that we should not have flown the aircraft. At the time in ord, I did question whether the captain's warning light could be deferred and was informed by the lead mechanic that it was deferrable as long as other warning lights worked. My question and concern here is that I have no quick way of verifying this and we are being pushed hard to leave on time. There must be a way to quickly find out if an item is deferrable other than relying on the local mechanic. We end up relying on the mechanics to have the right information so we can get the aircraft out on time. Is this big push to get out on-time getting in the way of safety causing people to cutting corners? I was also informed that a deferred item from an earlier crew was deferred incorrectly and may not have been deferrable either, but the information from the outbound captain was sketchy and I'm not sure of the details. It bothers me that we may have been flying an unsafe aircraft. However, our safety checks were all done correctly and I was satisfied that we had a good machine. It seems though that we need to have a way to quickly find out about deferred items

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767 CREW WAS INFORMED BY THE OUTBOUND CAPT THAT THEY HAD FLOWN A TRIP WITH AN ILLEGALLY MEL'ED DEFERRED ITEM. THE OUTBOUND CAPT REFUSED THE ACFT.

Narrative: POSSIBLE ILLEGAL FLT. 15 MINS BEFORE PUSHBACK FOR A PRIORITY DEP FLT, THE CAPT'S GLARE SHIELD MASTER WARNING LIGHT BECAME INOP. 3 LINE/GATE MECHS AND 1 SUPVR WORKED THE PROB AND DECIDED TO DEFER. BOTH THE CAPT AND MYSELF WERE NOT SURE THIS WAS LEGAL SO WE QUESTIONED THE SUPVR FURTHER. HE SAID THEY LOOKED IT UP AND ASSURED US IT WAS A LEGAL DEFERRAL. IN ADDITION, HE STATED THAT SINCE THE COPLT'S MASTER WARNING WORKED, PLUS WE HAD CORRECT EICAS INDICATIONS WHEN THE CAPT PERFORMED THE VARIOUS FIRE TESTS, WE ELECTED TO GO. LESS THAN 1 HR AFTER GETTING TO THE HOTEL IN PHX, THE OUTBOUND CAPT CALLED OUR CAPT AND SAID HE HAD JUST GNDED THE AIRPLANE DUE TO AN ILLEGAL DEFERRAL. I WAS NOT PART OF THIS CONVERSATION, BUT THE CAPT SAID THE OUTBOUND CAPT HAD SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL FIRE TESTS ALONG WITH 'OTHER PROBS' WHEN HE CONDUCTED HIS PREFLT. THE OUTBOUND CAPT ALSO STATED THAT IT WAS ILLEGAL TO FLY THIS PLANE WITH A DEFERRED MASTER WARNING. CONCLUSIONS: 1) I AM NOT SURE IF THE OUTBOUND CAPT FOUND MORE PROBS THAN WERE PREVIOUSLY DEFERRED, AND 2) THIS WAS A PRIORITY DEP FLT. MAINT WAS IN A HURRY TO GET THE FLT OUT AND AS FAR AS THE FLC WAS CONCERNED, WE HAD A MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT, AN MEL CARD, AND TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, WE HAD A LEGAL ACFT SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACR. 558086: AFTER ARRIVING IN PHX THE OUTBOUND CAPT CALLED ME TO SAY THAT AN ITEM THAT WAS DEFERRED AT ORD BEFORE WE LEFT FOR PHX WAS INCORRECT AND NOT DEFERRABLE AND THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN THE ACFT. AT THE TIME IN ORD, I DID QUESTION WHETHER THE CAPT'S WARNING LIGHT COULD BE DEFERRED AND WAS INFORMED BY THE LEAD MECH THAT IT WAS DEFERRABLE AS LONG AS OTHER WARNING LIGHTS WORKED. MY QUESTION AND CONCERN HERE IS THAT I HAVE NO QUICK WAY OF VERIFYING THIS AND WE ARE BEING PUSHED HARD TO LEAVE ON TIME. THERE MUST BE A WAY TO QUICKLY FIND OUT IF AN ITEM IS DEFERRABLE OTHER THAN RELYING ON THE LCL MECH. WE END UP RELYING ON THE MECHS TO HAVE THE RIGHT INFO SO WE CAN GET THE ACFT OUT ON TIME. IS THIS BIG PUSH TO GET OUT ON-TIME GETTING IN THE WAY OF SAFETY CAUSING PEOPLE TO CUTTING CORNERS? I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT A DEFERRED ITEM FROM AN EARLIER CREW WAS DEFERRED INCORRECTLY AND MAY NOT HAVE BEEN DEFERRABLE EITHER, BUT THE INFO FROM THE OUTBOUND CAPT WAS SKETCHY AND I'M NOT SURE OF THE DETAILS. IT BOTHERS ME THAT WE MAY HAVE BEEN FLYING AN UNSAFE ACFT. HOWEVER, OUR SAFETY CHKS WERE ALL DONE CORRECTLY AND I WAS SATISFIED THAT WE HAD A GOOD MACHINE. IT SEEMS THOUGH THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A WAY TO QUICKLY FIND OUT ABOUT DEFERRED ITEMS

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.