C172 ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN PERFORMED BUT NOT ENTERED IN ACFT LOGBOOK.

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ON 1 TRAINING FLT; I INSTRUCTED IN A C172. UPON AN FAA INSPECTION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN OUT OF AN ANNUAL INSPECTION FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. AS PIC; IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHK ALL OF THE INSPECTIONS. THE MAINT PROCS AT OUR SCHOOL ARE AS FOLLOWS: ACFT LOGBOOKS ARE KEPT IN THE HANGAR ON THE RAMP (SEPARATE FROM THE FLT SCHOOL). WHEN INSPECTIONS ARE DONE; WE RECORD THEM ON THE MAINT BOARD. THE FOLLOWING INSPECTIONS ARE RECORDED: ANNUAL; 100 HR; 50 HR; XPONDER; PITOT STATIC; AND ELT. IN ADDITION; THE CURRENT TACH IS RECORDED ONCE A DAY FROM SHEETS RECORDED BY THE PLT AFTER EACH FLT. ON THE MAINT BOARD ACFT HAD RECORDED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION JUL XX 1996. THE ACFT WAS FLOWN BASED ON THAT SUPPOSED KNOWLEDGE. APPARENTLY; THE ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN COMPLETED; BUT NOT SIGNED OFF IN THE LOGBOOKS. IT HAS BEEN OUR EXPERIENCE THAT THE MAINT BOARD IS RELIABLE. HOWEVER; ON THIS OCCASION IT WAS NOT. WE ARE ADOPTING A NEW PROC OF KEEPING THE LOGBOOKS IN THE FLT SCHOOL SO THAT THEY ARE MORE EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND THEY WILL BE CHKED BEFORE EACH FLT.