JETSTREAM 31 FLC FAIL TO REMOVE THE ENG INLET PLUGS PRIOR TO DEP FROM YHM; ON. PWR CHK PRIOR TO TKOF DISCLOSES A PROB. ENGS SHUT DOWN AND TOWED TO RAMP. PLUGS WERE DIRTY; EMBEDDED AT ARM'S LENGTH AND HAD NO FLAGS.

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APPROX XA00 AM LCL TIME AT HAMILTON; ONTARIO; CANADA; THE FO WENT OUTSIDE TO PREFLT THE ACFT. FO RETURNED TO OPS. FO WENT BACK TO ACFT FOR PAX BOARDING. I (THE CAPT) WAS IN OPS WAITING FOR THE FLT RELEASE. AFTER GETTING THE RELEASE I WENT TO THE ACFT. ON THE WAY; AS I APCH; I LOOK FOR THINGS LIKE FLUID PUDDLES; AIRFRAME DAMAGE; AND TO SEE IF THE INTAKE COVERS (PLUGS) ARE REMOVED. THE INTAKE PLUGS WERE NOT VISIBLE TO ME (THEY WERE NOT IN THE POS THEY OCCUPY WHEN INSTALLED). THE ACFT IS A JETSTREAM 31 AND I WALK RIGHT BY THE ENG AND UNDER THE WING TO THE ENTRY DOOR SO I GET A GOOD LOOK ON THE WAY BY. PAX WERE BOARDED AND THE FO ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND SAT DOWN. I ASKED HIM; AS I ALWAYS DO; 'YOU GOT THE PLUGS; RIGHT?' HE RESPONDED 'I COULDN'T FIND THEM.' I SAID 'ARE THEY IN THE INTAKES?' FO RESPONDED 'NO.' BEFORE STARTING THE ENGS BOTH WERE VISIBLY CHKED AND CLRED FROM THE COCKPIT BY THE CREW AND THE PLUGS WERE NOT VISIBLE. OUR STARTER/MARSHALLER STATED HE DID NOT SEE THE PLUGS IN THE INTAKES EITHER. BOTH ENGS HAD NORMAL STARTS AND OPERATED NORMALLY DURING TAXI. WHEN THE SPD LEVERS WERE RAN HIGH FOR THE SRL/TTC CHK; THE EGT'S BEGAN FLUCTUATING. WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE SRL'S BUT THOUGHT IT COULDN'T BE BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. BOTH ENGS WERE SHUT DOWN BY USING THE FEATHER LEVERS. FO WENT OUTSIDE TO INVESTIGATE AND FOUND BOTH PLUGS IN THE INTAKES AT ARM'S LENGTH AND REMOVED THEM. I CALLED OPS TO HAVE THEM CALL MAINT TO TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED AND SEE IF WE COULD CONTINUE OR NOT. WE WERE TOLD FROM OPS THAT MAINT SAID TO START UP AND GO AND HE WOULD HAVE IT CHKED AT PIT. ATTEMPTED AND ABORTED R ENG START DUE TO A HOT START. HAD ACFT TOWED TO GATE. NOTES: THE CREW WAS ON THE MORNING OF A STAND UP OVERNIGHT. I DID NOT HAVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THE PLUGS WERE IN THE INTAKES SINCE THE ACFT WAS PREFLTED; I LOOKED ON THE WAY TO THE ACFT; FO TOLD ME THEY WEREN'T THERE WHEN I ASKED; ENGS WERE CHKED BEFORE STARTING; AND THE MARSHALLER DID NOT SEE THEM. THE PLUGS WERE A DARK RED WITH BLACK GREASE ON THEM; THEY WERE INTAKES ONLY; NOT ATTACHED TO THE OIL COOLER PLUGS; THEY HAD NO FLAGS OR STREAMERS TO BE IN VIEW TO INDICATE THAT THE PLUGS HAD MOVED TO A NON VISIBLE POS IN THE INTAKES. NO EGT LIMITS WERE EXCEEDED. NO INJURIES TO CREW OR PAX. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 368505: ON THE MORNING OF MAY/FRI/97; I PREFLTED AS PER THE POH NORMAL EXTERNAL CHKLIST. WHEN CHKING L AND R POWER PLANT INTAKES; INTAKES APPEARED CLEAR; PLUGS WERE NOT IN THE POS I HAD LEFT THEM THE NIGHT BEFORE. I CONCLUDED THEY HAD BEEN REMOVED BY THE GND CREW WHO HAD REMOVED THE PLUGS IN THE PAST. AFTER INVESTIGATION; FO FOUND INTAKE PLUGS WERE IN BOTH ENGS SHOVED BACK DEEPLY AT ARM'S LENGTH.