F2TH CREW OPERATED ACFT WITH AN OPEN LOG ITEM.

Narrative

I WAS ASSIGNED BY THE COMPANY TO PICK UP ACFT X (FALCON 2000) AT FBO X AT ISP ON THE MORNING OF JUN/SAT/01. THE ACFT WAS BEING SVCED FOR NUMEROUS MAINT RELATED ITEMS WRITTEN UP BY OTHER CREW MEMBERS. ONE OF THE WRITE-UPS REQUIRED A FUNCTIONAL CHK FLT PRIOR TO BEING RELEASED FOR SVC. WHEN I ARRIVED IN ISP; I WAS 4 HRS BEHIND SCHEDULE; DUE TO AIRLINE DELAYS; FOR THE FUNCTIONAL CHK FLT. MY FO WAS NEW TO THE COMPANY AND ASSIGNED TO ME BECAUSE I AM AN INSTRUCTOR PLT. I PERFORMED A THOROUGH PREFLT INSPECTION AND REVIEWED APPROX 10 PAGES OF MAINT RELATED ITEMS IN THE ACFT LOG. I CALLED OUR MAINT CTR FOR A REVIEW OF THE ACFT REPAIRS AND DISCUSSED THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE FUNCTIONAL CHK FLT. I ALSO ASKED IF THE ACFT WAS RELEASED FROM MAINT AND WERE THERE ANY OTHER OPEN ISSUES IN THE COMPUTER SYS. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN ISSUES AND THE PLANE WAS RELEASED. I THEN TALKED TO THE PROGRAM MGR ON DUTY TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES OF THE FUNCTIONAL CHK FLT; WHICH IS REQUIRED BY THE COMPANY. AT THIS TIME; MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THE ACFT WAS CLRED FROM ANY MAINT RELATED ITEMS AND THERE WERE NO OPEN MEL'S. WE DEPARTED ISP AND PERFORMED THE FUNCTIONAL CHK FLT; WHICH WAS UNEVENTFUL. I OPERATED THE ACFT FOR 4 DAYS AND THEN XFERRED THE ACFT TO ANOTHER CREW IN MDW. THE COMPANY INFORMED ME 2 DAYS LATER THAT I HAD OPERATED THE ACFT WITH AN OPEN MEL FOR THE 4 DAYS. AS THE PIC OF THE ACFT; I AM THE FINAL PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFE OP OF THE ACFT I AM ASSIGNED. IN MY REVIEW OF THE ACFT LOGBOOK; I FAILED TO VERIFY THE DATES OF EACH WRITE-UP AND THE DATE EACH ITEM WAS CLRED. DURING MY INVESTIGATION OF THE EVENTS; I FOUND THAT THE CHKS AND BALS IN THE COMPANY'S MAINT SYS HAD FAILED. THE MEL ITEM; AN INOP FLT DECK LIGHTING GLARE SHIELD LIGHT; HAD EXPIRED 5 DAYS PRIOR TO MY ACCEPTANCE OF THE ACFT; AND THE INOP STICKER HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE RELATED CTL PANEL. BASED UPON MY COMS WITH THE COMPANY; I ASSUMED THE COMPANY HAD ACCURATELY TRACKED THE MEL'S AND ALL THE WRITE-UPS HAD BEEN CLRED. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT SOMEONE IN THE MAINT CTR HAD CLRED THE MEL; AND FBO X WAS INSTRUCTED TO PROCESS THE PAPERWORK. I WAS HANDED A RELEASE-FO-FLT FORM FROM FBO X AND PLACED IT IN THE LOGBOOK. IN THE FUTURE; I WOULD RECOMMEND WHEN AN ACFT IS BEING RETURNED TO SVC; FROM A SVC CTR; THE COMPANY ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME FOR THE PIC TO REVIEW ALL MAINT RELATED ITEMS AND INSTRUCT THEM TO REVIEW EACH WRITE-UP WITH THE MAINT CTR. THIS WOULD INSURE THE WRITE-UPS IN THE ACFT LOGBOOKS ARE THE SAME AS IN THE MAINT CTR COMPUTER SYS. ANY ISSUES WITH DATES WOULD BE RECTIFIED.