AN A300 WAS DISPATCHED WITH THE AUTOMATIC ENG RPTING SYS INOP. ITEM NOT ENTERED IN LOGBOOK OR ON DEFERRED ITEM LIST. CREW VERIFIED NO OPEN DEFERRED ITEMS WITH MAINT CTLR.

Narrative

DURING THE FLT PLANNING PROCESS WE NOTED THAT A SMALL REF WAS MADE TO AUTOMATIC ENG RPTING SYS BEING INOP. THIS INFO WAS A SINGLE LINE IN THE WX BRIEFING SECTION OF THE FLT PAPERS AND CONTAINED NO MEL REF NOR REF TO MAINT CTL. WE CONSULTED THE MEL PORTION OF THE PAPERWORK AND NOTED THAT THE SYS WAS NOT RPTED AS INOP NOR WAS IT DEFERRED. UPON ARR AT THE ACFT WE REVIEWED THE ACFT LOGBOOK AND THE OFFICIAL DEFERRED ITEM LIST AND FOUND NO REF TO SYS IN QUESTION. WE DETERMINED THAT SINCE THE LOGBOOK AND DEFERRED ITEM LIST WAS REVIEWED BY THE FLT CREW AND MAINT AND NO DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND; THAT WE HAD A CLEAN ACFT. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON RECEIPT OF THE FLT PAPERS FOR THE RETURN TRIP; I AGAIN FOUND THE NOTE REFING THE AUTOMATIC ENG RPTING SYS. AGAIN; I REVIEWED THE LOGBOOK AND DEFERRED ITEM LIST AND ALSO CALLED MAINT CTL WHO REVIEWED THE ACFT HISTORY AND THEY STATED THAT WE HAD A CLEAN AND LEGAL ACFT FOR DEP. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. IN APRIL; I WAS INFORMED THAT UPON FURTHER REVIEW BY MAINT; THE AUTOMATIC ENG RPTING SYS WAS INOP AND THE PROCS FOR RPTING AND DEFERRING THIS ITEM WERE NOT FOLLOWED. IT APPEARS THAT I FLEW AN ACFT WITH AN INOP SYS THAT WAS NOT PROPERLY DEFERRED.