INOP Lav lockout?

[Kev3188]

Right. I was just adding on to your BHM-ATL comment...

Shock is being at the gate when the "if you have to go, go now" announcement is made. 😀

 

[topDawg]

Right. I was just adding on to your BHM-ATL comment...

Shock is being at the gate when the "if you have to go, go now" announcement is made. 😀

I'm sure people would just loooove that. 
 
This is why we need a line guy around here though. I really don't know what the general rule of thumb is for this stuff because its just a different ball game than in the hangar. 
Generally, at least with check work, if we miss the ready time we miss the ready time and get a new one. On the line..... its go go go. 10x if you are in an outstation. Most line stations are around to fix the very minor stuff, MEL stuff and do overnight work. If it is a big deal they write it up and we or MSP deal with it when the plane gets some down time. 

 

[700UW]

Dawg,
 
Isnt part of the MEL procedure to have an MEL Placard placed on the logbook and the Lav Door?

 

[FrugalFlyerv2.0]

and it could have also been that the tape job was what was necessary to get the flight out as close to on-time as possible and the problem was taken care of at the next hub.

 
Really?
Do you have to circle the wagons around DL so badly every single day/time?
 
To me the pic is really more of a joke, and it really calls for a chuckle or a head shake with respect to the bang-up tape job,, not a need to write multiple posts.
 
But go ahead, spin away and make sure you get the last word on here (just like every thread).

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

LAV's are frequently MEL'd. If it is a full flight, cross country, or an international, we would generally attempt to fix it first depending on its routing, etc. The call to fix it or MEL it was made by maintenance control, not the mechanic at the gate. We would troubleshoot during the turn and if looked like we would not be able to get it back before boarding time, we would ask MC if they wanted us to continue and hold boarding, or to defer it per the MEL.

If we MEL'd the lav, routing would generally change it to make sure it went to a RON with maintenance that night.

As for the procedure, we would make sure the lav was dumped, pull the C/B (if applicable), placard the door with the large, stick on, "LAVATORY INOPERATIVE - DO NOT USE", placard,. Every station had those on hand. As for that tape job, well, if that was all they had and the flight needed to go, I think I could have made it look a little more professional than that.

The MEL placard tab would also go next to the door lock indicator and the large Mel placard went into the inside cover of the logbook.

 

[WorldTraveler]

agree on the role of maintenance control and that was the case when I saw a DL mechanic DECADES ago tell a mechanic from another airline that DL doesn't send int'l aircraft out w/ INOP lavs, esp. since the aircraft wasn't doing a 2 day out and back to the US trip.

again, maybe there are just some really sloppy mechanics who didn't mind doing that work - but we don't even know that it was done by a DL mechanic, how long it remained that way, or how long the flight was that it was done for.

 

[Kev3188]

My WAG is that all the tape is more to hold the door where it is, than it is to make sure people know it's inop...

 

[WorldTraveler]

you very well may be right, Kev.

perhaps it is the door itself that is broken.

no one has offered that possibility.

 

[topDawg]

Dawg,
 
Isnt part of the MEL procedure to have an MEL Placard placed on the logbook and the Lav Door?

Yes but as Glenn said, if this is all they had it was all they had. 
 
If its at an out station that doesn't have have a line MX station and they called in a contractor they sure as hell aint waiting for a sticker to show up on the next fly in. 
 
or like Kev said, could be to hold the door up. 

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Hmmm,
Del-duh...operating a flight withOUT ANY working Lav, so to be able to keep thier precious on-time in tact   ????
 
I wonder how the big ' D ' would deal with said mainline A/C that arrived into ATL, after a bunch of small children(who couldn't 'hold-it'.......urinated on a half dozen seats and consequently  seat-backs, and the floor  ???????

 

[topDawg]

Hmmm,
Del-duh...operating a flight withOUT ANY working Lav, so to be able to keep thier precious on-time in tact   ????
 
I wonder how the big ' D ' would deal with said mainline A/C that arrived into ATL, after a bunch of small children(who couldn't 'hold-it'.......urinated on a half dozen seats and consequently  seat-backs, and the floor  ???????

I'm can you point to anything that says Delta is operating flights with all the lavs inop? 

 

[blue collar]

It could've been contract Mx. And 700, I've seen similar (and worse) at us air. It happens to every airline.
As far as lavs being mel'd- they're all Mel-able. The pilot does have the choice to not take the plane, and they generally would refuse the plane if it was the forward lav on Mel.