FLC TECHNIQUE PREFLT PROC. OPEN MAINT ITEM.

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CAPT AND FO ARRIVED AT ARPT AT XA15. THE ACFT; A BAE J3201; WAS HANGARED AT THE FBO ON THE OVERNIGHT DURING THE WINTER MONTHS SO AS TO AVOID ADVERSE WX DELAYS. THE FO DID THE PREFLT WALK AROUND ON THE ACFT WHILE THE CAPT PERFORMED HIS PREFLT ACTIVITIES ON THE INTERIOR. THE CREW COMPLETED THE ACFT ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST AND REPOSED THE ACFT FROM THE FBO TO THE PAX TERMINAL. DURING THE ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST; THE FO QUERIED THE CAPT IF THERE WERE ANY DEFERRED MAINT ITEMS (DMI) IN THE LOGBOOK. THE CAPT ANSWERED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE ALT ALERTER HAD BEEN DEFERRED ON JAN/SUN/95 AND THAT IT WAS A CATEGORY C ITEM. THIS MEANS THAT THE PARTICULAR ITEM COULD BE DEFERRED FOR 10 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE DEFERRAL (IN THIS CASE; UNTIL JAN/WED/94). THE CREW FLEW THE ACFT IN QUESTION UNEVENTFULLY FROM SYR-IAD IAD-LGA WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON JAN/FRI/95 THE FO WAS INFORMED BY THE CAPT THAT THE DEFERRED MAINT ITEM ON THE ALT ALERTED WAS A CATEGORY B ITEM. THAT IS; THE DEFERRED ITEM CAN ONLY BE DEFERRED FOR A TOTAL OF 3 DAYS AFTER THE DATE THAT THE ITEM WAS DEFERRED (THE ALT ALERTER WAS DEFERRED ON JAN/SUN/95 AND THE SIGNOFF EXPIRED AT XA01 ON JAN/THU/95). MAINT HAD ERRONEOUSLY CATEGORIZED THE ALT ALERTER AS A CATEGORY C ITEM. AS A RESULT OF THIS ERROR; THE CREW OPERATED AN UNAIRWORTHY ACFT. IN THE FLT STANDARDS MANUAL OF THIS PARTICULAR AIRLINE; IT IS THE CAPT'S RESPONSIBILITY DURING THE ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST PREFLT TO 'CAPT WILL ENSURE THAT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS AND EQUIP ARE ABOARD: FLT LOG -- WHEN INSPECTING THE FLT LOG ENSURE ALL DISCREPANCIES HAVE A CORRECTIVE ACTION RECORDED; IF A DISCREPANCY HAS BEEN DEFERRED; ENSURE THAT IT IS RECORDED IN THE DEFERRED MAINT ITEM LOG AND THAT ALL REQUIREMENTS IN THE MEL HAVE BEEN MET. THE FO WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXTERIOR INSPECTION.' WHAT COMPLICATES THE CAPT'S PREFLT OF THE LOGBOOK IS THAT LOG SHEETS OF EARLIER DAYS CAN SOMETIMES NUMBER IN THE TEENS. BURIED IN ALL OF THESE SHEETS ARE SOMETIMES AS MANY AS 7-12 DEFERRED MAINT ITEMS THAT MUST BE REFED WITH THE INITIAL WRITE-UP TO THE DEFERRED MAINT ITEM CORRECTION. WITH AS MANY AS 7-12 DEFERRED MAINT ITEMS TO RESEARCH; THE TASK CAN SOMETIMES BE RUSHED THROUGH SO AS TO MAKE AN ON-TIME DEP.