A B727-200 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE TOTAL AIR TEMP PROBE MISSING. DAMAGE INCURRED BY GND VEHICLE UNDISCOVERED IN PREFLT CHK.

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ON OCT/SAT/99; ON A FLT FROM ZZZ TO LAX; WE WERE IN THE ACFT PREFLT PHASE. 10 MINS BEFORE DEP; I HAD ALREADY DONE MY COCKPIT PREPARATION AND ALL SYS WERE NORMAL. I WAS THE FO ON THE FLT. MY COCKPIT PREPARATION WAS COMPLETED 30 MINS PRIOR. THE GND HANDLER CAME UP TO THE FLT DECK. HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE ACR BROKEN B727 NEXT TO US. IT WAS ON A MECHANICAL AND WOULD NOT BE LEAVING FOR AWHILE. IN HIS HAND HE HAD A TEMP PROBE. I ASKED HIM WHAT THE PROBE WAS FROM AND HE REPLIED FROM THE BROKEN AIRPLANE IN A JOKING TONE. I THEN SAID THE AIRPLANE OVER THERE MUST NOT BE IN GOOD SHAPE AT ALL. HE AGREED. HE ALSO JOKED ABOUT SOME AIRPLANES BREAK A LOT. I THEN GOT UP AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM. WHEN I CAME BACK INTO THE COCKPIT THE GND HANDLER WAS LEAVING. WHILE TAXIING OUT; ALL SYS WERE NORMAL. WE DEPARTED ZZZ. ON CLBOUT. THE TAT (TOTAL AIR TEMP) WAS +50 DEGS C. THIS TEMP IS NORMAL ON THE GND BEFORE TKOF; BUT INFLT NORMAL IS +10 DEGS C TO +20 DEGS C ON CLBOUT. I POINTED THIS OUT TO THE CAPT I ALSO NOTICED A LIGHT TO THE L. THIS IS THE WINDSHEAR INOP LIGHT AND IT WAS ON. THIS LIGHT WAS POINTED OUT TO THE CAPT ALSO. BOTH WERE PUT INTO THE LOGBOOK AND MAINT WAS NOTIFIED ON ARR IN LAX. AS THE CAPT WAS SPEAKING TO THE MAINT PERSON; I GOT UP TO DO MY REQUIRED DUTIES. WHILE THE 3 OF US WERE WAITING FOR TRANSPORTATION TO OUR OPS; THE CAPT NOTICED THAT THE TEMP PROBE WAS MISSING; I THEN THOUGHT BACK TO WHAT WE WERE JOKING ABOUT IN ZZZ. WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A TEMP PROBE FALLING OFF IT WAS NOT A JOKE; HE WAS SERIOUS. HE MEANT OUR AIRPLANE. THIS IS NO JOKING MANNER. THIS IS PEOPLE'S LIVES. WITH THE CONFUSION OF THE BROKEN ACR B727 I THOUGHT HE MEANT THAT ACR B727. WHILE ALL OF US WERE JOKING WE ALL MISUNDERSTOOD. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THE RAMPER SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN JOKING ABOUT ACFT PARTS AND MAINT.