AN MD80 WAS DISPATCHED WITH A MAIN LNDG GEAR BRAKE LINE DISCONNECTED AND CAPPED WITH NO LOG ENTRY OR PLACARD.

Narrative

WE PICKED UP OUR ACFT IN ZZZ FOR THE LAST DAY OF A 3 DAY TRIP; SCHEDULED TO FLY ZZZ-JAX-PNS-IAH. THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE RELEASE OF A MAINT NATURE; AND UPON ARR AT THE ACFT; THE LOGBOOK SHOWED NO YELLOW PLACARDS; AND THE OPEN PAGE FOR WRITEUPS SHOWED CLEAN; WITH 2 PREVIOUS LEGS BEING FLOWN. THE FO REPORTED NO ABNORMALITY FROM THE EXTERIOR WALKAROUND. WE FLEW THE TRIP AS SCHEDULED; AND UPON ARR AT HOME; WAS CONTACTED BY MY CHIEF PLT THAT THE FAA HAD DISCOVERED AN OPEN WRITEUP ON OUR ACFT; THAT ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES HAD BEEN CAPPED AND DISCONNECTED. HE SAID THAT ZZZ MAINT HAD PULLED THE PLACARD OFF THE LOGBOOK AND ENTERED IT IN THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM AS BEING OPERATIONAL; BUT HAD NEVER PHYSICALLY RECONNECTED THE BRAKE LINE; OR ACTUALLY CLRED IT OUT OF THE LOGBOOK. I KNOW THAT THE LOGBOOK WAS CLR OF PLACARDS IN ZZZ; AND WHILE I DID NOT LOOK BACK AT PREVIOUS PAGES IN THE LOGBOOK; THE MOST RECENT PAGE SHOWING WAS CLR OF WRITE UPS AND HAD 2 LNDGS RECORDED ON IT; SHOWING THAT THE ACFT HAD FLOWN AT LEAST 2 LEGS. SINCE THE FO DID NOT SEE THE CAPPED BRAKE LINE; I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BY US AS CREW MEMBERS TO PREVENT A POTENTIALLY UNSAFE ACFT FROM BEING FLOWN. I WISH I HAD LOOKED BACK IN THE LOG AT PREVIOUS PAGES TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING OPEN IN THERE. I GUESS JUST SEEING A CLEAN PAGE WITH 2 FLOWN LEGS ISN'T ENOUGH -- I NEED TO CHK ACFT HISTORY A LITTLE CLOSER.