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Upon gate arrival an A319 captain was informed by a company mechanic the aft cargo door viewing windows used to verify the position of the door locks were obscured. The position of the door latch locks could not be determined. The cockpit ECAM aft cargo door indication had been previously MEL deferred requiring the windows be checked for proper lock positions prior to each flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 954353 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201106 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0001-0600 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | A319 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Cargo Door |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Not Flying Captain |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 160 Flight Crew Total 18000 Flight Crew Type 6000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural MEL Deviation - Procedural Maintenance Deviation - Procedural FAR Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
After parking [aircraft]; mechanic X was on jet bridge and he asked captain how the aft cargo door was checked at their departure city. He stated that the visual indicators on the aircraft were [not] clear and clean and no indicators were visible at our arrival and before ramp had access to the aircraft. If mechanic X's assessment was accurate; I suspect this aircraft was improperly deferred and released. If this door was not secured per aircraft design; then multiple flights put hundreds of passengers and employees at risk. Captain did call maintenance control prior to accepting the flight and asked specifically about this door and how to properly comply with the deferral. After arriving [at our destination] and hearing the mechanic's observation; the captain called both maintenance control and the arrival airport's flight office to flag this problem. Further follow-up indicates the cargo door deferral had been cleared and the aircraft is operating. Follow-up information had been requested from maintenance; none has been provided at this time. Captain feels that any mechanical failure that requires any inspection on a continuing basis should only be completed by a FAA certified mechanic.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Upon gate arrival an A319 Captain was informed by a company Mechanic the Aft Cargo Door viewing windows used to verify the position of the door locks were obscured. The position of the door latch locks could not be determined. The cockpit ECAM Aft Cargo Door indication had been previously MEL deferred requiring the windows be checked for proper lock positions prior to each flight.
Narrative: After parking [aircraft]; Mechanic X was on jet bridge and he asked Captain how the Aft Cargo Door was checked at their departure city. He stated that the visual indicators on the aircraft were [not] clear and clean and NO indicators were visible at our arrival and before ramp had access to the aircraft. If Mechanic X's assessment was accurate; I suspect this aircraft was improperly deferred and released. If this door was not secured per aircraft design; then multiple flights put hundreds of passengers and employees at risk. Captain did call Maintenance Control prior to accepting the flight and asked specifically about this door and how to properly comply with the Deferral. After arriving [at our destination] and hearing the Mechanic's observation; the Captain called both Maintenance Control and the arrival airport's Flight Office to flag this problem. Further follow-up indicates the cargo door deferral had been cleared and the aircraft is operating. Follow-up information had been requested from Maintenance; none has been provided at this time. Captain feels that any mechanical failure that requires any inspection on a continuing basis should only be completed by a FAA certified Mechanic.
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.