Dash 8-400
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Powerplant
Workload; Training / Qualification; Fatigue; Distraction; Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; MEL; Human Factors
A gate call was taken for an engine intake bypass door stuck in the open position. The Mechanic at the Station called Maintenance Control looking for support. Maintenance Control looked in MEL book for relief of this problem knowing it was associated with Anti-Ice. Anti-Ice MELs were reviewed and the engine intake adapter heater was selected being that it was part of the engine intake. The Mechanic and Controller placed the MEL on the aircraft causing it to be restricted to 'No-Icing' conditions and it was dispatched as such.With high work loads; new personnel on board and fatigue from home and work life; the incorrect MEL was selected by mistake. The Engine Adapter Heater and the Bypass Door are not the same; but both play important roles in deicing. A mistake was made and the entire MEL book was not reviewed causing the incorrect and more restrictive MEL to be placed on the aircraft.Recommend taking time to review the MEL book and working with coworkers to verify it is the correct MEL. To have a 'Second Set of Eyes' on the work could have prevented the incorrect MEL being placed on the aircraft. Knowing the systems and terminology better is also a factor. Non-routine gate call. Distraction. Fatigue. Graveyard shift.
A Maintenance Controller describes how a high workload environment; new personnel; distraction and fatigue contributed to his applying an incorrect and more restrictive 'No-Icing' condition MEL on a DHC-8-400 aircraft for an engine intake bypass door stuck in the 'Open' position.