I see many references to the fact that a pilot can call maintenance watch and ask if there is a "history" of the defect he has just noticed.
Originally Posted by CaptCloudBuster
Did he then gather more info from Maintenance Watch as to any recent history?
Originally Posted by Hugh Mungous
How does the captain determine whether a burnt smell in the galley was a defective door area heater, or light balast in the ceiling cavity above the galley, or just over cooked fish? Maintenance watch advises that there is no history of similar events...
In our hypothetical example the burning smell is actually Hugh Mungous's defective door area heater, that has just failed, yet of course when Capt CloudBuster telephones Maintenance Watch they (correctly) tell him there is no history of that airplanes door area heater failing, so it can't be the door area heater !
Capt....."Hey Maintenance Watch, I'm in Karratha and my #1 engine has just blown up"
MW...."Hang on, I'll just check the history, {insert pause and sounds of keyboard typing} no, it's OK, it can't be that, there's no history of that engine blowing up".
Meanwhile, in the aft galley ceiling, the door area heater that has never failed before has just burst into flames !
ST