Narrative:

I accepted a pilot position with xyz cpr, a company operating an small transport twin. After accepting the position, I requested to see all logbooks to assess the future maintenance needs for the airplane. The location of the logbooks was said to be in the airplane, but were not. The logs were 'somewhere' but could not be located, said the owner. My concerns were that maybe the maintenance was not being performed, so I called each one of the maintenance facilities, each one told me that in fact they had not signed off on either a primary or interim inspection since they had been maintaining the airplane. I cancelled all trips from that point (apr/xx/93) until the owner could prove that maintenance was current. I had flown the airplane on an 'interview flight' on mar/xx-xy/93, and a maintenance flight on apr/xx/93 on the owner's complete assurance that the airplane was completely legal. Both of these flts were prior to accepting full time employment. The revelation that possibly the logs were lost, the airplane is out of maintenance, and I had flown the airplane were made on apr/xy/93. I am sorry for believing without verifying an operator! Is there any way to have airplane documentation held by the maintenance facility or FAA, so that pilots can clearly verify the maintenance status of airplanes?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NEWLY HIRED PLT FOR CORPORATION GNDS SMT TWIN ACCOUNT NO RECORD OF ACFT MAINT HISTORY OR LOGBOOKS.

Narrative: I ACCEPTED A PLT POS WITH XYZ CPR, A COMPANY OPERATING AN SMT TWIN. AFTER ACCEPTING THE POS, I REQUESTED TO SEE ALL LOGBOOKS TO ASSESS THE FUTURE MAINT NEEDS FOR THE AIRPLANE. THE LOCATION OF THE LOGBOOKS WAS SAID TO BE IN THE AIRPLANE, BUT WERE NOT. THE LOGS WERE 'SOMEWHERE' BUT COULD NOT BE LOCATED, SAID THE OWNER. MY CONCERNS WERE THAT MAYBE THE MAINT WAS NOT BEING PERFORMED, SO I CALLED EACH ONE OF THE MAINT FACILITIES, EACH ONE TOLD ME THAT IN FACT THEY HAD NOT SIGNED OFF ON EITHER A PRIMARY OR INTERIM INSPECTION SINCE THEY HAD BEEN MAINTAINING THE AIRPLANE. I CANCELLED ALL TRIPS FROM THAT POINT (APR/XX/93) UNTIL THE OWNER COULD PROVE THAT MAINT WAS CURRENT. I HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE ON AN 'INTERVIEW FLT' ON MAR/XX-XY/93, AND A MAINT FLT ON APR/XX/93 ON THE OWNER'S COMPLETE ASSURANCE THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS COMPLETELY LEGAL. BOTH OF THESE FLTS WERE PRIOR TO ACCEPTING FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT. THE REVELATION THAT POSSIBLY THE LOGS WERE LOST, THE AIRPLANE IS OUT OF MAINT, AND I HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE WERE MADE ON APR/XY/93. I AM SORRY FOR BELIEVING WITHOUT VERIFYING AN OPERATOR! IS THERE ANY WAY TO HAVE AIRPLANE DOCUMENTATION HELD BY THE MAINT FACILITY OR FAA, SO THAT PLTS CAN CLRLY VERIFY THE MAINT STATUS OF AIRPLANES?

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.