Narrative:

At XA00 I obtained my release from dispatch, found no deferred MEL items on the dispatch release and was briefed by the dispatcher. After situating myself in the dc-9, I reviewed the maintenance log, while my first officer, a licensed a and P, did the walk-around prior to the first flight of the day. The airworthiness release, properly signed and dated by the aircraft inspector, was in the logbook, which I also signed and dated. I reviewed the most recent entries in the logbook and found them all to be of routine maintenance except one. It was a long, unusual writeup concerning a 3 degree bank with the autoplt engaged and a slight vibration at 300 KTS, which was consistent with an uncommanded 3 degree bank. The main signoff had been to remove and replace an aileron servo. Upon the return to the cockpit of my first officer, I reviewed this writeup with him and noted the main signoff, we agreed it could have been a floating spoiler and went about completing the lengthy first flight checklist. The aircraft worked perfectly for 9 lndgs that day and never experienced an uncommanded 3 degree bank or any vibration. The maintenance log of our company is large, containing a lot of information including the airworthiness release and providing 4 relatively small boxes per page for entries of maintenance discrepancies. A long entry will often run into the box below it causing confusion. This is what happened to me when I reviewed the logbook. The captain succeeding me in the aircraft reviewed the logbook, and found that what I saw as one long entry was actually 2 different entries, the uncommanded 3 degree bank by the autoplt and a slight vibration at 300 KTS. The uncommanded bank had been signed off by maintenance with replacement of the aileron servo. The vibration had never been signed off and remained an open item. At no time did I or my first officer feel that the aircraft was anything but airworthy. Our maintenance lob should be changed to a smaller version, with less information required, and limit write-ups to 1 per page. This could prevent another occurrence of this event, one in which myself, my copilot and no less than 2 mechanics and an aircraft inspector failed to notice. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter flies the dc-9-50 for a hawaii based air carrier. The reporter has not heard from the FAA on this matter, but apparently the FAA investigated this incident as a 'whistle blower' within the air carrier called the local FAA. It is not known who the whistle blower is or whether he might be a pilot or maintenance technician. Changing the aileron servo seems to have fixed both problems as there was no vibration felt during 9 legs.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MAINT LOGBOOK NOT SIGNED OFF.

Narrative: AT XA00 I OBTAINED MY RELEASE FROM DISPATCH, FOUND NO DEFERRED MEL ITEMS ON THE DISPATCH RELEASE AND WAS BRIEFED BY THE DISPATCHER. AFTER SITUATING MYSELF IN THE DC-9, I REVIEWED THE MAINT LOG, WHILE MY FO, A LICENSED A AND P, DID THE WALK-AROUND PRIOR TO THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY. THE AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE, PROPERLY SIGNED AND DATED BY THE ACFT INSPECTOR, WAS IN THE LOGBOOK, WHICH I ALSO SIGNED AND DATED. I REVIEWED THE MOST RECENT ENTRIES IN THE LOGBOOK AND FOUND THEM ALL TO BE OF ROUTINE MAINT EXCEPT ONE. IT WAS A LONG, UNUSUAL WRITEUP CONCERNING A 3 DEG BANK WITH THE AUTOPLT ENGAGED AND A SLIGHT VIBRATION AT 300 KTS, WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH AN UNCOMMANDED 3 DEG BANK. THE MAIN SIGNOFF HAD BEEN TO REMOVE AND REPLACE AN AILERON SERVO. UPON THE RETURN TO THE COCKPIT OF MY FO, I REVIEWED THIS WRITEUP WITH HIM AND NOTED THE MAIN SIGNOFF, WE AGREED IT COULD HAVE BEEN A FLOATING SPOILER AND WENT ABOUT COMPLETING THE LENGTHY FIRST FLT CHKLIST. THE ACFT WORKED PERFECTLY FOR 9 LNDGS THAT DAY AND NEVER EXPERIENCED AN UNCOMMANDED 3 DEG BANK OR ANY VIBRATION. THE MAINT LOG OF OUR COMPANY IS LARGE, CONTAINING A LOT OF INFO INCLUDING THE AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE AND PROVIDING 4 RELATIVELY SMALL BOXES PER PAGE FOR ENTRIES OF MAINT DISCREPANCIES. A LONG ENTRY WILL OFTEN RUN INTO THE BOX BELOW IT CAUSING CONFUSION. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I REVIEWED THE LOGBOOK. THE CAPT SUCCEEDING ME IN THE ACFT REVIEWED THE LOGBOOK, AND FOUND THAT WHAT I SAW AS ONE LONG ENTRY WAS ACTUALLY 2 DIFFERENT ENTRIES, THE UNCOMMANDED 3 DEG BANK BY THE AUTOPLT AND A SLIGHT VIBRATION AT 300 KTS. THE UNCOMMANDED BANK HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF BY MAINT WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE AILERON SERVO. THE VIBRATION HAD NEVER BEEN SIGNED OFF AND REMAINED AN OPEN ITEM. AT NO TIME DID I OR MY FO FEEL THAT THE ACFT WAS ANYTHING BUT AIRWORTHY. OUR MAINT LOB SHOULD BE CHANGED TO A SMALLER VERSION, WITH LESS INFO REQUIRED, AND LIMIT WRITE-UPS TO 1 PER PAGE. THIS COULD PREVENT ANOTHER OCCURRENCE OF THIS EVENT, ONE IN WHICH MYSELF, MY COPLT AND NO LESS THAN 2 MECHS AND AN ACFT INSPECTOR FAILED TO NOTICE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE DC-9-50 FOR A HAWAII BASED ACR. THE RPTR HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA ON THIS MATTER, BUT APPARENTLY THE FAA INVESTIGATED THIS INCIDENT AS A 'WHISTLE BLOWER' WITHIN THE ACR CALLED THE LCL FAA. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHO THE WHISTLE BLOWER IS OR WHETHER HE MIGHT BE A PLT OR MAINT TECHNICIAN. CHANGING THE AILERON SERVO SEEMS TO HAVE FIXED BOTH PROBS AS THERE WAS NO VIBRATION FELT DURING 9 LEGS.

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.