MEL Item Entry — AeroTrack Guide

Browse MEL Items

1 Open MEL List

Navigate to MEL / Snag → MEL Items or go to /mel-snag/mel. The list shows all MEL deferral items with their number, aircraft, category, title, deferral dates, and current status.

MEL items list showing MEL numbers, aircraft badges, category badges, titles, deferral dates, and status badges

2 Filter & Columns

Filter	Description
Aircraft	Filter by specific aircraft registration.
Category	A, B, C, or D.
Status	OPEN, DEFERRED, RECTIFIED, CLOSED, or CANCELLED.
Overdue Only	Show only deferred items past their expiry date.

Column	Description
MEL No	Auto-generated reference (MEL-YYYYMM-NNN).
Aircraft	Registration mark (blue badge).
Category	A/B/C/D badge with deferral period hint.
Title	Brief description of the inoperative item.
Deferred	Date the item was deferred.
Expiry	Deferral expiry date with overdue badge if past.
Status	Current workflow state.

Items that are overdue show a red OVERDUE badge. Items due within 2 days show an orange DUE SOON badge.

Create a MEL Item

3 Open MEL Form

Click + New MEL Item to open the form at /mel-snag/mel/new. Fill in the MEL details:

Field	Required	Description
Aircraft	Yes	Select the affected aircraft.
ATA Chapter	No	Link to the relevant ATA system chapter.
MEL Category	Yes	A, B, C, or D — determines deferral deadline.
Title	Yes	Brief description of the inoperative item.
Description	Yes	Full details of the deficiency and conditions.
Reported By	No	Name of the person reporting the item.
Remarks	No	Additional notes or operational considerations.

MEL item form with aircraft selector, ATA chapter, MEL category dropdown showing A/B/C/D options, title, and description fields

When you select an aircraft, AeroTrack displays the current airframe hours and cycles as a snapshot. These values are recorded against the MEL item for reference.

4 MEL Categories

The MEL category determines the maximum deferral period before the item must be rectified:

Category	Deferral Period	Meaning
A	3 calendar days	Shortest deferral — must be rectified within 3 days of deferral.
B	10 calendar days	Must be rectified within 10 days of deferral.
C	120 calendar days	Extended deferral — must be rectified within 120 days.
D	No limit	No fixed deadline — rectify at next scheduled maintenance.

When a MEL item is transitioned to DEFERRED status, AeroTrack automatically computes the expiry date based on the category. Category D items have no expiry deadline. Overdue items are flagged prominently across the dashboard and deferred view.

5 Submit the MEL Item

Click Create MEL Item to save. The item is created in OPEN status. From the detail page, use workflow buttons to advance the lifecycle:

Action	Effect
Defer	Status → DEFERRED. Auto-computes expiry date from category.
Rectify	Status → RECTIFIED. Records rectification date and person.
Cancel	Status → CANCELLED. Item withdrawn.

MEL item detail page showing deferral card with expiry date, days remaining, workflow transition buttons, and aircraft info

Track Deferrals

6 Deferral Lifecycle

Status	Meaning	Next
OPEN	Item created, not yet deferred.	Defer / Rectify / Cancel
DEFERRED	Item deferred with expiry countdown.	Rectify / Cancel
RECTIFIED	Item has been repaired/fixed.	Close
CLOSED	Terminal — rectification confirmed.	—
CANCELLED	Terminal — item withdrawn.	—

Use the Deferred Defects view at /mel-snag/deferred to see all currently deferred items grouped by aircraft, sorted by urgency (overdue first, then by days remaining).

Deferred items past their expiry date show a red OVERDUE badge with the number of days overdue. DGCA regulations require timely rectification of all MEL items within their category limits.

7 Cross-Links

Action	Guide
Manage AOG situations	AOG Management
View snag reports	Snag Log
Defer or rectify items	Defer & Rectify
View MEL/Snag dashboard	MEL Items
Browse ATA chapters	ATA Chapters