MEL & Snag Management

A pilot reports a cabin light failure. Here’s the MEL deferral lifecycle.

Guide 7 of 20 · CAMO Engineer, Admin

What You’ll Learn

The Scenario

A pilot on VT-ACG reports a cabin reading light failure during post-flight inspection. The CAMO engineer logs the snag, defers it under MEL Category C with a 10-day rectification window, and after the repair is completed, the admin verifies and closes the item.

🔄 Role Perspective: CAMO Engineer — the Continuing Airworthiness team manages defects, MEL deferrals, and rectification tracking. Log in as camo@aerotrack.local.
1 Module Landing

Navigate to MEL/Snag in the sidebar. The landing page shows module cards — Snag Reports, MEL Items, Deferred Items, AOG Tracking, and the Dashboard.

MEL & Snag module landing page

▲ MEL & Snag Management — track defects from discovery to closure.

2 Dashboard Overview

Navigate to MEL/Snag → Dashboard. The dashboard surfaces key metrics: open snags, active MEL deferrals, overdue items, and AOG status. Red counts demand immediate attention.

MEL/Snag dashboard with summary cards

▲ Dashboard overview — open snags, deferred MELs, and AOG status at a glance.

3 Snag List

Navigate to MEL/Snag → Snag Reports. Every reported defect is listed here with its aircraft, description, priority, and current status.

Snag reports list with status and priority

▲ All reported snags listed with status and priority.

4 Report a New Snag

Click + New. A pilot on VT-ACG reported a cabin reading light failure during post-flight inspection. Fill in the aircraft, ATA chapter (33 — Lights), description, reporter, date, and priority.

Field Purpose
AircraftWhich aircraft the defect was found on (VT-ACG)
ATA ChapterStandard ATA chapter for the system affected (33 — Lights)
DescriptionDetailed description of the defect
Reported ByName of the person who discovered the defect
DateWhen the defect was discovered
PriorityAOG / Major / Minor — determines urgency
LocationWhere on the aircraft the defect was found
Snag report form with all fields filled

▲ Reporting the cabin light failure on VT-ACG.

5 Snag Detail

After saving, the snag detail page shows the full report with an OPEN status badge. From here you can link it to a MEL item, raise a work order, or update the status.

Snag detail page showing OPEN status

▲ Snag reported and open — ready for assessment.

6 MEL Items List

Navigate to MEL/Snag → MEL Items. MEL (Minimum Equipment List) items track defects that have been deferred — the aircraft can continue flying with conditions. Each row shows the MEL reference, category, status, and deadline.

MEL items list with status badges

▲ MEL items — tracking deferred defects within regulatory limits.

7 Create a MEL Deferral

Click + New. The cabin light defect can be deferred under MEL Category C, giving a 10-day rectification window. Link it to the snag report, set the deferral date and deadline, and add any operational limitations.

Field Purpose
AircraftWhich aircraft the deferral applies to
MEL ReferenceReference number from the DGCA-approved MEL document
ATA ChapterSystem chapter (33 — Lights)
CategoryA (3 days), B (3 days), C (10 days), or D (120 days)
Deferral DateDate the defect was deferred
Rectification DeadlineMust be fixed by this date (category-dependent)
Linked SnagCross-reference to the original snag report
Operational LimitationsAny restrictions while the defect is deferred
MEL deferral form with all fields filled

▲ Deferring the cabin light under MEL Category C — 10-day rectification window.

8 MEL Detail

After saving, the MEL detail page shows the deferral with a DEFERRED status badge. The deadline countdown begins immediately. If operational limitations were set, they appear as a yellow warning banner.

MEL detail page showing DEFERRED status

▲ MEL item deferred — the countdown to rectification begins.

9 Deferred Items

Navigate to MEL/Snag → Deferred Items. This view shows all currently deferred MEL items across the fleet. Monitor deadlines here — items approaching expiry are highlighted.

Deferred items view with deadline monitoring

▲ All currently deferred MEL items — monitor deadlines before they expire.

10 AOG Tracking

Navigate to MEL/Snag → AOG. Aircraft on Ground — these are aircraft grounded due to unresolved defects that cannot be deferred. AOG items get highest priority for parts and labour allocation.

AOG tracking list

▲ AOG tracking — aircraft grounded due to unresolved defects.

11 Record Rectification

When the repair is complete, open the MEL item and click Rectify. A dialog captures the rectification details: work description, parts replaced, certifying engineer, licence number, and work order reference. This creates a permanent maintenance record.

MEL item with Rectify button highlighted

▲ Recording the rectification — the cabin light has been replaced.

12 Rectified Status

After submitting the rectification details, the status changes to RECTIFIED. The rectification details card shows the work performed, the engineer who certified it, and their licence number. The item now awaits admin closure.

MEL item showing RECTIFIED status

▲ Rectified — pending final review and closure.

🔄 Role Switch: Admin — the admin reviews rectified MEL items and performs final closure. Log in as admin@aerotrack.local.
13 Switch to Admin

Log out of the CAMO engineer account and log in as admin@aerotrack.local. The admin has authority to close MEL items after verifying the rectification was completed correctly.

Admin dashboard after login
14 MEL Deadline Notification

Check the notification bell. When a MEL item is deferred, the system generates a mel_deadline notification to admins. Overdue deferrals trigger additional alerts so nothing slips through.

Notification bell showing MEL deadline alert

▲ Admin receives notifications for approaching MEL deadlines.

15 Close the MEL Item

Navigate to the rectified MEL item and click Close. The admin verifies that the rectification was performed correctly, the certifying engineer’s details are recorded, and the aircraft is fully serviceable.

MEL item with Close button highlighted

▲ Admin closes the MEL item after verifying rectification.

16 MEL Closed

The MEL item now shows CLOSED. The full lifecycle is complete: snag reported → MEL deferred → rectified → closed. The aircraft is fully serviceable with no outstanding deferrals against this item.

MEL item showing CLOSED status

▲ Closed — the full MEL lifecycle complete. Aircraft fully serviceable.