A CRJ700 was dispatched with a maintenance requested air conditioning MEL placard change to remove a...

Attributes
ACN	654852
Time
Date	200504
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Regional Jet 700 ER&LR
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : maintenance
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	maintenance : technician oversight : coordinator
ASRS Report	654852
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	maintenance : technician
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical maintenance problem : non compliance with mel non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other other : 1
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other other
Factors
Maintenance	contributing factor : schedule pressure performance deficiency : logbook entry performance deficiency : fault isolation performance deficiency : testing performance deficiency : non compliance with legal requirements
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Maintenance Human Performance Aircraft Chart Or Publication
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

Narrative:

Aircraft arrived with a crew placarded MEL 21-21 issued toward it. Maintenance reviewed the MEL. Based upon their assessment of the discrepancy; they (maintenance) called maintenance controller and requested a change of MEL reference from 21-21 to 21-13. This was done. After the next crew took the aircraft for flight; maintenance was called back to the aircraft for a discrepancy involving condensation and cooling in the aircraft. Maintenance rectified the problem by repairing an air conditioning duct. After this was done; maintenance technicians noted a reduction in the severity of the problem for which MEL 21-13 was issued and they requested a change of reference to MEL 21-64 which is non-restrictive for flight. The maintenance actions are sound with no errors that I am aware of the problem is in the aml documentation. Maintenance did not use correct procedures documenting the crew placard. They overwrote the new signoff in the aml and I issued the reference changes unaware that the troubleshooting and operations check paths that were used were not properly documented.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CRJ700 WAS DISPATCHED WITH A MAINT REQUESTED AIR CONDITIONING MEL PLACARD CHANGE TO REMOVE A FLT RESTR. CTLR UNSURE IF TROUBLESHOOTING AND OPS CHKS WERE PROPERLY DOCUMENTED.

Narrative: ACFT ARRIVED WITH A CREW PLACARDED MEL 21-21 ISSUED TOWARD IT. MAINT REVIEWED THE MEL. BASED UPON THEIR ASSESSMENT OF THE DISCREPANCY; THEY (MAINT) CALLED MAINT CTLR AND REQUESTED A CHANGE OF MEL REF FROM 21-21 TO 21-13. THIS WAS DONE. AFTER THE NEXT CREW TOOK THE ACFT FOR FLT; MAINT WAS CALLED BACK TO THE ACFT FOR A DISCREPANCY INVOLVING CONDENSATION AND COOLING IN THE ACFT. MAINT RECTIFIED THE PROB BY REPAIRING AN AIR CONDITIONING DUCT. AFTER THIS WAS DONE; MAINT TECHNICIANS NOTED A REDUCTION IN THE SEVERITY OF THE PROB FOR WHICH MEL 21-13 WAS ISSUED AND THEY REQUESTED A CHANGE OF REF TO MEL 21-64 WHICH IS NON-RESTRICTIVE FOR FLT. THE MAINT ACTIONS ARE SOUND WITH NO ERRORS THAT I AM AWARE OF THE PROB IS IN THE AML DOCUMENTATION. MAINT DID NOT USE CORRECT PROCS DOCUMENTING THE CREW PLACARD. THEY OVERWROTE THE NEW SIGNOFF IN THE AML AND I ISSUED THE REF CHANGES UNAWARE THAT THE TROUBLESHOOTING AND OPS CHK PATHS THAT WERE USED WERE NOT PROPERLY DOCUMENTED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.

A CRJ700 was dispatched with a maintenance requested air conditioning MEL placard change to remove a flight restr. Controller unsure if troubleshooting and operations checks were properly documented.