AN MD80 FLC TAKES A FLT FROM DFW TO ORD WITH AN OPEN LOGBOOK ITEM. THE OPEN ITEM; WINDSHIELD CLEANING; WAS NOT SIGNED BY MAINT IN DFW AND THE CREW DID NOT SIGN IT PRIOR TO LEAVING THE ACFT AT ORD.

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INBOUND CAPT TO DFW WROTE UP DIRTY WINDSHIELDS. I INITIALED AND CHKED LOGBOOK; WENT TO PULL UP FLT PLAN. UPON RETURN TO ACFT; WINDSHIELDS WERE WASHED TWICE AND I GOT INVOLVED ON PHONE TO DISPATCH WITH A FLAP CHANGE FOR TKOF REF AN MEL WRITE-UP AND FLT IDLE ON GND. BY TIME I HAD TALKED TO DISPATCH AND HAD THE APPROVAL; IT WAS APCHING DEP TIME. WE DID CHKLIST AND I DID NOT SIGN OFF THE INFO TO MAINT ITEM: DIRTY WINDSHIELDS. DEPARTED DFW AND ARRIVED ORD AND DID NOT THINK OF OPEN INFO MAINT ENTRY. SIGNED LOGBOOK AND LEFT ACFT WITH THE OPEN INFO TO MAINT ENTRY. I WILL NOT GET IN SUCH A HURRY FOR ON-TIME DEP AND NOT RECHK LOGBOOK AGAIN WHEN RETURNING TO ACFT PRIOR TO DEP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 425303: CREW CHIEF WAS CALLED AND ACCOMPLISHED THE REQUIRED CLEANING OF WINDSHIELDS. BUT DUE TO LEVEL OF ACTIVITY TO PREPARE JET NEITHER HE NOR CAPT WROTE AN ENTRY IN LOGBOOK TO REFLECT THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE TASK. THIS TYPE OF COMPLAINT IS NORMALLY HANDLED BY AN 'ARM' MESSAGE -- NOT LOGBOOK ENTRY; SO I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE ENTRY.