Narrative:

On the preflight; we noticed that the cargo barrier door was missing. Since the aircraft we were assigned to had a different cargo modification and stc from the rest of the fleet; it is not specifically addressed in the fom if the door has to be installed at all times. This question has come up as we carry hazmat from time to time; however these series of flights pertinent to this report were not for the purpose of transporting hazmat. The situation is that the barrier door can only be installed when the L1 door is open. Once the L1 main entry door is shut; the door can neither be removed or installed. This as well is not addressed in any manual on the aircraft and the question that I have asked; but have not received an answer to; is how would the crew ever comply with drill codes in the hazmat emergency response book or fight a fire if you can't access the hazmat due to the inability of the door to be opened or closed in flight due to the specific stc on that aircraft? Prior to departure; I specifically asked the general manager who is over operations and maintenance and the chief pilot if the flight could be made without the barrier door and they deferred to the director of flight operations; who researched the stc and assured the chief pilot and general manager who in turn assured me that it was all right to make the series of flights as long as we didn't carry hazmats. This being the case; we made 4 subsequent flights. Prior to departure; due to 2 maintenance irregularities; upper rudder yaw/damper inoperative and an electrical malfunction causing a phase imbalance; we had to return to the ramp to re-compute the flight plan and have maintenance take a look at the aircraft. When we arrived on the ramp the FAA inspector and an FAA maintenance inspector presented their credentials and proceeded to give us a line check. He specifically directed his attention to the missing barrier door and asked where it was. He told me in no uncertain terms that he had previously flown for a cargo operator and knew what a shoddy operation that it was and told me that I couldn't 'shit' him on anything. This being the case; I cooperated fully with his investigation and informed him that we had consulted management in regards to the missing barrier door and that they had okayed the flight since we were not carrying hazmat. He disagreed and found other things wrong with the aircraft as well. These were written up in his presence and specifically were: 1) cargo barrier door missing; 2) main deck cargo fire nomenclature on flight engineer panel unclear; 3) standby power can be obtained by rotating the essential power switch to generators 1; 2; and 3; as well as standby (not the same on our other aircraft or most other 727's) and the captain's seat will not stay in any position. After the inspection; maintenance was flown in to correct the above mentioned items. The company had a meeting with chief pilot; the poi assured me that things had been worked out with the FAA. Personally; I am not so sure that they are and I have received new information post facto that the company is possibly under further scrutiny by the FAA for other matters not related to this report. There have been several firings of pilots in the recent past. There is a lot of uncertainty as to what may happen with the entire operation.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727-200 Captain reported possible MEL violation by management to convince the flight crew it was appropriate to fly without a cargo barrier door.

Narrative: On the preflight; we noticed that the cargo barrier door was missing. Since the aircraft we were assigned to had a different Cargo Modification and STC from the rest of the fleet; it is not specifically addressed in the FOM if the door has to be installed at all times. This question has come up as we carry hazmat from time to time; however these series of flights pertinent to this report were not for the purpose of transporting hazmat. The situation is that the barrier door can only be installed when the L1 door is open. Once the L1 main entry door is shut; the door can neither be removed or installed. This as well is not addressed in any manual on the aircraft and the question that I have asked; but have not received an answer to; is how would the crew ever comply with drill codes in the hazmat emergency response book or fight a fire if you can't access the hazmat due to the inability of the door to be opened or closed in flight due to the specific STC on that aircraft? Prior to departure; I specifically asked the General Manager who is over Operations and Maintenance and the Chief Pilot if the flight could be made without the barrier door and they deferred to the Director of Flight Operations; who researched the STC and assured the Chief Pilot and General Manager who in turn assured me that it was all right to make the series of flights as long as we didn't carry hazmats. This being the case; we made 4 subsequent flights. Prior to departure; due to 2 Maintenance irregularities; Upper Rudder Yaw/Damper inoperative and an electrical malfunction causing a Phase Imbalance; we had to return to the ramp to re-compute the flight plan and have Maintenance take a look at the aircraft. When we arrived on the ramp the FAA Inspector and an FAA Maintenance Inspector presented their credentials and proceeded to give us a line check. He specifically directed his attention to the missing barrier door and asked where it was. He told me in no uncertain terms that he had previously flown for a cargo operator and knew what a shoddy operation that it was and told me that I couldn't 'shit' him on anything. This being the case; I cooperated fully with his investigation and informed him that we had consulted management in regards to the missing barrier door and that they had okayed the flight since we were not carrying hazmat. He disagreed and found other things wrong with the aircraft as well. These were written up in his presence and specifically were: 1) Cargo barrier door missing; 2) Main Deck Cargo Fire nomenclature on Flight Engineer panel unclear; 3) Standby power can be obtained by rotating the essential power switch to Generators 1; 2; and 3; as well as Standby (not the same on our other aircraft or most other 727's) and the Captain's seat will not stay in any position. After the inspection; Maintenance was flown in to correct the above mentioned items. The company had a meeting with Chief Pilot; the POI assured me that things had been worked out with the FAA. Personally; I am not so sure that they are and I have received new information post facto that the company is possibly under further scrutiny by the FAA for other matters not related to this report. There have been several firings of pilots in the recent past. There is a lot of uncertainty as to what may happen with the entire operation.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.