Narrative:

Upon my review of the flight release and aml (aircraft maintenance log), I noticed that MEL 74-1 was issued in ZZZ by contract maintenance on may/sat/04, for #2 engine, ignition B. The write-up by the crew on may/sat/04, in ZZZ was that they could not start the #2 engine and after the aborted start the flight attendant and first officer smelled strong fuel fumes. The action taken by contract maintenance was to use MEL 74-1 and do engine runs to see if there were fuel fumes. This was written on the aml page. My attention was heightened when I saw the sticker and aircraft maintenance log sheet. On the white sticker glued to the inside cover of the aml, it stated, 'right-hand engine failed to start on fadec (full authority/authorized digital electronic control) B.' the aml sheet stated, '#2 engine aborted on fadec B.' my attention was raised because on both the word 'fadec' was used and not the word 'ign.' my concern was that the wrong MEL was applied or the wrong item deferred. My concern was further heightened when I saw the following entries on may/sun/04. Maintenance wrote in the discrepancy column 'reentered from aml sheet MEL 74-1 authority/authorized r-hand engine fail to start on fadec B.' in the action taken column they wrote, 'rai (removed and installed) engine #2 excitor box EMB145 and rolls royce excitor box operations check good. Engine still starts hard. MEL remains open.' I conveyed my concern to the captain that from the documentation in the aml, it appeared that the fadec was at issue and instead the ignition system was deferred. The captain agreed and called maintenance. The person on the radio said that it was good because the fadec controls the ignition B. However, my captain said that it also controls ignition a. The person said he would send someone out. The maintenance technician that came out said he saw where we were coming from and took the book inside. He came back out and said that his supervisor changed the white sticker to read, 'right-hand engine failed to start on ignition B which controls ignition B #2.' this was initiated and a number was written next to it. The captain and I told the technician all the other pages and sheet still referred to the fadec and not the ignition. The technician replied that he saw our point, but that the supervisor that changed the sticker said that if we did not like it, we could take it up with our chief pilot. My captain did that and when he came back, said that, although the chief pilot and assistant chief pilot saw our point, they said that all entries were balanced and we were legal. We departed. During the flight, I had time to think and concluded that I should have insisted that either all pages were corrected or the MEL changed to reflect the proper discrepancy. How could the maintenance supervisor know what happened in ZZZ, 2 days prior and change the wording of the sticker? Also, just because the entries are balanced does not mean that the aircraft is safe to fly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EMBRAER 135 RPTS #2 ENG HARD STARTING. HAD 'B' EXCITER BOX REPLACED. FURTHER RPTS INDICATE FADEC WAS AT FAULT, BUT STILL CARRIED DEFERRED ITEM ON 'B' IGNITION.

Narrative: UPON MY REVIEW OF THE FLT RELEASE AND AML (ACFT MAINT LOG), I NOTICED THAT MEL 74-1 WAS ISSUED IN ZZZ BY CONTRACT MAINT ON MAY/SAT/04, FOR #2 ENG, IGNITION B. THE WRITE-UP BY THE CREW ON MAY/SAT/04, IN ZZZ WAS THAT THEY COULD NOT START THE #2 ENG AND AFTER THE ABORTED START THE FLT ATTENDANT AND FO SMELLED STRONG FUEL FUMES. THE ACTION TAKEN BY CONTRACT MAINT WAS TO USE MEL 74-1 AND DO ENG RUNS TO SEE IF THERE WERE FUEL FUMES. THIS WAS WRITTEN ON THE AML PAGE. MY ATTN WAS HEIGHTENED WHEN I SAW THE STICKER AND ACFT MAINT LOG SHEET. ON THE WHITE STICKER GLUED TO THE INSIDE COVER OF THE AML, IT STATED, 'R-HAND ENG FAILED TO START ON FADEC (FULL AUTH DIGITAL ELECTRONIC CTL) B.' THE AML SHEET STATED, '#2 ENG ABORTED ON FADEC B.' MY ATTN WAS RAISED BECAUSE ON BOTH THE WORD 'FADEC' WAS USED AND NOT THE WORD 'IGN.' MY CONCERN WAS THAT THE WRONG MEL WAS APPLIED OR THE WRONG ITEM DEFERRED. MY CONCERN WAS FURTHER HEIGHTENED WHEN I SAW THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES ON MAY/SUN/04. MAINT WROTE IN THE DISCREPANCY COLUMN 'REENTERED FROM AML SHEET MEL 74-1 AUTH R-HAND ENG FAIL TO START ON FADEC B.' IN THE ACTION TAKEN COLUMN THEY WROTE, 'RAI (REMOVED AND INSTALLED) ENG #2 EXCITOR BOX EMB145 AND ROLLS ROYCE EXCITOR BOX OPS CHK GOOD. ENG STILL STARTS HARD. MEL REMAINS OPEN.' I CONVEYED MY CONCERN TO THE CAPT THAT FROM THE DOCUMENTATION IN THE AML, IT APPEARED THAT THE FADEC WAS AT ISSUE AND INSTEAD THE IGNITION SYS WAS DEFERRED. THE CAPT AGREED AND CALLED MAINT. THE PERSON ON THE RADIO SAID THAT IT WAS GOOD BECAUSE THE FADEC CTLS THE IGNITION B. HOWEVER, MY CAPT SAID THAT IT ALSO CTLS IGNITION A. THE PERSON SAID HE WOULD SEND SOMEONE OUT. THE MAINT TECHNICIAN THAT CAME OUT SAID HE SAW WHERE WE WERE COMING FROM AND TOOK THE BOOK INSIDE. HE CAME BACK OUT AND SAID THAT HIS SUPVR CHANGED THE WHITE STICKER TO READ, 'R-HAND ENG FAILED TO START ON IGNITION B WHICH CTLS IGNITION B #2.' THIS WAS INITIATED AND A NUMBER WAS WRITTEN NEXT TO IT. THE CAPT AND I TOLD THE TECHNICIAN ALL THE OTHER PAGES AND SHEET STILL REFERRED TO THE FADEC AND NOT THE IGNITION. THE TECHNICIAN REPLIED THAT HE SAW OUR POINT, BUT THAT THE SUPVR THAT CHANGED THE STICKER SAID THAT IF WE DID NOT LIKE IT, WE COULD TAKE IT UP WITH OUR CHIEF PLT. MY CAPT DID THAT AND WHEN HE CAME BACK, SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH THE CHIEF PLT AND ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT SAW OUR POINT, THEY SAID THAT ALL ENTRIES WERE BALANCED AND WE WERE LEGAL. WE DEPARTED. DURING THE FLT, I HAD TIME TO THINK AND CONCLUDED THAT I SHOULD HAVE INSISTED THAT EITHER ALL PAGES WERE CORRECTED OR THE MEL CHANGED TO REFLECT THE PROPER DISCREPANCY. HOW COULD THE MAINT SUPVR KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN ZZZ, 2 DAYS PRIOR AND CHANGE THE WORDING OF THE STICKER? ALSO, JUST BECAUSE THE ENTRIES ARE BALANCED DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE ACFT IS SAFE TO FLY.

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.