Narrative:

Maintenance had pulled a circuit breaker without telling us; the flight crew. The breaker was for hydraulic auxiliary pump #4. We the crew looked up the MEL for this procedure and there is a substantial weight penalty for takeoff if this pump is deactivated. We took off knowing 100% this pump had not been deactivated because maintenance never said a word. There was no collared circuit breaker; and no deferred sticker on forward overhead panel per MEL. So the end result was an overweight takeoff. The problem -- maintenance failure to communicate with the flight crew. Maintenance did not follow MEL procedures. As our standard operating procedures; our capts sign the logbook after landing at destination. Maybe should sign logbook before takeoff and after landing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he was a check airman on this flight and also missed the pulled circuit breaker for the #4 auxiliary hydraulic pump. They were aware of a previous report for the same auxiliary pump describing how the pump could not always be shut off; but the problem was intermittent. Reporter stated they were not aware of the maintenance activity involving the circuit breaker and the lack of communications between the flight crew and maintenance was a major factor in their departing in an overweight condition.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-400 CAPTAIN REPORTS THAT MAINT HAD PULLED A #4 HYD AUX PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKER WITHOUT COLLARING THE BREAKER OR APPLYING A DEFERRED STICKER ON THE FORWARD OVERHEAD PANEL PER THE MEL. END RESULT WAS AN OVERWEIGHT TAKEOFF.

Narrative: MAINT HAD PULLED A CIRCUIT BREAKER WITHOUT TELLING US; THE FLT CREW. THE BREAKER WAS FOR HYD AUX PUMP #4. WE THE CREW LOOKED UP THE MEL FOR THIS PROC AND THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL WT PENALTY FOR TKOF IF THIS PUMP IS DEACTIVATED. WE TOOK OFF KNOWING 100% THIS PUMP HAD NOT BEEN DEACTIVATED BECAUSE MAINT NEVER SAID A WORD. THERE WAS NO COLLARED CIRCUIT BREAKER; AND NO DEFERRED STICKER ON FORWARD OVERHEAD PANEL PER MEL. SO THE END RESULT WAS AN OVERWT TKOF. THE PROB -- MAINT FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE FLT CREW. MAINT DID NOT FOLLOW MEL PROCS. AS OUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCS; OUR CAPTS SIGN THE LOGBOOK AFTER LNDG AT DEST. MAYBE SHOULD SIGN LOGBOOK BEFORE TKOF AND AFTER LNDG. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED HE WAS A CHECK AIRMAN ON THIS FLIGHT AND ALSO MISSED THE PULLED CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE #4 AUX HYD PUMP. THEY WERE AWARE OF A PREVIOUS REPORT FOR THE SAME AUX PUMP DESCRIBING HOW THE PUMP COULD NOT ALWAYS BE SHUT OFF; BUT THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. REPORTER STATED THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE MAINT ACTIVITY INVOLVING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AND THE LACK OF COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE FLIGHT CREW AND MAINT WAS A MAJOR FACTOR IN THEIR DEPARTING IN AN OVERWEIGHT CONDITION.

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.