Narrative:

Once engines were started, my first officer called operations with our out time. Next he called ground for a taxi clearance. They cleared us to taxi to runway 6L hold short of runway 6R. After we finished the taxi checklist the r-hand engine generator failed. I reset the generator 2 times but it would not come back on line. We called ground and told them we had a maintenance problem and that we would have to call company. They told us to stop on the taxiway we were on and take care of the problem there. The flight attendant called because the lights in the cabin went off and I told her that we were in the process of taking care of the problem. We closed the dc tie to provide light in the cabin until we could get the APU started. At this point I decided to use my cell phone to call maintenance, as this would be quicker than going through operations or company radio. My first officer had the direct line phone number to maintenance so I used that number to contact maintenance and MEL the r-hand engine generator. Per the MEL, the APU generator must be on for the duration of the flight. While in the process of talking to maintenance, ground called us back and asked us to taxi forward as other aircraft needed to get by. We did as we were told and then asked to pull over to pad 5 near the departure end of runway 6R to finish the paperwork. Once I finished writing up the MEL we called ground and told them we were ready to taxi. Ground had us switch to tower who then put us behind 5 other aircraft. We departed runway 6R just above minimum fuel of 5450 pounds. Once we were at a safe altitude my first officer called operations with our off time. Once we reached our cruise altitude, ATC told us to call company radio as company was trying to reach us. I tried ZZZ radio and ZZZ1 radio but was unable to reach company. We were 30 mins from mke so I tried our operations frequency and was able to get through to dispatch after about 10 mins of trying to reach them. The dispatcher asked us how much fuel we had on board. We had 3900 pounds of fuel right over lansing. My first officer was flying at this point and noticed we would land in mke with 2700 pounds of fuel on board. Dispatch came back and said we did not have enough fuel because of the additional fuel burn from the APU. Much to my surprise we were told to divert to grr. By the time I got all the numbers for grr we had flown past grr and had to make a 180 degree turn and descend 18000 ft. We landed in grr uneventfully and refueled to fly to mke. How the problem arose? My inexperience of writing up MEL's and forgetting to call dispatch after calling maintenance. Contributing factors: if I did not have access to a direct line number to maintenance I would have had to contact dispatch to get patched through to maintenance. Reason for the diversion: I still believe that a diversion was unnecessary but the workload was high and I did not have the time nor the experience to question dispatch. I should have been more assertive. Factors affecting the quality of human performance: as much as I take full responsibility for this occurrence, I believe that during the training process, company procedures and far's should have been emphasized. The last time I was trained on company procedures was over 3 yrs ago as a new hire in indoctrination. I believe that as simple as it is to write up an MEL it should be tested during the upgrade process.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING A NIGHT OP, AD328 PIC MEL'S THE FAILED GENERATOR IN CONCERT WITH MAINT CTLR BUT FAILS TO AMEND THE RELEASE WITH DISPATCHER WHEN DEPARTING CLE.

Narrative: ONCE ENGS WERE STARTED, MY FO CALLED OPS WITH OUR OUT TIME. NEXT HE CALLED GND FOR A TAXI CLRNC. THEY CLRED US TO TAXI TO RWY 6L HOLD SHORT OF RWY 6R. AFTER WE FINISHED THE TAXI CHKLIST THE R-HAND ENG GENERATOR FAILED. I RESET THE GENERATOR 2 TIMES BUT IT WOULD NOT COME BACK ON LINE. WE CALLED GND AND TOLD THEM WE HAD A MAINT PROB AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO CALL COMPANY. THEY TOLD US TO STOP ON THE TXWY WE WERE ON AND TAKE CARE OF THE PROB THERE. THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED BECAUSE THE LIGHTS IN THE CABIN WENT OFF AND I TOLD HER THAT WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING CARE OF THE PROB. WE CLOSED THE DC TIE TO PROVIDE LIGHT IN THE CABIN UNTIL WE COULD GET THE APU STARTED. AT THIS POINT I DECIDED TO USE MY CELL PHONE TO CALL MAINT, AS THIS WOULD BE QUICKER THAN GOING THROUGH OPS OR COMPANY RADIO. MY FO HAD THE DIRECT LINE PHONE NUMBER TO MAINT SO I USED THAT NUMBER TO CONTACT MAINT AND MEL THE R-HAND ENG GENERATOR. PER THE MEL, THE APU GENERATOR MUST BE ON FOR THE DURATION OF THE FLT. WHILE IN THE PROCESS OF TALKING TO MAINT, GND CALLED US BACK AND ASKED US TO TAXI FORWARD AS OTHER ACFT NEEDED TO GET BY. WE DID AS WE WERE TOLD AND THEN ASKED TO PULL OVER TO PAD 5 NEAR THE DEP END OF RWY 6R TO FINISH THE PAPERWORK. ONCE I FINISHED WRITING UP THE MEL WE CALLED GND AND TOLD THEM WE WERE READY TO TAXI. GND HAD US SWITCH TO TWR WHO THEN PUT US BEHIND 5 OTHER ACFT. WE DEPARTED RWY 6R JUST ABOVE MINIMUM FUEL OF 5450 LBS. ONCE WE WERE AT A SAFE ALT MY FO CALLED OPS WITH OUR OFF TIME. ONCE WE REACHED OUR CRUISE ALT, ATC TOLD US TO CALL COMPANY RADIO AS COMPANY WAS TRYING TO REACH US. I TRIED ZZZ RADIO AND ZZZ1 RADIO BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH COMPANY. WE WERE 30 MINS FROM MKE SO I TRIED OUR OPS FREQ AND WAS ABLE TO GET THROUGH TO DISPATCH AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS OF TRYING TO REACH THEM. THE DISPATCHER ASKED US HOW MUCH FUEL WE HAD ON BOARD. WE HAD 3900 LBS OF FUEL RIGHT OVER LANSING. MY FO WAS FLYING AT THIS POINT AND NOTICED WE WOULD LAND IN MKE WITH 2700 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD. DISPATCH CAME BACK AND SAID WE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUEL BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL FUEL BURN FROM THE APU. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE WE WERE TOLD TO DIVERT TO GRR. BY THE TIME I GOT ALL THE NUMBERS FOR GRR WE HAD FLOWN PAST GRR AND HAD TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN AND DSND 18000 FT. WE LANDED IN GRR UNEVENTFULLY AND REFUELED TO FLY TO MKE. HOW THE PROB AROSE? MY INEXPERIENCE OF WRITING UP MEL'S AND FORGETTING TO CALL DISPATCH AFTER CALLING MAINT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: IF I DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A DIRECT LINE NUMBER TO MAINT I WOULD HAVE HAD TO CONTACT DISPATCH TO GET PATCHED THROUGH TO MAINT. REASON FOR THE DIVERSION: I STILL BELIEVE THAT A DIVERSION WAS UNNECESSARY BUT THE WORKLOAD WAS HIGH AND I DID NOT HAVE THE TIME NOR THE EXPERIENCE TO QUESTION DISPATCH. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ASSERTIVE. FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE: AS MUCH AS I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS OCCURRENCE, I BELIEVE THAT DURING THE TRAINING PROCESS, COMPANY PROCS AND FAR'S SHOULD HAVE BEEN EMPHASIZED. THE LAST TIME I WAS TRAINED ON COMPANY PROCS WAS OVER 3 YRS AGO AS A NEW HIRE IN INDOCTRINATION. I BELIEVE THAT AS SIMPLE AS IT IS TO WRITE UP AN MEL IT SHOULD BE TESTED DURING THE UPGRADE PROCESS.

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.