Narrative:

Our company uses 2 different types of collars for pulled circuit breakers. Red collars are used for circuit breakers that have been pulled temporarily for an MEL. White tie-wrap collars are used for circuit breakers that have been pulled permanently for items that are not installed in the aircraft. During the first flight of the day, I discovered a circuit breaker with a red collar but no associated write-up in the maintenance logbook. The circuit breaker was labeled 'clg fan.' neither myself nor the first officer knew what it was for. Following company procedures, I contacted maintenance control to ask them about the collared circuit breaker. After approximately 10 mins, I was told that the circuit breaker was for an avionics cooling fan that was not installed in the aircraft. I was told it just had the wrong collar on it. Maintenance said we were legal to go and they would change the collar upon arrival at destination. After arriving at destination, it was discovered that this aircraft did have the avionics cooling fan installed. The fan had been MEL'ed previously and the circuit breaker was pulled and collared. After repairing the fan, maintenance failed to reset the circuit breaker and operationally check the fan was working. When I contacted maintenance control they failed to research recent MEL's on the aircraft. If this had been done, they would have realized that circuit breaker should have been reset.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DHC8 ACFT DISPATCHED WITH INCOMPLETE MAINT PROC. REPAIRED COMPONENT LEFT UNPOWERED WITH CIRCUIT BREAKER PULLED. PROC IMPROPERLY DOCUMENTED.

Narrative: OUR COMPANY USES 2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLARS FOR PULLED CIRCUIT BREAKERS. RED COLLARS ARE USED FOR CIRCUIT BREAKERS THAT HAVE BEEN PULLED TEMPORARILY FOR AN MEL. WHITE TIE-WRAP COLLARS ARE USED FOR CIRCUIT BREAKERS THAT HAVE BEEN PULLED PERMANENTLY FOR ITEMS THAT ARE NOT INSTALLED IN THE ACFT. DURING THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY, I DISCOVERED A CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH A RED COLLAR BUT NO ASSOCIATED WRITE-UP IN THE MAINT LOGBOOK. THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS LABELED 'CLG FAN.' NEITHER MYSELF NOR THE FO KNEW WHAT IT WAS FOR. FOLLOWING COMPANY PROCS, I CONTACTED MAINT CTL TO ASK THEM ABOUT THE COLLARED CIRCUIT BREAKER. AFTER APPROX 10 MINS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS FOR AN AVIONICS COOLING FAN THAT WAS NOT INSTALLED IN THE ACFT. I WAS TOLD IT JUST HAD THE WRONG COLLAR ON IT. MAINT SAID WE WERE LEGAL TO GO AND THEY WOULD CHANGE THE COLLAR UPON ARR AT DEST. AFTER ARRIVING AT DEST, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THIS ACFT DID HAVE THE AVIONICS COOLING FAN INSTALLED. THE FAN HAD BEEN MEL'ED PREVIOUSLY AND THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS PULLED AND COLLARED. AFTER REPAIRING THE FAN, MAINT FAILED TO RESET THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AND OPERATIONALLY CHK THE FAN WAS WORKING. WHEN I CONTACTED MAINT CTL THEY FAILED TO RESEARCH RECENT MEL'S ON THE ACFT. IF THIS HAD BEEN DONE, THEY WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT CIRCUIT BREAKER SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESET.

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.