A PIPER PA31-325 WAS DISPATCHED AND OPERATED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH NO DOCUMENTATION OR LOGBOOK ENTRY OF NEW AVIONICS SYS INSTALLED.

Date: 1999-03 · Aircraft: PA-31P Navajo P · Phase: ground

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-maintenance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

A PIPER PA31-325 WAS DISPATCHED AND OPERATED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH NO DOCUMENTATION OR LOGBOOK ENTRY OF NEW AVIONICS SYS INSTALLED.

Narrative

THIS FLT WAS TO BE IN ANOTHER ACFT; HOWEVER; DURING THE PREFLT ON THAT ACFT; DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO A PROP. I IMMEDIATELY DECIDED WE NEEDED ANOTHER ACFT. SITTING NEXT TO THE FIRST PLANE WAS ANOTHER ONE THAT IS IN OUR FLEET OF CHARTER ACFT. IT HAD RECENTLY UNDERGONE INSTALLATION OF A NEW NAVCOM RADIO AND A GPS RECEIVER. BECAUSE OF THIS WORK; I CALLED THE AVIONICS TECHNICIAN WHO WAS DOING THE WORK TO CHK ON THE ACFT'S STATUS. HE TOLD ME ALL THE WORK WAS DONE AND THE PLANE WAS READY TO RETURN TO SVC. BASED ON THIS INFO; I PROCEEDED TO PREFLT THE ACFT AND FINDING NO ABNORMALITIES; WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL FLT FROM MADISON; WI; DOWN TO KANSAS CITY; MO; AND RETURNED THAT AFTERNOON. THE VERY NEXT DAY (MAR/AB/99) I WAS TOLD THAT THE PAPERWORK WAS NOT COMPLETED FOR THE RADIO WORK AND THAT THE ACFT WAS TECHNICALLY NOT AIRWORTHY. THE DECISION TO USE THIS PLANE TOOK PLACE AT XA00 AND THE LOGBOOKS ARE KEPT AT ANOTHER BASE ARPT; SO AT THAT TIME OF THE DAY WITH PAX LEAVING VERY SOON; I DID EVERYTHING WITHIN MY PWR TO ENSURE THAT IT WAS READY TO FLY. THE TECHNICIAN SAID; 'IT WAS RELEASED AND READY TO RETURN TO SVC.' THERE WERE NO PLACARDS; ACFT GNDED TAGS; ETC. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND IT WAS ONLY THE PAPERWORK THAT WAS NOT COMPLETED; AND AGAIN; I COULD NOT VERIFY THIS PHYSICALLY; IT HAD TO BE DONE BY CALLING THE TECHNICIAN.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.