Narrative:

We were the outbound crew on flight from ZZZ to ZZZ1. We met the inbound crew, and they told us that the jet was good except the forward cargo door ECAM was inoperative and that we would have to verify that the cargo door is closed and locked with the ground crew. We looked over the paperwork, and the captain signed the flight plan. The maintenance document had one inbound log item that said 'comply with requirements updating the deferred item is not required.' deferred item. We read the placard and it said again that the cargo door must be visually verified closed with ground personnel. No one was in operations when the captain signed the release, so we just left it on the counter. At the jet, the ACARS 'release verification' prompt came back with 'release not signed and no maintenance release document. Thinking that this was because operations did not input our release, the captain signed the release using the ACARS. At push time we checked ACARS again, and this time we got.' release, no maintenance release. We knew the release was now good, but I thought the 'no maintenance document' made no sense and must be an ACARS computer problem. We double checked the logbook and no write-ups had been made by the inbound crew and the maintenance document was released from ZZZ2 where the plane had just come from. I thought surely this maintenance document must be current. The ground crew was eager to push and the captain did confirm with them that they had visually checked the cargo doors closed. We had complied entirely with the placard information. After getting airborne, we queried maintenance via ACARS, and he initially said our maintenance document from ZZZ2 was current. We asked him about the 'no maintenance document' in the ACARS, and he then said a new log was automatically generated by the plane when it landed at ZZZ, and that we were supposed to be issued a new maintenance document before departure. I was certainly confused. We followed the placard completely. The placard information never said that we had to get a new maintenance document after the cargo doors were closed immediately before pushback, in fact it said 'updating the deferred item not required.' I learned that I should always check with maintenance controller when you get 'no maintenance document' even if in your mind you are sure your maintenance document is current. I will never assume that again. I do think, however, that the placard information could have been clearer, especially since we were at a non-maintenance station. My recommendation would be that placard information should tell you to get a new maintenance document if one is needed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS 319 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH A DEFERRED CARGO DOOR WARNING ECAM DEFERRED. MAINT DOCUMENT NOT ISSUED AT DEP STATION VERIFYING DOOR CHKED CLOSED AND LOCKED.

Narrative: WE WERE THE OUTBOUND CREW ON FLT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1. WE MET THE INBOUND CREW, AND THEY TOLD US THAT THE JET WAS GOOD EXCEPT THE FORWARD CARGO DOOR ECAM WAS INOP AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO VERIFY THAT THE CARGO DOOR IS CLOSED AND LOCKED WITH THE GND CREW. WE LOOKED OVER THE PAPERWORK, AND THE CAPT SIGNED THE FLT PLAN. THE MAINT DOCUMENT HAD ONE INBOUND LOG ITEM THAT SAID 'COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS UPDATING THE DEFERRED ITEM IS NOT REQUIRED.' DEFERRED ITEM. WE READ THE PLACARD AND IT SAID AGAIN THAT THE CARGO DOOR MUST BE VISUALLY VERIFIED CLOSED WITH GND PERSONNEL. NO ONE WAS IN OPS WHEN THE CAPT SIGNED THE RELEASE, SO WE JUST LEFT IT ON THE COUNTER. AT THE JET, THE ACARS 'RELEASE VERIFICATION' PROMPT CAME BACK WITH 'RELEASE NOT SIGNED AND NO MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT. THINKING THAT THIS WAS BECAUSE OPS DID NOT INPUT OUR RELEASE, THE CAPT SIGNED THE RELEASE USING THE ACARS. AT PUSH TIME WE CHKED ACARS AGAIN, AND THIS TIME WE GOT.' RELEASE, NO MAINT RELEASE. WE KNEW THE RELEASE WAS NOW GOOD, BUT I THOUGHT THE 'NO MAINT DOCUMENT' MADE NO SENSE AND MUST BE AN ACARS COMPUTER PROB. WE DOUBLE CHKED THE LOGBOOK AND NO WRITE-UPS HAD BEEN MADE BY THE INBOUND CREW AND THE MAINT DOCUMENT WAS RELEASED FROM ZZZ2 WHERE THE PLANE HAD JUST COME FROM. I THOUGHT SURELY THIS MAINT DOCUMENT MUST BE CURRENT. THE GND CREW WAS EAGER TO PUSH AND THE CAPT DID CONFIRM WITH THEM THAT THEY HAD VISUALLY CHKED THE CARGO DOORS CLOSED. WE HAD COMPLIED ENTIRELY WITH THE PLACARD INFO. AFTER GETTING AIRBORNE, WE QUERIED MAINT VIA ACARS, AND HE INITIALLY SAID OUR MAINT DOCUMENT FROM ZZZ2 WAS CURRENT. WE ASKED HIM ABOUT THE 'NO MAINT DOCUMENT' IN THE ACARS, AND HE THEN SAID A NEW LOG WAS AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED BY THE PLANE WHEN IT LANDED AT ZZZ, AND THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ISSUED A NEW MAINT DOCUMENT BEFORE DEP. I WAS CERTAINLY CONFUSED. WE FOLLOWED THE PLACARD COMPLETELY. THE PLACARD INFO NEVER SAID THAT WE HAD TO GET A NEW MAINT DOCUMENT AFTER THE CARGO DOORS WERE CLOSED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE PUSHBACK, IN FACT IT SAID 'UPDATING THE DEFERRED ITEM NOT REQUIRED.' I LEARNED THAT I SHOULD ALWAYS CHK WITH MAINT CTLR WHEN YOU GET 'NO MAINT DOCUMENT' EVEN IF IN YOUR MIND YOU ARE SURE YOUR MAINT DOCUMENT IS CURRENT. I WILL NEVER ASSUME THAT AGAIN. I DO THINK, HOWEVER, THAT THE PLACARD INFO COULD HAVE BEEN CLEARER, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE WERE AT A NON-MAINT STATION. MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT PLACARD INFO SHOULD TELL YOU TO GET A NEW MAINT DOCUMENT IF ONE IS NEEDED.

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.