THE ACR FLC OF AN MLG DEPARTS WITH AN IMPROPER MAINT SIGNOFF IN THEIR LOGBOOK. THE WORK HAD BEEN DONE BUT THE MAINT CARRY-OVER HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED AND HAD INSTEAD EXPIRED BEFORE THE FLC ARRIVED AT THE ACFT.

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WE ARRIVED IN ATL TO TRANSIT TO ANOTHER FLT. OUR ARR WAS LATE DUE TO WX; SO OUR TRANSIT TIME WAS ONLY 27 MINS FOR AN ON-TIME DEP TO LGA. WE HAD TO GO FROM ONE CONCOURSE TO ANOTHER; DISTANT; CONCOURSE AND ARRIVED AT THE GATE; WITH BOARDING IN PROGRESS; APPROX 10 MINS BEFORE SCHEDULED DEP. THE ACFT HAD NOT FLOWN YET THAT DAY; WHICH FURTHER RUSHED THINGS BECAUSE IT REQUIRED A FULL PREFLT. WE CHKED THE LOGBOOK AND FOUND A MAINT CARRY-OVER ON THE #1 FUEL FLOW GAUGE SHOWING 440 LBS PER HR WITH ENG NOT RUNNING. WE CHKED THE MEL FOR SPECIAL PROCS; AND CONTINUED THE PREFLT TO DEPART THE GATE ONLY 5 MINS LATE. THE FLT WAS NORMAL. UPON ARR LGA; MAINT MET US AT THE GATE AND SAID THE MAINT CARRY-OVER WAS EXPIRED WHEN WE LEFT ATL. WE HAD QUICKLY CHKED THE MEL; BUT NOT THE EXPIRATION DATE WHICH WAS 8 HRS PRIOR TO OUR FLT. THE MAINT PEOPLE SIGNED OFF THE MAINT CARRY-OVER IN LGA AS OPS CHK NORMAL ON GND. THERE WAS '0' FUEL FLOW FOR US ON GND IN ATL AND FOR MAINT IN LGA. WE LEARNED BY CONTACT WITH MAINT THAT THE ITEM HAD BEEN FIXED IN ATL; BUT THE MAINT CARRY-OVER WAS NOT CLRED FROM THE BOOK WHEN THE ACFT AIRWORTHINESS WAS SIGNED. THE DISPATCHER HAD REMOVED THE MAINT CARRY-OVER NOTE FROM THE REMARKS SECTION OF THE FLT PLAN BECAUSE HE COULD NOT GENERATE THE FLT PLAN WITH IT THERE AND HE WAS TOLD BY MAINT THAT IT WAS CLRED. WE WERE LEFT TO FLY TECHNICALLY ILLEGALLY BECAUSE THE REMINDER WAS NOT ON THE FLT PLAN; MAINT DID NOT COMPLETE THE PAPERWORK; AND WE DID NOT LOOK CLOSELY ENOUGH AT THE MAINT CARRY-OVER EXPIRATION DATE WHICH REQUIRED CHKING ANOTHER SECTION OF THE MEL. WE WERE THE LAST PEOPLE TO GET A CHANCE TO CATCH THE ERROR AND WE WERE RUSHED TRYING TO DO A GOOD JOB WITH A QUICK TRANSIT.