RPTR DISCOVERS REQUIRED WT AND BAL BALLAST BAGS ARE MISSING.

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I CHKED IN FOR FLT ALB-BOS ON OCT/XX/95 AT XA45 AM (DEP TIME) DUE TO CREW LEGALITY. I MET MY FO AT THE ACFT AND ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ENOUGH TIME IN 1900 (AT LEAST 100 HRS) BECAUSE I'M A NEW CAPT. HE SAID THAT HE ONLY WAS 89 HRS. SO I CALLED THE COMPANY AND WAS TOLD BY AN OFFICIAL THAT WE WERE GOOD TO GO BECAUSE THE FAR STATES THAT IF THE FO HAS AT LEAST 75 HRS ANY CAPT CAN FLY WITH ANY FO WITH 75 HRS. ONCE THAT WAS SETTLED; HE TOLD ME THAT THE ACFT WAS ALL SET AND PREFLT COMPLETE. UPON REACHING BOSTON I WENT TO RETRIEVE MY OVERNIGHT BAG AND NOTICED THERE WERE NO BALLAST BAGS IN THE CARGO COMPARTMENT. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN 3 SINCE THERE WAS ONLY 1 PIECE OF BAGGAGE IN THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. I CHKED THE NOSE OF THE ACFT AND FOUND NO BALLAST BAGS THERE EITHER. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MAINT AND GNDED THE ACFT UNTIL 3 BALLAST BAGS WERE PLACED ON THE ACFT. THE LACK OF EXPERIENCE OF THE FO AND HIS INCOMPLETE PREFLT LED TO THIS SIT. ALSO SINCE MAINT WAS PERFORMED ON THIS ACFT THE PREVIOUS NIGHT; THE MECHS FORGOT TO REPLACE THESE BALLAST BAGS WHICH SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.