Narrative:

I am a captain for abc commuter airlines in miami, fl. On the morning of jul/xx/93, I was flying from miami to nassau, bahamas with a stop in ft. Lauderdale, in an small transport commuter airliner. On the first leg, mia-fll, there were no passenger. We arrived at the ramp in fll at AM37 local, and were met by FAA inspector X of the fll FSDO. He checked the logbook, which contained 3 deferred maintenance items in accordance with. Aircraft MEL (the left fuel gauge, #2 transponder, and windshield wipers). I was well aware of the deferred items from my own check of the logbook during my preflight, but mr. X pointed out to me that there were no placards installed. I had simply failed to notice the absence of the placards. I told mr. X I would call our director of maintenance, who then directed me to placard the items myself. Mr. X was satisfied with this solution. He then checked the other aircraft documents and discovered that the aircraft registration on board had expired in feb/93. My company then called the FAA office in oklahoma city and they faxed us a temporary registration pending the mailing of the permanent registration. It seems my company had never received the permanent registration and nobody in management, maintenance or flight operations realized that we had not received it, and had been flying since feb/93 with an expired temporary registration on board. I would like to emphasize the aircraft was legally permanently registered, it just had the out of date temporary on board. I failed to notice the registration was out of date and I failed to notice the deferred maintenance items were not placarded. This was not deliberate, it was unintentional and we were permitted to continue the trip as soon as the FAA faxed us another temporary registration. Supplemental information from acn 246997: FAA inspectors discovered that entire fleet of aircraft being operated by abc airlines had 'expired' registration certificates. Aircraft were properly registered with FAA in oklahoma city, but 'permanent' registrations were never installed in aircraft by maintenance/operations department. I will double-check maintenance/operations function to ensure proper registration is aboard, although 'normal' first officer duties do not spell this out.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FAA INSPECTOR CAUGHT ACFT MAINT DISCREPANCY DURING RAMP CHK.

Narrative: I AM A CAPT FOR ABC COMMUTER AIRLINES IN MIAMI, FL. ON THE MORNING OF JUL/XX/93, I WAS FLYING FROM MIAMI TO NASSAU, BAHAMAS WITH A STOP IN FT. LAUDERDALE, IN AN SMT COMMUTER AIRLINER. ON THE FIRST LEG, MIA-FLL, THERE WERE NO PAX. WE ARRIVED AT THE RAMP IN FLL AT AM37 LCL, AND WERE MET BY FAA INSPECTOR X OF THE FLL FSDO. HE CHKED THE LOGBOOK, WHICH CONTAINED 3 DEFERRED MAINT ITEMS IN ACCORDANCE WITH. ACFT MEL (THE L FUEL GAUGE, #2 XPONDER, AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS). I WAS WELL AWARE OF THE DEFERRED ITEMS FROM MY OWN CHK OF THE LOGBOOK DURING MY PREFLT, BUT MR. X POINTED OUT TO ME THAT THERE WERE NO PLACARDS INSTALLED. I HAD SIMPLY FAILED TO NOTICE THE ABSENCE OF THE PLACARDS. I TOLD MR. X I WOULD CALL OUR DIRECTOR OF MAINT, WHO THEN DIRECTED ME TO PLACARD THE ITEMS MYSELF. MR. X WAS SATISFIED WITH THIS SOLUTION. HE THEN CHKED THE OTHER ACFT DOCUMENTS AND DISCOVERED THAT THE ACFT REGISTRATION ON BOARD HAD EXPIRED IN FEB/93. MY COMPANY THEN CALLED THE FAA OFFICE IN OKLAHOMA CITY AND THEY FAXED US A TEMPORARY REGISTRATION PENDING THE MAILING OF THE PERMANENT REGISTRATION. IT SEEMS MY COMPANY HAD NEVER RECEIVED THE PERMANENT REGISTRATION AND NOBODY IN MGMNT, MAINT OR FLT OPS REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT RECEIVED IT, AND HAD BEEN FLYING SINCE FEB/93 WITH AN EXPIRED TEMPORARY REGISTRATION ON BOARD. I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THE ACFT WAS LEGALLY PERMANENTLY REGISTERED, IT JUST HAD THE OUT OF DATE TEMPORARY ON BOARD. I FAILED TO NOTICE THE REGISTRATION WAS OUT OF DATE AND I FAILED TO NOTICE THE DEFERRED MAINT ITEMS WERE NOT PLACARDED. THIS WAS NOT DELIBERATE, IT WAS UNINTENTIONAL AND WE WERE PERMITTED TO CONTINUE THE TRIP AS SOON AS THE FAA FAXED US ANOTHER TEMPORARY REGISTRATION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 246997: FAA INSPECTORS DISCOVERED THAT ENTIRE FLEET OF ACFT BEING OPERATED BY ABC AIRLINES HAD 'EXPIRED' REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES. ACFT WERE PROPERLY REGISTERED WITH FAA IN OKLAHOMA CITY, BUT 'PERMANENT' REGISTRATIONS WERE NEVER INSTALLED IN ACFT BY MAINT/OPS DEPT. I WILL DOUBLE-CHK MAINT/OPS FUNCTION TO ENSURE PROPER REGISTRATION IS ABOARD, ALTHOUGH 'NORMAL' FO DUTIES DO NOT SPELL THIS OUT.

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.