Narrative:

On power xfer from ground to APU; an ECAM fuel right xfer valve closed with action fuel in tank unusable came up. Called maintenance. Seemed to be some confusion as to which MEL to use. Maintenance referenced MEL XXX. Maintenance performed the actions and deferred. At pushback we checked the MEL card that printed and reviewed the ECAM fuel page. ECAM fuel page showed outer wing tank valves closed and zero fuel in outer tanks. As the MEL card made no reference to valves being open and dispatch telling us that it was not a dispatch item type MEL; we departed. En route; we found that return fuel from the idg heat exchanger was filling the right outer tank and that fuel was stuck in the wings. I called on radio to dispatch and had maintenance control come on the line. Maintenance control indicated that the valves should have been left open and gave me a set of 4 circuit breakers to pull and reset to open the valves and recover the fuel. When I asked why the MEL card did not state valves should be left open; maintenance control stated that they knew the MEL card was wrong and they had a revised card that had not been activated. Seems they used the new card but it was not available to the flight crew. Also seems that the reason the valves had closed is the gate maintenance had re-opened the fueling door after the MEL had been complete; thus voiding the MEL actions. When the fueling door had been open; this resets the outer tank valves; thus closing them. I told maintenance control and dispatch I would call on the ground. Before descent; I reprinted the MEL card for my records and to complete this report. When it came up; it had been revised the first card showed revision 2 (the one I got at the gate) while the second card showed revision 18. The revised MEL card went to 3 pages and had crew action that outer tank valves remain open at departure. Also; that this MEL now became a dispatch item. How can crews operate their aircraft if changes to MEL cards are not made in a timely fashion or communicated to them?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS A-320 ACFT WAS RELEASED BY MAINT CONTROL USING A KNOWN OUTDATED MEL THAT HAD ALLOWED RH OUTER FUEL TANK VALVES TO FLY CLOSED.

Narrative: ON PWR XFER FROM GND TO APU; AN ECAM FUEL R XFER VALVE CLOSED WITH ACTION FUEL IN TANK UNUSABLE CAME UP. CALLED MAINT. SEEMED TO BE SOME CONFUSION AS TO WHICH MEL TO USE. MAINT REFED MEL XXX. MAINT PERFORMED THE ACTIONS AND DEFERRED. AT PUSHBACK WE CHKED THE MEL CARD THAT PRINTED AND REVIEWED THE ECAM FUEL PAGE. ECAM FUEL PAGE SHOWED OUTER WING TANK VALVES CLOSED AND ZERO FUEL IN OUTER TANKS. AS THE MEL CARD MADE NO REF TO VALVES BEING OPEN AND DISPATCH TELLING US THAT IT WAS NOT A DISPATCH ITEM TYPE MEL; WE DEPARTED. ENRTE; WE FOUND THAT RETURN FUEL FROM THE IDG HEAT EXCHANGER WAS FILLING THE R OUTER TANK AND THAT FUEL WAS STUCK IN THE WINGS. I CALLED ON RADIO TO DISPATCH AND HAD MAINT CTL COME ON THE LINE. MAINT CTL INDICATED THAT THE VALVES SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT OPEN AND GAVE ME A SET OF 4 CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO PULL AND RESET TO OPEN THE VALVES AND RECOVER THE FUEL. WHEN I ASKED WHY THE MEL CARD DID NOT STATE VALVES SHOULD BE LEFT OPEN; MAINT CTL STATED THAT THEY KNEW THE MEL CARD WAS WRONG AND THEY HAD A REVISED CARD THAT HAD NOT BEEN ACTIVATED. SEEMS THEY USED THE NEW CARD BUT IT WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE FLT CREW. ALSO SEEMS THAT THE REASON THE VALVES HAD CLOSED IS THE GATE MAINT HAD RE-OPENED THE FUELING DOOR AFTER THE MEL HAD BEEN COMPLETE; THUS VOIDING THE MEL ACTIONS. WHEN THE FUELING DOOR HAD BEEN OPEN; THIS RESETS THE OUTER TANK VALVES; THUS CLOSING THEM. I TOLD MAINT CTL AND DISPATCH I WOULD CALL ON THE GND. BEFORE DSCNT; I REPRINTED THE MEL CARD FOR MY RECORDS AND TO COMPLETE THIS RPT. WHEN IT CAME UP; IT HAD BEEN REVISED THE FIRST CARD SHOWED REVISION 2 (THE ONE I GOT AT THE GATE) WHILE THE SECOND CARD SHOWED REVISION 18. THE REVISED MEL CARD WENT TO 3 PAGES AND HAD CREW ACTION THAT OUTER TANK VALVES REMAIN OPEN AT DEP. ALSO; THAT THIS MEL NOW BECAME A DISPATCH ITEM. HOW CAN CREWS OPERATE THEIR ACFT IF CHANGES TO MEL CARDS ARE NOT MADE IN A TIMELY FASHION OR COMMUNICATED TO THEM?

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.