A B737-300 WAS DISPATCHED WITH A LOG RPT SIGNED OFF BUT NOT WORKED.

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ACFT WAS RELEASED TO SVC AND DISPATCHED WITH A MAINT DISCREPANCY THAT WAS INADVERTENTLY CLRED; AND THEREFORE WAS STILL AN OPEN ITEM. THIS ACFT HAD RECENT MAINT HISTORY ON A HYD PROB. THE ACFT WAS OTS IN THE HANGAR THE NIGHT BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. THE VERBAL PASS DOWN FROM THE PREVIOUS SHIFT WAS THAT A FEEL COMPUTER WAS THE PROB; AND THAT THE NEW COMPONENT IS AVAILABLE. I; AS THE SUPVR; ASSIGNED THE ACFT TO A LEAD; WHO IN TURN ASSIGNED 2 OTHER MECHS TO WORK THE ACFT. ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY; OUR OP WAS SHORT HANDED AND I WAS REQUIRED TO ALSO TAKE THE STATION'S MAINT PLANNING RESPONSIBILITIES. THIS JOB REQUIRES THE PERSON TO BE STATIONED AT A DESK WITH MANY DISTRS AND RELATED ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS. THE MECHS WORKING THE ACFT REVIEWED ALL THE DOCUMENTATION AND GENERALLY LOOKED THE ACFT OVER. THEY THEN APCHED ME; LOOKING FOR SOME DIRECTION TO TAKE IN RESOLVING PROB. TOGETHER; THE MECHS AND I REVIEWED THE MAINT LOG WRITE- UP. IT WAS APPARENT TO ME THAT THE LOG GRIPE STATED THE SAME CONDITION ALMOST WORD FOR WORD AS THE GRIPE FROM THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. AT THIS TIME I WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE ACFT WAS NEEDED FOR A TRIP DUE TO ANOTHER ACFT THAT WENT OTS. BECAUSE THE GRIPE WAS WRITTEN UP SO CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUS GRIPE; THAT WAS PROPERLY ADDRESSED IN THE ELECTRONIC LOG (COMPUTER); AND THE ACFT WAS IN THE SAME LOCATION AS THE NIGHT BEFORE I ASSUMED THAT THE PREVIOUS SHIFT FAILED TO PROPERLY SIGN OFF THE WRITE-UP. AFTER HAVING MECHS INSPECT THE AREA IN CONCERN AND TO DO A OPERATIONAL CHK OF THE HYD AND FLT CTLS I CLRED THE GRIPE REFING THE PREVIOUS SIGN-OFF IN THE COMPUTER. THE ACFT WAS RELEASED. LATER THAT NIGHT WHEN THE NEXT SHIFT CAME IN I DISCOVERED THE MISTAKE. HAD I CHKED THE FLT DATE OF THE GRIPE AND COMPARED IT TO THE PREVIOUS NIGHTS GRIPE I WOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT THE ACFT FLEW A TRIP AND TOOK ANOTHER HIT ON THE ELEVATOR FEEL DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE INDICATION. THE ACFT WAS ROUTED BACK INTO ZZZ FEB/MON/97; THAT SAME NIGHT WHERE THE ITEM WAS PROPERLY ADDRESSED. DIVISION OF ATTN AND THE DISTRACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH WORKING BOTH POS THAT NIGHT COUPLED WITH PRESSURE OF THE SCHEDULED TRIP WAS A FACTOR. I ALSO FAILED TO CONFIRM THROUGH THE DOCUMENTS THAT THIS IN FACT WAS A VALID AND OPEN DISCREPANCY. THERE WERE NO OTHER DEV FROM OUR ESTABLISHED PROCS.