A PIC OF A REPOSITION FLT ON A BAE-ATP NOTES NUMEROUS MARKER WRITINGS ON THE ACFT PRIOR TO FLT. HE MAKES A NOTE OF SAME IN LOGBOOK AND DEPARTS WITHOUT MAINT ACTION FROM ORD; IL.

Narrative

I WAS TO REPOSITION AN ACFT TO OUR MAINT BASE IN PREPARATION FOR ITS LAST FLT TO THE 'BONE YARD.' OUR COMPANY HAD LOST ITS CONTRACT AND ON THIS DAY WE WERE LOSING SVC TO 3 CITIES AND WERE RETIRING 2 PLANES. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ARPT; I WAS INFORMED BY MY FO THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN WRITTEN ON BY NUMEROUS EMPLOYEES; IN MARKER; A FAREWELL TO THE ACFT. I DID A THOROUGH WALKAROUND OF THE ACFT; PAYING CLOSE ATTN TO THE MECHANICAL STATUS AS OPPOSED TO ACTUAL WRITING ON THE PLANE. I FOUND NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES. I THEN DID A PREFLT OF THE INTERIOR OF THE ACFT LOOKING FOR ANYMORE WRITING OR ANYTHING THAT MAY APPEAR OUT OF THE ORDINARY. I FOUND NO DISCREPANCIES. I WAS UNCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT THE WRITING ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE ACFT WAS WORTHY OF A MAINT DISCREPANCY. INSTEAD; I MADE A NOTATION IN THE LOGBOOK 'NUMEROUS MARKINGS FOUND ON EXTERIOR OF ACFT.' THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE NEXT DAY I WAS INFORMED BY THE CHIEF PLT THAT THE FBI; FAA AND LCL POLICE WERE ALL INVESTIGATING THE 'VANDALISM' OF THE ACFT. LOOKING BACK ON THE SERIES OF EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE; I REALIZE THERE WERE PROBS WITH ACCEPTING THIS ACFT FOR FLT. ALTHOUGH THE WRITING WAS MEANT TO BE IN GOOD FUN; THE ACFT WAS STILL TAMPERED WITH; AND THAT IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. FURTHERMORE; THE PLANE COULD HAVE BEEN SABOTAGED AND THE PREFLT INSPECTION MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THIS. A MAINT INSPECTION WAS JUSTIFIED. I HAVE LEARNED THAT I SHOULD HAVE EXERCISED BETTER JUDGEMENT IN ACCEPTING THIS ACFT FOR FLT. EVERY FLT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY; WHETHER A REPOSITION FLT OR A REVENUE FLT; THE FIRST FLT OF AN ACFT OR ITS LAST. I SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED THE CHIEF PLT AND HAD THE ACFT THOROUGHLY INSPECTED BY MAINT.