AN SAAB 340B WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE BY USING A TRAILING EDGE FLAP ROBBED FROM ANOTHER SAAB 340B.

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ON THE NIGHT OF APR/XA/99; I RECEIVED A CALL FROM WORK. WE HAD AN AIRPLANE THAT HAD BEEN GNDED FOR A FLAP REPAIR. THE SUGGESTION WAS MADE BY THE SUPVR ON DUTY TO SWAP FLAPS FROM XYZ TO ZXZ. I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA. ON THE MORNING OF APR/XB/99; THE INSTALLATION OF THE R-HAND FLAP ON ACFT WAS COMPLETED. THE ACFT MAINT MANUAL AND ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG WAS USED AS REF FOR THE INSTALLATION. AFTER INSTALLATION; THE ACFT DEPARTED ZZZ FOR DFW. UPON LNDG; THE ACFT WAS GNDED FOR THE FLAP. AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE 99-04-17 HAD A STATEMENT THAT SAID YOU CANNOT TAKE AN UNMODIFIED FLAP FROM ONE ACFT AND PUT ON ANOTHER. WE DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE WAS AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE AGAINST THE FLAPS. WE REFED OUR ENGINEERING ORDER G1-5700-066R4; AND IT DOES NOT STATE THAT THERE IS ANY AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE AGAINST THE FLAP. THE ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG AND ACFT MAINT MANUAL DO NOT REF ANY RESTRS OF FLAPS BY SERIAL NUMBER; OR ACFT. ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG REF USED WAS 57-20-00-1 AND ACFT MAINT MANUAL 27-51-30. FLAP INSTALLATION ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG USED WAS 27-50-00-5. THE COMPANY COMPUTER SYS (DASH) WAS ALSO REFED TO CHK TIMES ON THE COMPONENTS. THE DASH DID NOT HAVE ANY RESTRS ON IT EITHER. SUMMARY: WITH THE TECHNICAL DATA THAT WAS AVAILABLE TO US; ACFT MAINT MANUAL; ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG; ENGINEERING ORDERS; AND DASH; THERE WAS NO WAY FOR US TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE AGAINST THIS COMPONENT; AND A RESTR ON THE CHANGING OF SUCH. WE DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES AT THIS LOCATION. WE SHOULD NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ENGINEERING DEPT NOT UPDATING THE COMPANY PUBS (ENGINEERING ORDERS; ENGINEERING TECHNICAL NOTICES; TRAINING BULLETINS; ETC).