MEL Rectification Interval expiry
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: LGW
Too many seem to have been cheating for so long they are unaware of which way is up and which way is down.
An aircraft must LAND AIRWORTHY with regards known defects and scheduled maintenance. Landing 6 hours after an MEL item has expired means the aircraft flew in a known unairworthy condition. Just as departing for a 6 hour flight knowing the next c check is 2 hours away is too.
That was the origin of the maintenance statement and you may not depart on a sector unless there is sufficient time remaining.
The MEL process is to enable continued operation with unscheduled defects. The preamble also makes it clear that the defects should still be dealt with asap regardless of any given time frames. Trying to justify that an aircraft is ok to fly when an MEL item expires during flight highlights there are still too many gangsters in the business.
There should be processes in place to ensure this doesn't happen should there be a lack of spares or particularly difficult troubleshooting. Overruns are also possible.
Departing knowing an item expires in flight is not an available option.
An aircraft must LAND AIRWORTHY with regards known defects and scheduled maintenance. Landing 6 hours after an MEL item has expired means the aircraft flew in a known unairworthy condition. Just as departing for a 6 hour flight knowing the next c check is 2 hours away is too.
That was the origin of the maintenance statement and you may not depart on a sector unless there is sufficient time remaining.
The MEL process is to enable continued operation with unscheduled defects. The preamble also makes it clear that the defects should still be dealt with asap regardless of any given time frames. Trying to justify that an aircraft is ok to fly when an MEL item expires during flight highlights there are still too many gangsters in the business.
There should be processes in place to ensure this doesn't happen should there be a lack of spares or particularly difficult troubleshooting. Overruns are also possible.
Departing knowing an item expires in flight is not an available option.
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Europe
BCAR, please accept my apology. I have checked again the FAA MMEL preamble and you are correct. The aircraft cannot be dispatched onto a sector which will terminate after 2400hrs on the last day of the relief.
From FAA MMEL Definitions.
Category A. Items in this category shall be repaired within the time interval specified in the remarks column of the operator's approved MEL. For time intervals specified in “calendar days” or "flight days," the day the malfunction was recorded in the aircraft maintenance record/logbook is excluded. For all other time intervals (flights, flight legs, cycles, hours, etc), repair tracking begins at the point when the malfunction is deferred in accordance with the operator's approved MEL.
Category B. Items in this category shall be repaired within three (3) consecutive calendar days (72 hours), excluding the day the malfunction was recorded in the aircraft maintenance record/logbook. For example, if it were recorded at 10 a.m. on January 26th, the three day interval would begin at midnight the 26th and end at midnight the 29th.
I guess we require a MEL revision.
TC
From FAA MMEL Definitions.
Category A. Items in this category shall be repaired within the time interval specified in the remarks column of the operator's approved MEL. For time intervals specified in “calendar days” or "flight days," the day the malfunction was recorded in the aircraft maintenance record/logbook is excluded. For all other time intervals (flights, flight legs, cycles, hours, etc), repair tracking begins at the point when the malfunction is deferred in accordance with the operator's approved MEL.
Category B. Items in this category shall be repaired within three (3) consecutive calendar days (72 hours), excluding the day the malfunction was recorded in the aircraft maintenance record/logbook. For example, if it were recorded at 10 a.m. on January 26th, the three day interval would begin at midnight the 26th and end at midnight the 29th.
I guess we require a MEL revision.
TC
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Chiba
Dear BCAR and TC,
Thank you for your advice. Of course, we know all the defect should be rectified during C-check and that's a common attitude. But when A/C is dock-out, and one system is faulty among two system, and pilot came to the dock for ferry flight and he agreed to apply MEL, is it possible to release the ship? Again, we will pay every effort to fix the failure and this is a kind of scinario we've never experienced before. If any other operator had this scinario before, we would like to know how they (you) deal with this situation. Or I am wondering if there is a special clausure in your own MEL approved by your local authority? If anybody have some interpretation and/or regulatory opinion/comment document for this kind of situation. could you please help and make my thinking clearler? My apology in advance for bothering you....
Thank you for your advice. Of course, we know all the defect should be rectified during C-check and that's a common attitude. But when A/C is dock-out, and one system is faulty among two system, and pilot came to the dock for ferry flight and he agreed to apply MEL, is it possible to release the ship? Again, we will pay every effort to fix the failure and this is a kind of scinario we've never experienced before. If any other operator had this scinario before, we would like to know how they (you) deal with this situation. Or I am wondering if there is a special clausure in your own MEL approved by your local authority? If anybody have some interpretation and/or regulatory opinion/comment document for this kind of situation. could you please help and make my thinking clearler? My apology in advance for bothering you....
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,271
Likes: 0
From: West Country
Its not unusual for defects not to be fixed on C check to go back into service covered by a deferral. What happens a lot of the time is that if a check aircraft needs an Air Data Module for example and there are no spares available it will be deferred under MEL and when the aircraft gets back on the ramp an ADM will be robbed from the next aircraft to go on C Check.
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Chiba
Still we need your advice
So what is the conclusion? When we have dock maintenance (c-check), but at the very end of the duration, fault of a system was revealed. In the scinario, can we apply MEL to make A/C back to base? Should we consider the start point (date of finding) as a RTS sign-off date of the C-check? Any consultation is happy for me. Moreover, I wish to know if there is a publicated guidance for such scenario....
