MD83 CREW LEAVES PDX WITHOUT LOGBOOK.

Narrative

NOTICED THAT THE ACFT LOGBOOK WAS MISSING. THIS WAS A THROUGH FLT AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY PROBS WITH INBOUND FLT. THE FO AND CAPT BEGAN PREFLT DUTIES AND THEN CAPT WENT TO RETRIEVE FLT PAPERWORK IN TERMINAL GATE AREA. CAPT SIGNED PAPERWORK; CONFIRMED FUEL LOAD AND OBSERVED MEL'S THAT MAY AFFECT PERFORMANCE DATA. 15 MINS PRIOR TO DEP CAPT RETURNS TO ACFT AND FO AND CAPT REVIEW MEL'S AND DETERMINE THAT NORMAL TKOF AND LNDG DATA CARDS CANNOT BE USED AND THAT OUR TKOF DATA MUST BE TAKEN FROM EXPANDED PERFORMANCE BOOK. WE RAN THROUGH OUR BEFORE START CHKLIST AND FEEL THAT WE BECAME DISTR BY MEL'S PERFORMANCE CONCERNS DURING THAT CHKLIST AND OVER LOOKED THE FACT THAT THE ACFT LOGBOOK WAS STILL NOT ON ACFT. WE DEPARTED PDX WITHOUT LOGBOOK. WE FOUND THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN ITEMS IN SAID LOGBOOK AND NO REAL EXPLANATION WHY BOOK WAS TAKEN OFF AND NOT RETURNED PRIOR TO DEP. 1) FO OR CAPT SHOULD HAVE CALLED MAINT IMMEDIATELY AS TO MISSING LOGBOOK. 2) FO AND/OR CAPT SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING IN COCKPIT TO REMIND US THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT COMPLETE; IE; NOTE ON YOKE; ETC.