B757-200 CREW DEPARTED THE STATION WITHOUT A MAINT OR HAVING THE REQUIRED MEL INSPECTION IN THE LOGBOOK.

Narrative

DEP WITHOUT LEGAL CURRENT MAINT DOCUMENT. ACFT HAD DEFERRED HYD QUANTITY GAUGE. MEL REQUIRED SIGHT CHK OF HYD QUANTITY PRIOR TO EACH DEP. OPS WAS NOT INFORMED. WE INFORMED THEM AND HAD AN FBO TECHNICIAN CHK THE QUANTITY. HE ADVISED US QUANTITY OK; AND NO LOG ENTRY REQUIRED PER COMPANY MAINT CTLR. WE DEPARTED WITH MAINT DOCUMENT ISSUED THAT MORNING IN DENVER; AS SHOWN TO BE VALID FROM OUR RELEASE CURRENCY CHK VIA ACARS. WE WERE INFORMED IN THE AIR THAT A LOGBOOK ENTRY AND A NEW MAINT DOCUMENT WERE REQUIRED. ERGO; WE WERE FLYING AN 'UNAIRWORHTY' AIRPLANE (MY DESCRIPTION). NOWHERE IN OUR PAPERWORK DID IT SHOW THAT A LOG ENTRY/NEW MAINT DOCUMENT WAS REQUIRED. NOR DID MAINT CTLR INFORM THE LCL MECH THAT SUCH ENTRY WAS REQUIRED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 586841: WE HAD AN MEL CARD. WE CALLED OPS TO SEE IF MECH HAD DONE THE REQUIRED VISUAL CHK OF THE R HYD RESERVOIR QUANTITY. OPS WAS UNAWARE OF SUCH NEED SO WE ALL GOT ON PHONE WITH MAINT CTLR. MAINT CTLR SAID IT HAD BEEN GENERATED. OPS THEN GOT A MECH OVER TO DO THE CHK AND SAID THE QUANTITY WAS FINE. WE THEN LEFT. THE MEL CARD DID NOT SPECIFY ANY LOGBOOK ACTION. INFLT SENT AN ACARS THAT SAID WE HAD TO HAVE THE MECH WRITE IN THE LOGBOOK AND WE WERE TO HAVE HAD A NEW MAINT DOCUMENT; WHICH WE DID NOT. WE DON'T KNOW WHY MAINT CTLR WAS NOT IN TOUCH WITH THE STATION; THE MECH OR WHY WE DID NOT GET THIS INFO. WE REFERRED TO THE FORM AND COULD NOT FIND ANY INFO ON THIS. THE MEL CARD WAS NOT SPECIFIC.