Narrative:

I refused to fly this aircraft believing the listed MEL; cockpit door buzzer rendered the aircraft unsafe for the pilots to fly; the flight attendants to work on; and for the passengers to ride in. This MEL; though written up and signed off correctly and technically 'legal' to fly; is clearly a safety issue to all on board and I can think of no logical reason to place everyone in jeopardy for such a potentially dangerous condition. The aircraft was written up a day earlier because the cockpit door locking system keypad buzzer was inoperative. Maintenance signed off the aircraft under the MEL and sent it on its way. The aircraft then flew three legs after which I was to pick it up the aircraft for our flight. Reading the MEL the following is stated in bold print: 'caution: ensure that the cockpit door does not close during or after the deactivation procedure when no one is in the cockpit. Note: if cockpit door closes during the deactivation procedure and no one is in the cockpit; de-energize the aircraft electrical circuits to open the cockpit door from the cabin'. This suggested to me (and was confirmed by a phone call to maintenance) that to deactivate the cockpit door keypad would cause the cockpit to become inaccessible from the cabin unless assisted from within the cockpit. This situation presents a serious safety concern: should the pilots become incapacitated for any reason; the flight attendants would be unable to enter the cockpit to bring medical assistance; or any able bodied person who might be able to safely land the aircraft if airborne; or drag the pilots out of the cockpit in the event of a runway mishap such as runway overrun resulting in cockpit damage and/or fire. To make matters even worse; this MEL is a category C MEL; allowing continued operation for 10 days or 240 hours in this dangerous condition! I would suggest the master MEL be revised to remove this potentially dangerous condition. This condition presents a serious safety concern to all on board the aircraft. This is an unsafe condition; and therefore it should not be considered a 'legal' remedy. In addition; I would recommend that pilots not only check the aml and verify that all open logbook entries have been signed off; but that they carefully read the maintenance and operational procedures; and carefully consider the implications of any inoperative components. I believe the FAA must carefully examine this particular MEL; bring it to the aircraft manufacturer's attention for possible amendment or exclusion; and re-examine our entire MEL for re-writing in easy to understand language.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An A319 Captain refused the aircraft due to a cockpit door MEL deferral he felt rendered it unsafe for revenue flight.

Narrative: I refused to fly this aircraft believing the listed MEL; cockpit door buzzer rendered the aircraft unsafe for the pilots to fly; the flight attendants to work on; and for the passengers to ride in. This MEL; though written up and signed off correctly and technically 'legal' to fly; is clearly a safety issue to all on board and I can think of no logical reason to place everyone in jeopardy for such a potentially dangerous condition. The aircraft was written up a day earlier because the cockpit door locking system keypad buzzer was inoperative. Maintenance signed off the aircraft under the MEL and sent it on its way. The aircraft then flew three legs after which I was to pick it up the aircraft for our flight. Reading the MEL the following is stated in BOLD print: 'CAUTION: Ensure that the cockpit door does NOT close during or after the deactivation procedure when no one is in the cockpit. NOTE: If cockpit door closes during the deactivation procedure and no one is in the cockpit; de-energize the aircraft electrical circuits to open the cockpit door from the cabin'. This suggested to me (and was confirmed by a phone call to Maintenance) that to deactivate the cockpit door keypad would cause the cockpit to become inaccessible from the cabin unless assisted from within the cockpit. This situation presents a serious safety concern: should the pilots become incapacitated for any reason; the flight attendants would be UNABLE to enter the cockpit to bring medical assistance; or any able bodied person who might be able to safely land the aircraft if airborne; or drag the pilots out of the cockpit in the event of a runway mishap such as runway overrun resulting in cockpit damage and/or fire. To make matters even worse; this MEL is a category C MEL; allowing continued operation for 10 days or 240 hours in this dangerous condition! I would suggest the Master MEL be revised to remove this potentially dangerous condition. This condition presents a serious safety concern to all on board the aircraft. This is an UNSAFE condition; and therefore it should NOT be considered a 'legal' remedy. In addition; I would recommend that pilots not only check the AML and verify that all open logbook entries have been signed off; but that they carefully read the maintenance and operational procedures; and CAREFULLY consider the implications of any inoperative components. I believe the FAA must carefully examine this particular MEL; bring it to the aircraft manufacturer's attention for possible amendment or exclusion; and re-examine our entire MEL for re-writing in easy to understand language.

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.