Narrative:

On his walkaround the first officer found chipped paint by the first officer static port inside the rvsm area. Oil was also found leaking from the idg indicator on the #1 engine. The idg drip was found to be within tolerance. Maintenance did find the #1 engine unlatched and they relatched it. After the delay we received a new clearance via a swap route and called maintenance to see how long the new maintenance release document would take. ZZZ maintenance said the chip in the rvsm area was ok and a new maintenance release document was on the way. We pushed off the gate and waited to start engines until we received the new maintenance release document. After we disconnected maintenance called us and said more work would need to be done on the rvsm area. Ramp wanted us to start an engine and proceed from gate a to gate B. We did not receive the new maintenance release document and decided to start and taxi for maintenance as the gate was needed by another aircraft. Once we were at gate B a new maintenance release document was received and indicated that the static port within the rvsm area was 'rolled forward.' I called maintenance to verify that the 'rolled forward' maintenance release document was valid and he told me he would not release the airplane until the new maintenance release document was properly done and determine that the aircraft was rvsm or non-rvsm. Maintenance and dispatch were contacted and we had a conference call to determine the proper status of the aircraft. They wanted to release the plane non-rvsm and I decided to refuse it due to thunderstorms; convective activity; high terrain and the limitation of 29000 ft from ZZZ to ZZZ1. We were assigned another plane and completed our flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 CAPT REFUSED TO FLY A NON-RVSM CAPABLE ACFT BECAUSE OF TERRAIN AND WEATHER ALONG THE FLT'S PROPOSED ROUTE AT FL290.

Narrative: ON HIS WALKAROUND THE FO FOUND CHIPPED PAINT BY THE FO STATIC PORT INSIDE THE RVSM AREA. OIL WAS ALSO FOUND LEAKING FROM THE IDG INDICATOR ON THE #1 ENG. THE IDG DRIP WAS FOUND TO BE WITHIN TOLERANCE. MAINT DID FIND THE #1 ENG UNLATCHED AND THEY RELATCHED IT. AFTER THE DELAY WE RECEIVED A NEW CLRNC VIA A SWAP RTE AND CALLED MAINT TO SEE HOW LONG THE NEW MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT WOULD TAKE. ZZZ MAINT SAID THE CHIP IN THE RVSM AREA WAS OK AND A NEW MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT WAS ON THE WAY. WE PUSHED OFF THE GATE AND WAITED TO START ENGS UNTIL WE RECEIVED THE NEW MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT. AFTER WE DISCONNECTED MAINT CALLED US AND SAID MORE WORK WOULD NEED TO BE DONE ON THE RVSM AREA. RAMP WANTED US TO START AN ENG AND PROCEED FROM GATE A TO GATE B. WE DID NOT RECEIVE THE NEW MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT AND DECIDED TO START AND TAXI FOR MAINT AS THE GATE WAS NEEDED BY ANOTHER ACFT. ONCE WE WERE AT GATE B A NEW MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT WAS RECEIVED AND INDICATED THAT THE STATIC PORT WITHIN THE RVSM AREA WAS 'ROLLED FORWARD.' I CALLED MAINT TO VERIFY THAT THE 'ROLLED FORWARD' MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT WAS VALID AND HE TOLD ME HE WOULD NOT RELEASE THE AIRPLANE UNTIL THE NEW MAINT RELEASE DOCUMENT WAS PROPERLY DONE AND DETERMINE THAT THE ACFT WAS RVSM OR NON-RVSM. MAINT AND DISPATCH WERE CONTACTED AND WE HAD A CONFERENCE CALL TO DETERMINE THE PROPER STATUS OF THE ACFT. THEY WANTED TO RELEASE THE PLANE NON-RVSM AND I DECIDED TO REFUSE IT DUE TO TSTMS; CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY; HIGH TERRAIN AND THE LIMITATION OF 29000 FT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1. WE WERE ASSIGNED ANOTHER PLANE AND COMPLETED OUR FLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.