A319
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Manuals; Logbook Entry; Human Factors; Company Policy
Airbus A319 aircraft; log page Number 00006. First Discrepancy entered: 'R/H NLG door bonding wire broken;' [log page] Corrective Action: 'Transferred to Maintenance Watch; Category-03 In Accordance With (IAW) General Maintenance Manual (GMM) X-X-1 and Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) 24-92-00; expires before 24-months/ or 7;500 Flight Hours (FH) or 5;000 Flight Cycles (FC); [whichever] one that occurs first. No re-inspects; Maintenance Control notified.' The AMM is not a document to defer inoperative/broken items. This was also transferred not in accordance as written with the referenced GMM X.X.1; which is intended for watch items that require re-inspection; and also limited to CAT-01 or CAT-02; not CAT-03. It is my opinion; that [neither] Airbus nor the FAA would desire to have this airplane flying around with a broken Bonding wire for two years or 7;500 Flight Hours (FH). The Introduction [section] to the MEL/CDL; Chapter 14 of the FOM; clearly states that Inoperative Items/Components not contained in the Approved List are deemed required for flight.   Second entry: 'Left wing Static Discharge inboard flap track is damaged.' We had to call Maintenance to the airplane to explain this one. Is it the flap track? No. It was subsequently stated 'the flap track fairing.' Configuration Deviation List (CDL) 23-01B; which states if the static discharge wick is missing/inoperative on the flap track fairing that it was recommended to replace prior to flight. The Mechanic stated 'recommended; not required.' If Airbus is 'recommending it;' I'm fairly certain there's a reason. It was subsequently repaired and cleared. Three days later; I spoke with Maintenance Controller X. He states 'we've been doing it like this for years.' He said it's actually being deferred under GMM X-X-2 (which is not what was entered in the logbook.) GMM X-X-2 is for 'Scratch and Dent' items... a broken bonding wire is a scratch or dent? Retraining? Airworthiness documentation issue.
Reporter stated he was informed their company Maintenance Manuals and Pilot Manual references don't always agree. However; regarding the broken bonding wire discrepancy; the item can be deferred under the Airbus Master Configuration Deviation List (CDL); but that item has not yet been approved for deferral under his Air Carrier's CDL procedures. Instead; one of their Maintenance Controller's decided to defer the broken bonding wire under one of their Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) references by stating the reference was more restrictive. But even in the Airbus AMM Job Task procedure for the bonding wire; there is a CDL reference for the wire. His company is seeking approval for CDL items noted in the Master CDL but not currently included in their Air Carrier CDL Manual.Reporter stated that Maintenance Controllers at his Air Carrier tended to be argumentative whenever pilots questioned a deferral. The Mechanic attrition rate is very high at his Air Carrier. A Line Mechanic he just recently talked with had only three months with his company and limited previous experience.
A pilot reports about logbook discrepancies that were incorrectly identified and improperly deferred by Maintenance using Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) and General Maintenance Manual (GMM) references not applicable for the discrepancies written-up on their A319 aircraft. MEL and Configuration Deviation List (CDL) limitations were also noted as contributors.