Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL
General Maintenance Action
MEL; Human Factors; Chart Or Publication
On Preflight; discovered the forward dropped aisle emergency lights were out of position; shifted forward. To make sure there weren't a bunch of burnt out bulbs and it was actually out of position; I counted the bulbs. There were 18 illuminated. The MEL says there are 24 installed and 18 required. When I checked the aft aisle emergency lights I counted 24. The MEL says 18 installed and 14 required. It appears that the two light strips were installed in each other's position. When we called Maintenance Control; he said he knew the MEL to be incorrect. Reference the picture of the emergency lights under MEL 33-20-01. Maintenance Control said to count the number of asterisks on that picture. The picture matches what was installed on the aircraft (except for the forward left light being shifted forward out of position; that was sent in AOG) but is contradictory to the text written in MEL 33-50-03. So; our aircraft had 18 forward; 24 [aft]. This is opposite the text; but matches the diagram. Maintenance Control said the diagram is correct and the text is wrong. We don't know which it should be. Is the diagram in the MEL just advisory or do the asterisks count as good information? If so; either the diagram or text is incorrect. This could mean that possibly all Excels are out of compliance with the MEL and/or Maintenance Control is mistaken about which is correct in the MEL. The data given is contradictory. [Recommend] grabbing two light strips; count the bulbs; correct it in the MEL.
A First Officer questions the contradiction of text in MEL 33-50-03 for the number of emergency lights that must be illuminated at the forward and aft aisle emergency light strips compared with the light diagram in MEL 33-20-01. Maintenance Control says the diagram is correct and the text is wrong. Concern that numerous CE-560XLs may be out of compliance were also raised.