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A B767-300 on an ETOPS check was found to have a frozen sump drain valve. Maintenance control deferred the valve per the MEL. Reporter believes deferring the valve does not meet the intent of the ETOPS check.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 568589 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200211 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B767-300 and 300 ER |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground : maintenance |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | maintenance : technician |
| Qualification | technician : powerplant technician : airframe |
| ASRS Report | 568589 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | other personnel other |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other other : person 1 |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | other other |
| Factors | |
| Maintenance | contributing factor : schedule pressure performance deficiency : repair performance deficiency : scheduled maintenance |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Maintenance Human Performance Aircraft |
| Primary Problem | Maintenance Human Performance |
Narrative:
During an ETOPS check, aircraft was found to have a frozen sump in the r-hand wing. Technician issued MEL 28-01 to defer the item. I believe this violates the spirit of the ETOPS check. The only reason the sump was frozen was because of water contamination and we were dispatching the aircraft across the atlantic with an unknown amount of water in the r-hand fuel tank. The MEL shouldn't supersede the ETOPS check unless alternate means allow the check to be accomplished.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A B767-300 ON AN ETOPS CHK WAS FOUND TO HAVE A FROZEN SUMP DRAIN VALVE. MAINT CTL DEFERRED THE VALVE PER THE MEL. RPTR BELIEVES DEFERRING THE VALVE DOES NOT MEET THE INTENT OF THE ETOPS CHK.
Narrative: DURING AN ETOPS CHK, ACFT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A FROZEN SUMP IN THE R-HAND WING. TECHNICIAN ISSUED MEL 28-01 TO DEFER THE ITEM. I BELIEVE THIS VIOLATES THE SPIRIT OF THE ETOPS CHK. THE ONLY REASON THE SUMP WAS FROZEN WAS BECAUSE OF WATER CONTAMINATION AND WE WERE DISPATCHING THE ACFT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC WITH AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF WATER IN THE R-HAND FUEL TANK. THE MEL SHOULDN'T SUPERSEDE THE ETOPS CHK UNLESS ALTERNATE MEANS ALLOW THE CHK TO BE ACCOMPLISHED.
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.