Narrative:

We had just arrived in ZZZ and were making a turn to go to ZZZ1. Our outbound flight number was going to be abcd to depart at XA31. As we were preparing for our next leg, we got an aft lavatory smoke detector fault on the ECAM. There were no procedures associated with this ECAM, and there were no other cockpit indications. I dialed maintenance controller on my cell phone and handed it off to my first officer to either arrange repair or a deferral, as I continued trying to prepare for departure. (We had arrived late due to another maintenance issue out of ZZZ2 and were trying to get back on schedule.) the first officer finished talking with maintenance controller and told me that the item was deferrable, and that maintenance controller would be sending us the new mrd and MEL card, which we soon received via the ACARS printer. On the MEL card there were stipulations regarding securing not only the lavatory trash receptacle but also the lavatory itself, in addition to some signage, very simple really. Additionally, the text on the MEL card referenced that a crew member could make the inspections. As we were already pressed for time and customer service was breathing down our necks to get the aircraft out to ZZZ1 as there were over 40 connections, we called maintenance controller back to find out who was going to perform the taping off, securing and signage and when it was going to be done. Maintenance controller informed the first officer that someone from ZZZ station operations could do it. Honestly this did not even cause me to pause, it was too simple for maintenance. My only concern was how long was it going to take for ZZZ station operations to get someone out there to do it. According to maintenance controller, the same MEL card was going to be sent to operations and that they would know what to do. We continued preparing for departure and waiting on ZZZ operations. Customer service kept breathing down our necks. We called operations on the radio. They had misunderstood the problem and were securing something on the outside of the aircraft. We told them to come to the cockpit. When a ZZZ operations representative arrived, we informed him the work had to be performed in the aft lavatory, and that it required specific signage, which we pointed out on the MEL card. The operations representative went back to the aft lavatory to perform the task. A few mins later, I asked the first officer to go back and ensure that the work was done correctly. When the first officer returned, he said that although the waste bin and door had been secured, the signage for both of them was completely incorrect, and not done according to the MEL card or our instructions that it had to be specific. The first officer corrected the signage and inspected the area. We thought that we had complied with the MEL and were legal to go. We did not have a second thought regarding the legality issue. A few days afterwards I had a conversation with chief pilot regarding ZZZ operation's slow and incomplete handling of the MEL item. I wanted to know exactly what station operations were capable of doing for us, and how competent they had to be. Captain informed me that any MEL item had to be handled by either company or contract maintenance, even something as simple as tape and a few signs. Therefore, in retrospect we departed with an illegal maintenance release from ZZZ as a representative from ZZZ station operations performed this work. However, this was done at the direction of the maintenance controller, telling us that station operations could perform this task. In retrospect it only makes sense that these types of items on an mrd or MEL card should be handled by qualified personnel, even something as simple as tape and a few signs, as we later found out this was even too complicated for ZZZ station operations to perform holding the directions in their hands. Furthermore, the verbiage of the MEL card in this instance was somewhat ambiguous as it referenced crew members performing part of the tasks.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 CREW IMPROPERLY HANDLED A DEFERRED ITEM AND ALLOWED AN OPS REPRESENTATIVE TO HANDLE DEACTIVATION OF AN AFT LAVATORY.

Narrative: WE HAD JUST ARRIVED IN ZZZ AND WERE MAKING A TURN TO GO TO ZZZ1. OUR OUTBOUND FLT NUMBER WAS GOING TO BE ABCD TO DEPART AT XA31. AS WE WERE PREPARING FOR OUR NEXT LEG, WE GOT AN AFT LAVATORY SMOKE DETECTOR FAULT ON THE ECAM. THERE WERE NO PROCS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ECAM, AND THERE WERE NO OTHER COCKPIT INDICATIONS. I DIALED MAINT CTLR ON MY CELL PHONE AND HANDED IT OFF TO MY FO TO EITHER ARRANGE REPAIR OR A DEFERRAL, AS I CONTINUED TRYING TO PREPARE FOR DEP. (WE HAD ARRIVED LATE DUE TO ANOTHER MAINT ISSUE OUT OF ZZZ2 AND WERE TRYING TO GET BACK ON SCHEDULE.) THE FO FINISHED TALKING WITH MAINT CTLR AND TOLD ME THAT THE ITEM WAS DEFERRABLE, AND THAT MAINT CTLR WOULD BE SENDING US THE NEW MRD AND MEL CARD, WHICH WE SOON RECEIVED VIA THE ACARS PRINTER. ON THE MEL CARD THERE WERE STIPULATIONS REGARDING SECURING NOT ONLY THE LAVATORY TRASH RECEPTACLE BUT ALSO THE LAVATORY ITSELF, IN ADDITION TO SOME SIGNAGE, VERY SIMPLE REALLY. ADDITIONALLY, THE TEXT ON THE MEL CARD REFED THAT A CREW MEMBER COULD MAKE THE INSPECTIONS. AS WE WERE ALREADY PRESSED FOR TIME AND CUSTOMER SVC WAS BREATHING DOWN OUR NECKS TO GET THE ACFT OUT TO ZZZ1 AS THERE WERE OVER 40 CONNECTIONS, WE CALLED MAINT CTLR BACK TO FIND OUT WHO WAS GOING TO PERFORM THE TAPING OFF, SECURING AND SIGNAGE AND WHEN IT WAS GOING TO BE DONE. MAINT CTLR INFORMED THE FO THAT SOMEONE FROM ZZZ STATION OPS COULD DO IT. HONESTLY THIS DID NOT EVEN CAUSE ME TO PAUSE, IT WAS TOO SIMPLE FOR MAINT. MY ONLY CONCERN WAS HOW LONG WAS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR ZZZ STATION OPS TO GET SOMEONE OUT THERE TO DO IT. ACCORDING TO MAINT CTLR, THE SAME MEL CARD WAS GOING TO BE SENT TO OPS AND THAT THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO. WE CONTINUED PREPARING FOR DEP AND WAITING ON ZZZ OPS. CUSTOMER SVC KEPT BREATHING DOWN OUR NECKS. WE CALLED OPS ON THE RADIO. THEY HAD MISUNDERSTOOD THE PROB AND WERE SECURING SOMETHING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. WE TOLD THEM TO COME TO THE COCKPIT. WHEN A ZZZ OPS REPRESENTATIVE ARRIVED, WE INFORMED HIM THE WORK HAD TO BE PERFORMED IN THE AFT LAVATORY, AND THAT IT REQUIRED SPECIFIC SIGNAGE, WHICH WE POINTED OUT ON THE MEL CARD. THE OPS REPRESENTATIVE WENT BACK TO THE AFT LAVATORY TO PERFORM THE TASK. A FEW MINS LATER, I ASKED THE FO TO GO BACK AND ENSURE THAT THE WORK WAS DONE CORRECTLY. WHEN THE FO RETURNED, HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE WASTE BIN AND DOOR HAD BEEN SECURED, THE SIGNAGE FOR BOTH OF THEM WAS COMPLETELY INCORRECT, AND NOT DONE ACCORDING TO THE MEL CARD OR OUR INSTRUCTIONS THAT IT HAD TO BE SPECIFIC. THE FO CORRECTED THE SIGNAGE AND INSPECTED THE AREA. WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD COMPLIED WITH THE MEL AND WERE LEGAL TO GO. WE DID NOT HAVE A SECOND THOUGHT REGARDING THE LEGALITY ISSUE. A FEW DAYS AFTERWARDS I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH CHIEF PLT REGARDING ZZZ OP'S SLOW AND INCOMPLETE HANDLING OF THE MEL ITEM. I WANTED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT STATION OPS WERE CAPABLE OF DOING FOR US, AND HOW COMPETENT THEY HAD TO BE. CAPT INFORMED ME THAT ANY MEL ITEM HAD TO BE HANDLED BY EITHER COMPANY OR CONTRACT MAINT, EVEN SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS TAPE AND A FEW SIGNS. THEREFORE, IN RETROSPECT WE DEPARTED WITH AN ILLEGAL MAINT RELEASE FROM ZZZ AS A REPRESENTATIVE FROM ZZZ STATION OPS PERFORMED THIS WORK. HOWEVER, THIS WAS DONE AT THE DIRECTION OF THE MAINT CTLR, TELLING US THAT STATION OPS COULD PERFORM THIS TASK. IN RETROSPECT IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT THESE TYPES OF ITEMS ON AN MRD OR MEL CARD SHOULD BE HANDLED BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL, EVEN SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS TAPE AND A FEW SIGNS, AS WE LATER FOUND OUT THIS WAS EVEN TOO COMPLICATED FOR ZZZ STATION OPS TO PERFORM HOLDING THE DIRECTIONS IN THEIR HANDS. FURTHERMORE, THE VERBIAGE OF THE MEL CARD IN THIS INSTANCE WAS SOMEWHAT AMBIGUOUS AS IT REFED CREW MEMBERS PERFORMING PART OF THE TASKS.

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.