Narrative:

During the cockpit checks I noticed that the right main gear door was in the down position. The first officer returned and told me that there was a major hydraulic leak in the starboard wheel well. A mechanic came on board and told us that there was a large leak and it would take at least 1 hour to fix. We discontinued boarding of passenger and informed the gate agent of the delay. I called our dispatcher and informed him of the problem. He said he would look into finding another aircraft if this one was going to be more delayed than it currently was. Several mins later the gate agent came down the jetway and informed us that they had swapped aircraft and were moving all of the passenger to gate Y. I called dispatch to confirm the aircraft swap. Before leaving the aircraft; the first officer attempted to send in 2 additional write-ups that we had discovered on the walkaround (the captain's checklist was torn in half and paint was delaminating from the captain's primary static ports within the rvsm area). The first officer and I left the aircraft and went to the planning room to print the paperwork for the new plane. After the papers had printed I tried to sign for the release and was unable. I called the dispatcher to see what the problem was. He said the previous aircraft had been fixed and had been reassigned back to us. I requested a new release for the plane change. When we printed the maintenance paperwork for release 3; for the original aircraft; we noticed that there was no indication of any maintenance having been initiated or performed on the plane. I found this odd. We proceeded back to the original plane still parked at gate X. I went down on to the ramp and asked one of the mechanics what had transpired. He said they had had replaced an 'O' ring in a hydraulic distribution block (my description) located on the aft bulkhead of the starboard wheel well. I asked him if they had worked off the other 2 problems we had written up. He said he didn't know about them. I returned to the cockpit and attempted to call maintenance on their VHF frequency. There was no reply. We then were informed that the maintenance frequency was unmanned this late at night and early in the morning. I relayed to maintenance our additional 2 write-ups and said we would put them back into ACARS. At this time we received a copy of the maintenance release. There were no indications that any work had been performed on the aircraft. We tried to insert the additional 2 write-ups into ACARS. We never got an ACARS message that the write-ups had been received or that the maintenance release was now invalid. We called maintenance and asked them to have someone come to the aircraft. The lead mechanic came to the cockpit and took the torn checklist and copied down our write-up on the paint inside the captain's static port rvsm area. When he returned he had taped the checklist together with clear tape because he couldn't find a part number for the A320 qrc and deferred the paint. I asked him why there was no indication of any work having been done to the aircraft. He stated because the write-ups were initiated by the mechanics; they would not appear on the maintenance release. I asked about the checklist and the paint issue. He said the same thing; because they had entered the issues into the computer we would not see them and the maintenance release we had was valid. It had been a long day; I was tired and I was not inclined to argue. On the way over to ZZZ1 it didn't seem right that the flight crew was not able to see all work that had been performed on the maintenance release especially something as important as an airbus hydraulic system. Thus; the reason for my report.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 FLT CREW REPORTS RECEIVING NO DOCUMENTATION OF MAINT REQUIRED BEING PERFORMED ON THEIR ACFT PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.

Narrative: DURING THE COCKPIT CHKS I NOTICED THAT THE R MAIN GEAR DOOR WAS IN THE DOWN POS. THE FO RETURNED AND TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A MAJOR HYD LEAK IN THE STARBOARD WHEEL WELL. A MECH CAME ON BOARD AND TOLD US THAT THERE WAS A LARGE LEAK AND IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST 1 HR TO FIX. WE DISCONTINUED BOARDING OF PAX AND INFORMED THE GATE AGENT OF THE DELAY. I CALLED OUR DISPATCHER AND INFORMED HIM OF THE PROB. HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO FINDING ANOTHER ACFT IF THIS ONE WAS GOING TO BE MORE DELAYED THAN IT CURRENTLY WAS. SEVERAL MINS LATER THE GATE AGENT CAME DOWN THE JETWAY AND INFORMED US THAT THEY HAD SWAPPED ACFT AND WERE MOVING ALL OF THE PAX TO GATE Y. I CALLED DISPATCH TO CONFIRM THE ACFT SWAP. BEFORE LEAVING THE ACFT; THE FO ATTEMPTED TO SEND IN 2 ADDITIONAL WRITE-UPS THAT WE HAD DISCOVERED ON THE WALKAROUND (THE CAPT'S CHKLIST WAS TORN IN HALF AND PAINT WAS DELAMINATING FROM THE CAPT'S PRIMARY STATIC PORTS WITHIN THE RVSM AREA). THE FO AND I LEFT THE ACFT AND WENT TO THE PLANNING ROOM TO PRINT THE PAPERWORK FOR THE NEW PLANE. AFTER THE PAPERS HAD PRINTED I TRIED TO SIGN FOR THE RELEASE AND WAS UNABLE. I CALLED THE DISPATCHER TO SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS. HE SAID THE PREVIOUS ACFT HAD BEEN FIXED AND HAD BEEN REASSIGNED BACK TO US. I REQUESTED A NEW RELEASE FOR THE PLANE CHANGE. WHEN WE PRINTED THE MAINT PAPERWORK FOR RELEASE 3; FOR THE ORIGINAL ACFT; WE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY MAINT HAVING BEEN INITIATED OR PERFORMED ON THE PLANE. I FOUND THIS ODD. WE PROCEEDED BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLANE STILL PARKED AT GATE X. I WENT DOWN ON TO THE RAMP AND ASKED ONE OF THE MECHS WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED. HE SAID THEY HAD HAD REPLACED AN 'O' RING IN A HYD DISTRIBUTION BLOCK (MY DESCRIPTION) LOCATED ON THE AFT BULKHEAD OF THE STARBOARD WHEEL WELL. I ASKED HIM IF THEY HAD WORKED OFF THE OTHER 2 PROBLEMS WE HAD WRITTEN UP. HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THEM. I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND ATTEMPTED TO CALL MAINT ON THEIR VHF FREQ. THERE WAS NO REPLY. WE THEN WERE INFORMED THAT THE MAINT FREQ WAS UNMANNED THIS LATE AT NIGHT AND EARLY IN THE MORNING. I RELAYED TO MAINT OUR ADDITIONAL 2 WRITE-UPS AND SAID WE WOULD PUT THEM BACK INTO ACARS. AT THIS TIME WE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE MAINT RELEASE. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT ANY WORK HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE ACFT. WE TRIED TO INSERT THE ADDITIONAL 2 WRITE-UPS INTO ACARS. WE NEVER GOT AN ACARS MESSAGE THAT THE WRITE-UPS HAD BEEN RECEIVED OR THAT THE MAINT RELEASE WAS NOW INVALID. WE CALLED MAINT AND ASKED THEM TO HAVE SOMEONE COME TO THE ACFT. THE LEAD MECH CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND TOOK THE TORN CHKLIST AND COPIED DOWN OUR WRITE-UP ON THE PAINT INSIDE THE CAPT'S STATIC PORT RVSM AREA. WHEN HE RETURNED HE HAD TAPED THE CHKLIST TOGETHER WITH CLR TAPE BECAUSE HE COULDN'T FIND A PART NUMBER FOR THE A320 QRC AND DEFERRED THE PAINT. I ASKED HIM WHY THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY WORK HAVING BEEN DONE TO THE ACFT. HE STATED BECAUSE THE WRITE-UPS WERE INITIATED BY THE MECHS; THEY WOULD NOT APPEAR ON THE MAINT RELEASE. I ASKED ABOUT THE CHKLIST AND THE PAINT ISSUE. HE SAID THE SAME THING; BECAUSE THEY HAD ENTERED THE ISSUES INTO THE COMPUTER WE WOULD NOT SEE THEM AND THE MAINT RELEASE WE HAD WAS VALID. IT HAD BEEN A LONG DAY; I WAS TIRED AND I WAS NOT INCLINED TO ARGUE. ON THE WAY OVER TO ZZZ1 IT DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT THAT THE FLT CREW WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE ALL WORK THAT HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE MAINT RELEASE ESPECIALLY SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS AN AIRBUS HYD SYS. THUS; THE REASON FOR MY REPORT.

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.