SF340 TAKES OFF LGA WITHOUT LOGBOOK ON BOARD.

Narrative

WE FLEW A TEST FLT ON THE ACFT EARLIER; WHICH WAS SATISFACTORY. MAINT CAME TO SEE IF TEST FLT WAS SATISFACTORY/UNSATISFACTORY. HE THEN TOOK THE LOGBOOK TO COPY THE RESULTS OF THE TEST FLT. I THOUGHT HE WAS SITTING IN THE FRONT PAX ROW TO COPY THE INFO; WHEN IN FACT HE HAD LEFT THE ACFT (WITH THE LOGBOOK). I DID NOT KNOW HE HAD LEFT THE ACFT. HE WENT TO MAINT; AND WAS SHORTLY CALLED OUT TO ANOTHER ACFT BEFORE FINISHING WITH OUR LOGBOOK. THE LOGBOOK WAS SITTING ON THE TABLE IN MAINT. PAX AND RELEASE CAME SHORTLY AFTER MAINT MAN HAD LEFT. WE STARTED THE L ENG AND TAXIED OUT AND TOOK OFF. WHEN I WENT TO ENTER THE TIMES; LOGBOOK WAS NOT IN THE ACFT. WE RETURNED TO BASE; SHUT DOWN THE L ENG; GOT THE LOGBOOK; AND TOOK OFF FOR SYR. ROUND TRIP; AND RETURNED WITHOUT INCIDENT. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1) FO ENTER OUT-TIME IN THE LOGBOOK -- NOT ON A PIECE OF PAPER UNDER HIS YOKE CLIP; AT TIME OF TAXI. 2) THE WORD 'LOGBOOK' BE ADDED AS ITEM #1 ON THE BEFORE TAXI CHKLIST. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR MAINT TO COME TO THE ACFT; TAKE THE LOGBOOK OFF THE ACFT; TO BRING IT BACK SHORTLY THEREAFTER. IT HAPPENS QUITE FREQUENTLY. THIS INCIDENT WAS RPTED TO: COORDINATOR ON FEB/XA/99 AT XA50.