Narrative:

Airbus 320 MEL allows deferral of an inoperative cockpit door locking system door buzzer provided that maintenance action is taken to deactivate the cockpit door keypad. According to maintenance technicians who consulted with maintenance control in regard to this MEL; item is an all or none deferral. If any feature of the cockpit door buzzer system operates other than as specified; then that deviance must be corrected or the entire keypad must be deactivated. The MEL card emphasizes that once the keypad has been deactivated the door cannot be opened by personnel from the cabin side. Emergency access from the cabin side is not available. Should the pilots be trapped; incapacitated; or severely injured; it is not possible to enter the cockpit from any location (cockpit sliding windows or cockpit door) without time consuming maintenance action or destructive breaching procedures. In the case of any event that would require rapid egress; pilots who are unable to extricate themselves cannot be expeditiously rescued. This is equivalent to rendering all the aircraft cabin doors inoperable from outside the airplane while leaving them normal from inside the fuselage. The occupants would have to be able to open the doors to effect egress; or else time consuming maintenance action or destructive breaching procedures would be required. MEL item exposes the pilots to a significant safety risk that I do not accept.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 CAPT RPTS THAT THE COCKPIT DOOR SECURITY SYS CAN BE MEL'ED IN A WAY THAT WILL PREVENT ACCESS IN AN EMER.

Narrative: AIRBUS 320 MEL ALLOWS DEFERRAL OF AN INOP COCKPIT DOOR LOCKING SYS DOOR BUZZER PROVIDED THAT MAINT ACTION IS TAKEN TO DEACTIVATE THE COCKPIT DOOR KEYPAD. ACCORDING TO MAINT TECHNICIANS WHO CONSULTED WITH MAINT CTL IN REGARD TO THIS MEL; ITEM IS AN ALL OR NONE DEFERRAL. IF ANY FEATURE OF THE COCKPIT DOOR BUZZER SYS OPERATES OTHER THAN AS SPECIFIED; THEN THAT DEVIANCE MUST BE CORRECTED OR THE ENTIRE KEYPAD MUST BE DEACTIVATED. THE MEL CARD EMPHASIZES THAT ONCE THE KEYPAD HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED THE DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED BY PERSONNEL FROM THE CABIN SIDE. EMER ACCESS FROM THE CABIN SIDE IS NOT AVAILABLE. SHOULD THE PLTS BE TRAPPED; INCAPACITATED; OR SEVERELY INJURED; IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ENTER THE COCKPIT FROM ANY LOCATION (COCKPIT SLIDING WINDOWS OR COCKPIT DOOR) WITHOUT TIME CONSUMING MAINT ACTION OR DESTRUCTIVE BREACHING PROCS. IN THE CASE OF ANY EVENT THAT WOULD REQUIRE RAPID EGRESS; PLTS WHO ARE UNABLE TO EXTRICATE THEMSELVES CANNOT BE EXPEDITIOUSLY RESCUED. THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO RENDERING ALL THE ACFT CABIN DOORS INOPERABLE FROM OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE WHILE LEAVING THEM NORMAL FROM INSIDE THE FUSELAGE. THE OCCUPANTS WOULD HAVE TO BE ABLE TO OPEN THE DOORS TO EFFECT EGRESS; OR ELSE TIME CONSUMING MAINT ACTION OR DESTRUCTIVE BREACHING PROCS WOULD BE REQUIRED. MEL ITEM EXPOSES THE PLTS TO A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK THAT I DO NOT ACCEPT.

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.