PLT OF AN SMT PRIVATE JET INADVERTENTLY OPERATED THE ACFT IN AN UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION DUE TO REQUIRED ACFT EQUIP INOP.

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CALLED AT MY HOME AND ASKED IF I WOULD TAKE HIS PLACE IN DELIVERING AN SMT TO WICHITA; KS; FOR (AVIATION CORPORATION) OF (COMPANY ACFT OWNER). UPON MY ARR TO (AVIATION COMPANY) FACILITY (FXE) I FOUND CGP AND CAREFULLY GOING OVER ALL THE MAINT RECORDS AND LOGBOOK THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO US THAT MORNING SINCE IT JUST CAME OUT OF MAJOR INSPECTIONS. WE FOUND NO OPEN SQUAWKS WITH THIS PAPERWORK SO I CONTINUED MY PREFLT WITH ACFT CHKLIST. AT THE TIME; I WAS ABOUT TO DO THE AUTOPLT CHK; THE COPLT COULD NOT GET THE DOOR CLOSED. THIS DISTRACTED ME AND I HELPED CLOSE THE DOOR THEN CONTINUED WITH THE CHKLIST INADVERTENTLY SKIPPING THE AUTOPLT AND YAW DAMPENER CHK. WE THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE FLT TO WICHITA. UPON GETTING TO OUR FLT LEVEL I TRIED TO ENGAGE THE AUTOPLT WITH NO LUCK; IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND WE PROCEEDED WITH OUR CHKLIST AND IT STILL WOULD NOT ENGAGE. WE CONTINUED THE FLT TO WICHITA AND DROPPED IT OFF AT (FBO) AND TRIED TO MAKE IT TO OUR AIRLINE FLT BACK WHICH WE ONLY HAD A FEW MINS TO MAKE (WHICH WE ENDED UP MISSING). WE HAD NO INCIDENTS INFLT AND THE ACFT HANDLED VERY WELL. ON NOV/THU/92; IN THE AFTERNOON; I FOUND OUT FROM (CGP) THAT THERE WERE SIGNOFFS MISSING OR THAT WE HAD MISSED AND/OR NOT PROPERLY MADE BY MAINT AND THAT THE AUTOPLT BOARD WAS NOT EVEN INSTALLED IN THE ACFT ALONG WITH THE YAW DAMPER BOARD; WHICH I FIND HARD TO BELIEVE ABOUT THE YAW DAMPER BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO BE OPERATIONAL DURING THE FLT AND THE AUDIO TONE SOUNDED WHEN I DISENGAGED WITH THE MASTER WHEEL SWITCH. I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THIS ACFT THROUGH MANUFACTURER AND FOUND THAT I WOULD GET THE AUDIO TONE FOR DISCONNECT FOR THE YAW DAMPENER EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT OPERATING. I GUESS THIS SHOWS ME THAT ONE SMT IS NOT LIKE ANOTHER SMT; AND THAT I SHOULD GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL ACFT. LACK OF PREFLT ON MY PART.