ACI ON RAMP INSPECTION FOUND FA EMERGENCY MANUAL NOT REVISED.

Narrative

1/88 ON AN AIRLINES FLT FROM PVD TO DCA; AN FAA INSPECTOR BOARDED THE ACFT AND CONDUCTED A PREFLT CHK OF EMER EQUIP. HE SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO SEE ALL F/A'S FLASHLIGHTS; COCKPIT KEYS AND EMER MANUALS. AT THAT TIME; HE FOUND MY KEY AND FLASHLIGHT TO BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAA REGS. WHEN REVIEWING MY EMER MANUAL; HE FOUND THAT IT WAS NOT UP-TO-DATE WITH REGARDS TO EMER REVISIONS. APPARENTLY 4 REVISIONS WERE MISSING. I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THERE WERE ANY UPDATES OR REVISIONS THAT I DID NOT HAVE INCLUDED IN MY MANUAL. I AM DILIGENT AND TAKE PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT MY MANUAL IS CURRENT. I RECENTLY (10 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS FLT) RETURNED FROM A LENGTHY TIME OFF. DURING THIS PERIOD I MADE SURE THAT I MADE AT LEAST 2 TRIPS PER MTH TO THE JFK TERMINAL TO CHK MY MAILBOX AND BULLETIN BOARDS FOR ANY AND ALL REVISIONS TO THE EMER MANUAL. AT NO TIME DID I FIND ANY INFO PERTAINING TO ANY REVISIONS THROUGHOUT THE AREA WITH REGARDS TO REVISIONS FROM MY AIRLINE. AS FAR AS I WAS LED TO BELIEVE FROM MY AIRLINE; MY INFO WAS COMPLETELY CURRENT. OBVIOUSLY; THERE HAS BEEN AN INEXCUSABLE BREAKDOWN IN COM ON THE PART OF MY AIRLINE. I MADE EVERY EFFORT DURING MY DISABILITY TO KEEP MY EMER MANUAL CURRENT. WHEN I RETURNED FROM MY LENGTHY TIME OFF; MGMNT CLRD ME FOR DUTY W/O EVEN ADVISING ME OF THE CURRENT EMER MANUAL REVISIONS. 1 WK AFTER MY RETURN TO DUTY; MGMNT CONDUCTED AN EXTENSIVE INSPECTION OF MYSELF AND MY EQUIP. EVEN AT THAT TIME; MGMNT ADVISED ME THAT ALL EQUIP WAS UP-TO-DATE AND IN WORKING ORDER VIA A CHKLIST WHICH I SIGNED THAT DAY (1/88). AS SUCH; I HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT MY EMER MANUAL WAS NOT CURRENT. I HAVE SINCE HAD TO VISIT 2 BASES IN ORDER TO SECURE THE MISSING REVISIONS. IF COMPANY COMS WITH THEIR F/A'S WERE DILIGENT THIS INCIDENT WOULD HAVE NOT OCCURRED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: WHEN MGMNT MADE THEIR INSPECTION OF THE CAB FOR CURRENCY AFTER HER RETURN FROM THE EXTENDED LEAVE THEY DID NOT EVEN CHK HER MANUAL FOR REVISIONS. FURTHER THE CONVERSATION REVEALED THAT THIS COMPANY HAD NO PROC SUCH AS A CURRENT REVISIONS LIST POSTED WITH THE LATEST MANUAL REVISIONS; SO OTHER THAN WORD OF MOUTH AND FINDING A REVISION IN MAILBOX; THERE WAS NO WAY FOR A CAB TO KNOW A REVISION HAD BEEN ISSUED. SINCE THIS INCIDENT AND BECAUSE OF THIS CAB RAISING THE QUESTION WITH MGMNT; THE COMPANY HAS NOW STARTED POSTING THE LATEST REVISION FOR F/A'S TO CHK BEFORE FLTS. RPTR ALSO STATED INSPECTOR SAID SHE WOULD HEAR FROM HIS RPT BUT TO DATE HAS HAD NO CORRESPONDENCE; SO IS LEFT HANGING NOT KNOWING WHETHER ANYTHING WILL RESULT FROM THIS INCIDENT.