Narrative:

Upon arrival for the flight the first officer advised me that a seam in the housing that encases the center pedestal; just inboard of his left knee; was separating. Looking at the area he described; I could see exposed control cables and a wiring harness visible through the opening. I put a detailed description of the defect in the aircraft logbook and called maintenance control. Mr. X answered the phone in maintenance control. I described the defect and advised him of the logbook entry. Mr. X became agitated that the defect was in the logbook. Mr. X told me that he would call the station and have an agent bring me a roll of tape; which I would use to seal the opening. I advised mr. X that I was already off the aircraft and that I didn't think such a repair would be prudent due to the exposed wiring and cables. The phone line immediately went dead. I called back; mr. X answered; I asked if we had been disconnected or if I was hung up on. Mr. X said that if I was unwilling to perform the procedure he described; I 'was of no use to him.' he didn't want to discuss the fact that I was concerned about the exposed wiring and control cables. He seemed more concerned with getting the job done quickly. This is not the first time an instance like this has happened. In the past I have been reprimanded by maintenance control for placing a 'reverser fault' in the aircraft logbook before calling them. When asked to explain why I wrote up the defect before calling; I explained that I'm required to per the far's and fom. Mr. Y in maintenance control replied; 'in that case captain; whenever you need our help getting an aircraft off the gate; we're going to tell you to put it in the book and we'll send someone out to look at it'. This issue was discussed in depth with the senior director of flight operations. I firmly believe these instances demonstrate a changing trend in the way the company handles mechanical defects as well as a degree of pilot pushing. I also believe that maintenance control has become much more focused on clearing defects as quickly and inexpensively as possible; as opposed to doing it correctly by using maintenance personnel. I believe this is a regulatory and a training issue. Maintenance control is trying to save time and costs by pushing pilots to perform actions that are contrary to established procedures.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737NG Captain reported a problem with the center pedestal housing that revealed exposed control cables and wiring harnesses. He also described what he feels is a changing trend in the way his carrier's Maintenance Control is trying to save time and costs by pushing pilots to perform actions that are contrary to established procedures.

Narrative: Upon arrival for the flight the First Officer advised me that a seam in the housing that encases the center pedestal; just inboard of his left knee; was separating. Looking at the area he described; I could see exposed control cables and a wiring harness visible through the opening. I put a detailed description of the defect in the aircraft logbook and called Maintenance Control. Mr. X answered the phone in Maintenance Control. I described the defect and advised him of the logbook entry. Mr. X became agitated that the defect was in the logbook. Mr. X told me that he would call the station and have an Agent bring me a roll of tape; which I would use to seal the opening. I advised Mr. X that I was already off the aircraft and that I didn't think such a repair would be prudent due to the exposed wiring and cables. The phone line immediately went dead. I called back; Mr. X answered; I asked if we had been disconnected or if I was hung up on. Mr. X said that if I was unwilling to perform the procedure he described; I 'was of no use to him.' He didn't want to discuss the fact that I was concerned about the exposed wiring and Control cables. He seemed more concerned with getting the job done quickly. This is not the first time an instance like this has happened. In the past I have been reprimanded by Maintenance Control for placing a 'reverser fault' in the aircraft logbook before calling them. When asked to explain why I wrote up the defect before calling; I explained that I'm required to per the FAR's and FOM. Mr. Y in Maintenance Control replied; 'in that case Captain; whenever you need our help getting an aircraft off the gate; we're going to tell you to put it in the book and we'll send someone out to look at it'. This issue was discussed in depth with the Senior Director of Flight Operations. I firmly believe these instances demonstrate a changing trend in the way the company handles mechanical defects as well as a degree of pilot pushing. I also believe that Maintenance Control has become much more focused on clearing defects as quickly and inexpensively as possible; as opposed to doing it correctly by using maintenance personnel. I believe this is a regulatory and a training issue. Maintenance Control is trying to save time and costs by pushing pilots to perform actions that are contrary to established procedures.

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.