A DA10 WAS DISPATCHED FROM A FOREIGN COUNTRY TO THE UNITED STATES WITH NO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS ON BOARD.

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WE WERE PREPARING FOR A DEP FROM MMSD TO SPM. WE WERE SCHEDULED FOR AN XA00 DEP WITH 5 PAX. THEY WERE LATE AND SO THE CAPT HAD TO GO BACK AND REFILE THE FLT TO CXL; BECAUSE OF THE UNLIT RWY AT SDM AT OUR NEW ARR TIME. WALKING OUT TO THE PLANE; THE OWNER ADVISED ONE OF THE PAX HAD LEFT A DAY EARLIER ON THE ACR; SO BACK WE WENT TO CHANGE THE PLANS WITH THE OFFICIALS. WE FINALLY DEPARTED FOR CXL. APPROX 1 HR INTO THE FLT THE CAPT ASKED ME IF I COULD SEE HIS BRIEF CASE (IT CONTAINED HIS INTL PAPERWORK AND HIS PASSPORT; ACFT DOCUMENTS; INSURANCE; ETC). I COULD NOT SEE IT AND THE PAX COULDN'T FIND IT. WE DISCUSSED THE PROB OF NOT HAVING THE DOCUMENTS AND MY VOTE WAS TO GO BACK TO MMSD AND GET THEM. (HE DETERMINED HE HAD LEFT IT AT MMSD IN THE CHAOS OF ALL THE CHANGES.) HE SPOKE WITH THE OWNER AND THEY DECIDED WE WOULD CONTINUE TO CXL. WE SHORTLY THEREAFTER BEGAN OUR DSCNT AND ARRIVED AT CXL. WE WERE MET BY CUSTOMS AND THEY INFORMED US OF THE $5000 FINE FOR NOT HAVING THE REG AND AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE IN OUR POSSESSION. THEY ALSO STATED THEY WERE REQUIRED TO NOTIFY THE FAA. WE REMAINED OVERNIGHT AT CXL AND VERIFIED THE BRIEFCASE WAS AT MMSD. THE NEXT DAY; I DROVE THE CAPT TO SAN DIEGO AND HE AIRLINED TO MMSD; RETRIEVED THE CASE; RETURNED; AND WE DROVE BACK TO CXL. WE DEPARTED THE NIGHT OF DEC/XA/98 FROM CXL TO OUR BASE OF SNA.