Document Purpose

This document is intended to assist airline operations and

maintenance organizations in developing the procedures required to
operate the airplane in the various nonstandard configurations
allowed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Master Minimum
Equipment List (MMEL) and the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM)
Appendix Configuration Deviation List (CDL).
Background
The FAA publishes a MMEL for each airplane model that is written in a
brief format that does not include the detailed procedures necessary
to properly prepare and operate the airplane. The AFM Appendix CDL
does not include illustrations for positive identification of secondary
airframe and engine parts that may be missing for dispatch.
Historically, operators have found difficulty in developing procedures
and identifying missing parts. They have often consulted Boeing for
guidance in these areas and as a result, this document was prepared
for reference.

Minimum Equipment List

Configuration Desviation List

El MMEL es un manual elaborado por la

autoridad de diseo y los fabricantes, para
entregar las opciones de continuar las
operaciones con vuelos seguros y en forma
satisfactoria.
En general, se requiere que todos los
equipamientos instalados en una aeronave se
encuentren operativos cumpliendo los
estndares de aeronavegabilidad y las reglas de
operacin, sin embargo, las reglas tambin
permiten la publicacin de un listado de
equipamientos mnimos (MEL) donde se
permite el vuelo seguro con algunos
equipamientos no operativos.

La experiencia ha demostrado que con el nivel de

redundancia diseado en los aviones, la
operacin de cada sistema o componente
instalado puede no ser necesario cuando el resto
de los equipos se encuentra operativos y pueden
entregar un nivel aceptable de seguridad.
El MMEL incluye estos Items de equipos que
pueden estar inoperativos, obviamente estos no
incluyen a piezas esenciales tales como alas,
rudder o flaps.

PART 129 OPERATIONS: FOREIGN AIR CARRIERS

AND FOREIGN OPERATORS OF U.S.-REGISTERED
AIRCRAFT ENGAGED IN COMMON CARRIAGE
129.14 Maintenance program and minimum
equipment list requirements for U.S.-registered
aircraft.
(b) No foreign air carrier or foreign person may
operate a U.S.-registered aircraft with inoperable
instruments or equipment unless the following
conditions are met:
(1) A master minimum equipment list exists for the
aircraft type.

(2) The foreign operator submits for review and

approval its aircraft minimum equipment list based on
the master minimum equipment list, to the FAA Flight
Standards District Office having geographic
responsibility for the operator. The foreign operator
must show, before minimum equipment list approval
can be obtained, that the maintenance procedures used
under its maintenance program are adequate to
support the use of its minimum equipment list.

5) The approved minimum equipment list provides for

the operation of the aircraft with certain instruments
and equipment in an inoperable condition.
(6) The aircraft records available to the pilot must
include an entry describing the inoperable instruments
and equipment.
(7) The aircraft is operated under all applicable
conditions and limitations contained in the minimum
equipment list and the operations specification
authorizing the use of the list.

5) The approved minimum equipment list provides for

the operation of the aircraft with certain instruments
and equipment in an inoperable condition.
(6) The aircraft records available to the pilot must
include an entry describing the inoperable instruments
and equipment.
(7) The aircraft is operated under all applicable
conditions and limitations contained in the minimum
equipment list and the operations specification
authorizing the use of the list.

 121.628 Inoperable instruments and equipment.

(a) No person may take off an airplane with inoperable
instruments or equipment installed unless the following
conditions are met:
(1) An approved Minimum Equipment List exists for that
airplane.
(2) The certificate-holding district office has issued the
certificate holder operations specifications authorizing
operations in accordance with an approved Minimum
Equipment List.

 121.628 Inoperable instruments and equipment.

The flight crew shall have direct access at all times
prior to flight to all of the information contained
in the approved Minimum Equipment List through
printed or other means approved by the
Administrator in the certificate holders operations
specifications.
(3) The approved Minimum Equipment List must:
Provide for the operation of the airplane with
certain instruments and equipment in an
inoperable condition.
(4) Records identifying the inoperable instruments
and equipment and the information must be
available to the pilot.

121.801 DOCUMENTOS QUE DEBEN LLEVAR LAS

AERONAVES A BORDO.
(a) 3(v) Lista de Equipos Mnimos (Minimun
Equipment List, MEL), aprobadapor la DGAC, junto a
los procedimientos operacionales y de
mantenimiento, para cada aeronave en particular.
121.813 LISTA DE EQUIPAMIENTO MNIMO (MEL) y
GUIA DE DESVIACIN PARA EL
DESPACHO (DDG).
(a) Los operadores areos que posean aeronaves
cuyo organismo de diseo haya generado un Master
MEL (MMEL) y desee operar con equipos o sistemas
inoperativos, deber contar con una Lista de
Equipamiento Mnimo (MEL)

y una Gua de Desviacin para el Despacho (DDG) o

equivalente tales como procedimientos de
operaciones y de mantenimiento, establecidos por el
Operador y aprobada por la DGAC.
(b) La MEL propuesta por el Operador deber estar
basada en la ltima revisin del Master MEL (MMEL)
aplicable al modelo de la aeronave y estar incluida
en su Manual de Operaciones.
(c) Todo equipo o sistema no considerado en la MEL
aprobada, debe encontrarse operativo al momento
del despacho de la aeronave.
(d) Todo operador que opte por operar sin MEL,
deber hacerlo con todo su equipo en condiciones
operativa.

Se entrega al
Operador

Requerimientos
DGAC +
Operacin

Copia

Copia aprobada por la autoridad de matricula

Autoridad revisa y
aprueba

A. "Item" (Column 1) means the equipment, system,

component, or function listed in the "Item" column.
Repair Interval categories (A, B, C, and D) are listed
on the right side of Column 1.
B. "Number Installed" (Column 2) is the number
(quantity) of
items normally installed in the aircraft. This number
represents
the aircraft configuration considered in developing
this MMEL.
Should the number be a variable (e.g., passenger
cabin items)
a number is not required.
C. "Number Required for Dispatch" (Column 3) is the
minimum
number (quantity) of items required for operation
provided the
conditions specified in Column 4 are met.

"Item" (Column 1) means the equipment, system,

component, or function listed in the "Item" column.

Repair Interval categories (A, B, C, and D) are listed

on the right side of Column 1.
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.
Category C. Items in this category shall be repaired
within ten (10) consecutive calendar days (240
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 10 day interval would
begin at midnight the 26th and end at midnight
February 5th.

Category D. Items in this category shall be repaired

within one hundred and twenty (120) consecutive
calendar days (2880 hours), excluding the day the
malfunction was recorded in the aircraft
maintenance log and/or record.

""Number Installed" (Column 2) is the number

(quantity) of items normally installed in the aircraft.
This number represents the aircraft configuration
considered in developing this MMEL.

"Number Required for Dispatch" (Column 3) is the

minimum number (quantity) of items required for
operation provided the conditions specified in
Column 4 are met.

"Remarks or Exceptions" (Column 4) in this column

includes a statement either prohibiting or permitting
operation with a specific number of items
Inoperative, provisos (conditions and limitations) for
such operation, and appropriate notes.
"Notes:" in Column 4 provides additional information
for crewmember or maintenance consideration.
Notes are used to identify applicable material which
is intended to assist with compliance, but do not
relieve the operator of the responsibility for
compliance with all applicable requirements.

"(M)" symbol indicates a requirement for a

specific maintenance procedure which must be
accomplished prior to operation with the listed
item inoperative.

Normally these procedures are accomplished by maintenance personnel; however, other personnel may
be qualified and authorized to perform certain functions. Procedures requiring specialized knowledge or
skill, or requiring the use of tools or test equipment should be accomplished by maintenance personnel.
The satisfactory accomplishment of all maintenance procedures, regardless of who performs them, is
the responsibility of the operator. Appropriate procedures are required to be published as part of the
operator's manual or MEL.

"(O)" symbol indicates a requirement for a

specific operations procedure which must be
accomplished in planning for and/or operating
with the listed item inoperative.

Normally these procedures are accomplished by the flight crew; however, other personnel may be
qualified and authorized to perform certain functions. The satisfactory accomplishment of all procedures,
regardless of who performs them, is the responsibility of the operator. Appropriate procedures are
required to be published as apart of the operator's manual or MEL.
"Deactivated" and "Secured" means that the specified component must be put into an acceptable
condition for safe flight.
An acceptable method of securing or deactivating will be established by the operator.

EICAS Messages
EICAS consolidates engine and subsystem
indications and provides a centrally located crew
alerting function. EICAS displays System Alerts
(Warning, Caution, and Advisory),
communication Alerts, and Status
messages.

Warning A non-normal operational or system

condition displayed in red text accompanied by
annunciation of the master warning lights and an
aural warning (bell,siren, clacker, wailer or voice).
Immediate crew awareness and corrective action is
required.
Caution A non-normal operational or system
condition displayed in amber text accompanied by
annunciation of the master caution lights and an
aural caution (voice or beeper). Immediate crew
awareness is required and corrective action may be
required.
Advisory A non-normal operational or system
condition
displayed in amber text and indented one space to
the right. Routine crew awareness is required and
corrective action may be required.

This Master Minimum Equipment List ( MMEL ) is a

reference manual published in English. It
is approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (
EASA ). This MMEL must be used as a
reference by the Operator to develop its MEL .
This MMEL takes into account the specific
configuration of each aircraft of the Operator's fleet.

This MEL has four sections:

MEL Items (MI) : This section is

approved by the Aeronautical
Authorities and lists all the MEL
items with the associated dispatch
conditions.

How to Use (HOW) : This section

contains general information and
describes the organization
of the manual.

MEL Operational Procedures (MO):

This section gives the operational
procedures that are associated
with theMEL items

MEL Entries (ME) : This section

lists all the ECAM alerts and
indicates the associated MEL item
(if any) to apply for dispatching the
aircraft. This section is a userfriendly entry point for the flight
crew and the maintenance
personnel when an ECAM alert
reports a system failure.

This MEL is made of Documentary Units (DU). The DUs contain

the technical data.
In the MEL, a DU can be:
An ECAM alert,
An MEL item,
An MEL operational procedure.

MEL Entries (ME) : This section

lists all the ECAM alerts and
indicates the associated MEL item
(if any) to apply for dispatching the
aircraft. This section is a userfriendly entry point for the flight
crew and the maintenance
personnel when an ECAM alert
reports a system failure.

MEL Operational
Procedures (MO):
This section gives the
operational
procedures that are
associated with
theMEL items

MEL Items (MI) :

This section is
approved by the
Aeronautical
Authorities and
lists all the MEL
items with the
associated dispatch
conditions.

 MEL Entries (ME) : This section

lists all the ECAM alerts and
indicates the associated MEL item
(if any) to apply for dispatching the
aircraft. This section is a userfriendly entry point for the flight
crew and the maintenance
personnel when an ECAM alert
reports a system failure.

This section lists all the ECAM alerts. The ECAM monitors
the condition of some systems. In the
case of malfunction of one or more systems, the ECAM
provides the flight crew with an associated
ECAM alert. Refer to MI-00-08 ECAM and MAINTENANCE
STATUS .
For each ECAM alert, this section indicates the associated
MEL item (if any) to be applied for the
dispatch.
When an ECAM alert reports a system failure, the flight
crew and the maintenance personnel should
refer to this section as a user-friendly entry point in the
MEL .

 MEL Entries (ME) : This section

lists all the ECAM alerts and
indicates the associated MEL item
(if any) to apply for dispatching the
aircraft. This section is a userfriendly entry point for the flight
crew and the maintenance
personnel when an ECAM alert
reports a system failure.

AIRCRAFT STATUS COLUMN

An ECAM alert may cover one or several failure
modes of the monitored system.
For each failure mode, the AIRCRAFT STATUS
column may indicate the following status:
NIL : When there is only one failure mode, the
AIRCRAFT STATUS column indicates NIL .
When there are several failure modes, the
AIRCRAFT STATUS column might give a short
description of each failure mode and/or a simple
way to identify each failure mode. If the MEL
does not give this information, the column
displays NIL .
Actual alert : This indicates that the monitored
system is inoperative. The failure mode is the
failure of the monitored system.
False alert : This indicates that the monitoring
system is inoperative. The failure mode is the
failure of the monitoring system. The monitored
system remains fully operative.
The Operator is responsible for identifying the
failure mode.

AIRCRAFT STATUS COLUMN

An ECAM alert may cover one or several failure
modes of the monitored system.
For each failure mode, the AIRCRAFT STATUS
column may indicate the following status:
NIL : When there is only one failure mode, the
AIRCRAFT STATUS column indicates NIL .
When there are several failure modes, the
AIRCRAFT STATUS column might give a short
description of each failure mode and/or a simple
way to identify each failure mode. If the MEL
does not give this information, the column
displays NIL .
Actual alert : This indicates that the monitored
system is inoperative. The failure mode is the
failure of the monitored system.
False alert : This indicates that the monitoring
system is inoperative. The failure mode is the
failure of the monitoring system. The monitored
system remains fully operative.
The Operator is responsible for identifying the
failure mode.

CONDITION OF DISPATCH COLUMN

For each failure mode, the CONDITION OF DISPATCH
column gives the applicable MEL item(s)
for dispatch. But the flight crew is responsible for
checking that the condition of the aircraft
systems/components complies with the MEL
requirements. If not, the dispatch of the
aircraft is not permitted.
DISPATCH CONDITIONS
The dispatch conditions indicate (for each applicable item) the suitable conditions, limitations (placards,
operational procedures, maintenance procedures) necessary to ensure that an acceptable level of safety
is maintained.
Some MEL items may have several dispatch conditions. Each dispatch condition offers a different
option to dispatch the aircraft. A reference identifies each dispatch condition.

The dispatch condition reference is used:

To identify the open MEL items in the logbook,
To refer to the associated operational procedure (if any),
To refer to the associated maintenance procedure (if any),
To provide the Operators engineering and maintenance personnel with a unique reference at
fleet level for each option of dispatch for tracking and reporting purposes.
When an MMEL item has several dispatch conditions, the Operator must select and apply
only one dispatch condition at a time. An optional title might help the Operator to identify the
appropriate dispatch condition. When necessary, the Operator may successively apply other
dispatch conditions of the same item provided that the Operator complies with the MMEL
requirements and provided that the starting point of the repair interval countdown is not modified.