Narrative:

On jul/xa/06 I filed report because I thought I had taken an aircraft with a questionable dispatch and I wanted the company to verify that what I thought was in fact correct. Later in july; I encountered the very same dispatch problem. I had not heard from the company as to whether my interpretation was correct or not. However; I was looking at identical MEL's. Center tank system 28-21-02 and automatic fuel feed system 28-20-01. Both MEL's as stand alone MEL's are fine but my contention or question was based upon what is written and the interpretation thereof is what we were questioning. There is no problem whatsoever with the operational procedure and we can apply it. The concurrent MEL of 28-20-01 'automatic fuel feed.' in the remarks section of the MEL it states that: (0) may be inoperative provided operational procedures below are followed. The operational procedure of turning both pumps on cannot be followed on this MEL because of the previous MEL which has told you to turn off the affected center tank pump. In our case it was pump #1 could not be turned back on. This is a direct contradiction/conflict and no longer allows you to comply with the MEL 28-20-01 but maintenance contended that the logic makes sense and there is no legality issues as far as they were concerned. Since I had a question on this release; I called maintenance and we set up a conference call between dispatch; maintenance control; chief pilot's office and myself. We all came to the conclusion that the 2 MEL's were worded poorly and that the intention and logic of the operational procedure made the aircraft airworthy. The chief pilot on duty suggested that if we dispatched the aircraft to a location that we could make without any center tank fuel we would then be legal to dispatch and the operational procedure would not be affected because we were not planning on using any fuel from the center tank. At XA00 this sounded logical so we went with his plan and dispatch proceeded to dispatch us to ZZZ1 which we could make without center tank fuel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 CAPT RPTS 2 DEFERRED ITEMS: 1) CTR TANK SYS; AND 2) AUTOMATIC FUEL FEED SYS ARE IN CONFLICT WITH REGARDS TO OP OF THE CTR TANK PUMPS.

Narrative: ON JUL/XA/06 I FILED RPT BECAUSE I THOUGHT I HAD TAKEN AN ACFT WITH A QUESTIONABLE DISPATCH AND I WANTED THE COMPANY TO VERIFY THAT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS IN FACT CORRECT. LATER IN JULY; I ENCOUNTERED THE VERY SAME DISPATCH PROB. I HAD NOT HEARD FROM THE COMPANY AS TO WHETHER MY INTERP WAS CORRECT OR NOT. HOWEVER; I WAS LOOKING AT IDENTICAL MEL'S. CTR TANK SYS 28-21-02 AND AUTOMATIC FUEL FEED SYS 28-20-01. BOTH MEL'S AS STAND ALONE MEL'S ARE FINE BUT MY CONTENTION OR QUESTION WAS BASED UPON WHAT IS WRITTEN AND THE INTERP THEREOF IS WHAT WE WERE QUESTIONING. THERE IS NO PROB WHATSOEVER WITH THE OPERATIONAL PROC AND WE CAN APPLY IT. THE CONCURRENT MEL OF 28-20-01 'AUTOMATIC FUEL FEED.' IN THE REMARKS SECTION OF THE MEL IT STATES THAT: (0) MAY BE INOP PROVIDED OPERATIONAL PROCS BELOW ARE FOLLOWED. THE OPERATIONAL PROC OF TURNING BOTH PUMPS ON CANNOT BE FOLLOWED ON THIS MEL BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS MEL WHICH HAS TOLD YOU TO TURN OFF THE AFFECTED CTR TANK PUMP. IN OUR CASE IT WAS PUMP #1 COULD NOT BE TURNED BACK ON. THIS IS A DIRECT CONTRADICTION/CONFLICT AND NO LONGER ALLOWS YOU TO COMPLY WITH THE MEL 28-20-01 BUT MAINT CONTENDED THAT THE LOGIC MAKES SENSE AND THERE IS NO LEGALITY ISSUES AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED. SINCE I HAD A QUESTION ON THIS RELEASE; I CALLED MAINT AND WE SET UP A CONFERENCE CALL BTWN DISPATCH; MAINT CTL; CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE AND MYSELF. WE ALL CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE 2 MEL'S WERE WORDED POORLY AND THAT THE INTENTION AND LOGIC OF THE OPERATIONAL PROC MADE THE ACFT AIRWORTHY. THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY SUGGESTED THAT IF WE DISPATCHED THE ACFT TO A LOCATION THAT WE COULD MAKE WITHOUT ANY CTR TANK FUEL WE WOULD THEN BE LEGAL TO DISPATCH AND THE OPERATIONAL PROC WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BECAUSE WE WERE NOT PLANNING ON USING ANY FUEL FROM THE CTR TANK. AT XA00 THIS SOUNDED LOGICAL SO WE WENT WITH HIS PLAN AND DISPATCH PROCEEDED TO DISPATCH US TO ZZZ1 WHICH WE COULD MAKE WITHOUT CTR TANK FUEL.

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.