Narrative:

I had a trip from memphis to newark to detroit. The aircraft was a DC9, owned by air carrier. The flight was delayed by ATC because of WX in ewr. Approximately 20 mins from scheduled departure, the ATC hold was lifted and a big push was on to get the aircraft out on time. I entered the aircraft and checked the logbooks. Company insists on having 2 logbooks, one for the pilots and one for the flight attendants. This has caused many problems in the past and the pilots have tried in vain to get them consolidated into one book. The aircraft (pilots) logbook checked ok and I then checked the holder for the flight attendant log. I found the logbook inserts that make up the logbook but without the metal book type binder that normally holds the log pages. I asked the flight attendant if he knew where the rest of the logbook was. He replied that what I had was the logbook. Maintenance earlier replaced the book with the new inserts but did not have a replacement for the metal binder. They searched for the original logbook and could not find it, so the logbook was replaced. I checked the replacement log and it was clean. En route to dtw from ewr, the lead flight attendant opened the ovens to heat the crew meals boarded in ewr. There she found the original logbook. She gave it to a commuting pilot in the jump seat, thinking he would tell me. He instead placed it in the pocket behind my seat, saying nothing to me. We changed aircraft in dtw. I briefed the new captain about the logbook. Later, while preparing our new aircraft for departure, I got a call from this captain. He said he found the logbook behind my seat and it had an open write-up from memphis. I mentioned this to my flight attendants and they told me the story of finding it in the oven. She thought I knew it was found. They said they did a careful preflight of the previous airplane and found nothing wrong. Leaving memphis, I checked the flight operations manual for procedures for replacing a lost log, but found none. I therefore relied on maintenance to take the proper action. The atmosphere at company caused by the company's threat when a flight doesn't leave on time, has intimidated many employees. I feel this has lowered the margin of safety. A few months ago, a flight of mine landed in sat and the forward cargo was found to have battery acid on the floor. This caused by the hasty loading of a powered wheelchair from a last min boarding handicapped passenger. The number of people to handle the flts have been cut below what is needed. This forces the remaining employees into a situation where a choice of taking shortcuts or being harassed for a less than on time departure has to be made.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMPANY USES SEPARATE LOGBOOK FOR ACFT AND CABIN ATTENDANTS. CABIN ATTENDANT LOG WAS INCOMPLETE BUT WAS LOST AND MAINT REPLACED IT WITH ONLY PARTIAL LOGBOOK WHICH DID NOT SHOW THE OPEN ITEM. CABIN ATTENDANT FOUND THE LOGBOOK INFLT STOWED IN ONE OF THE OVENS BUT DID NOT TELL THE CAPT. IT WAS PLACED IN THE NORMAL HOLDER WITHOUT CAPT'S KNOWLEDGE.

Narrative: I HAD A TRIP FROM MEMPHIS TO NEWARK TO DETROIT. THE ACFT WAS A DC9, OWNED BY ACR. THE FLT WAS DELAYED BY ATC BECAUSE OF WX IN EWR. APPROX 20 MINS FROM SCHEDULED DEP, THE ATC HOLD WAS LIFTED AND A BIG PUSH WAS ON TO GET THE ACFT OUT ON TIME. I ENTERED THE ACFT AND CHKED THE LOGBOOKS. COMPANY INSISTS ON HAVING 2 LOGBOOKS, ONE FOR THE PLTS AND ONE FOR THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THIS HAS CAUSED MANY PROBS IN THE PAST AND THE PLTS HAVE TRIED IN VAIN TO GET THEM CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE BOOK. THE ACFT (PLTS) LOGBOOK CHKED OK AND I THEN CHKED THE HOLDER FOR THE FLT ATTENDANT LOG. I FOUND THE LOGBOOK INSERTS THAT MAKE UP THE LOGBOOK BUT WITHOUT THE METAL BOOK TYPE BINDER THAT NORMALLY HOLDS THE LOG PAGES. I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT IF HE KNEW WHERE THE REST OF THE LOGBOOK WAS. HE REPLIED THAT WHAT I HAD WAS THE LOGBOOK. MAINT EARLIER REPLACED THE BOOK WITH THE NEW INSERTS BUT DID NOT HAVE A REPLACEMENT FOR THE METAL BINDER. THEY SEARCHED FOR THE ORIGINAL LOGBOOK AND COULD NOT FIND IT, SO THE LOGBOOK WAS REPLACED. I CHKED THE REPLACEMENT LOG AND IT WAS CLEAN. ENRTE TO DTW FROM EWR, THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT OPENED THE OVENS TO HEAT THE CREW MEALS BOARDED IN EWR. THERE SHE FOUND THE ORIGINAL LOGBOOK. SHE GAVE IT TO A COMMUTING PLT IN THE JUMP SEAT, THINKING HE WOULD TELL ME. HE INSTEAD PLACED IT IN THE POCKET BEHIND MY SEAT, SAYING NOTHING TO ME. WE CHANGED ACFT IN DTW. I BRIEFED THE NEW CAPT ABOUT THE LOGBOOK. LATER, WHILE PREPARING OUR NEW ACFT FOR DEP, I GOT A CALL FROM THIS CAPT. HE SAID HE FOUND THE LOGBOOK BEHIND MY SEAT AND IT HAD AN OPEN WRITE-UP FROM MEMPHIS. I MENTIONED THIS TO MY FLT ATTENDANTS AND THEY TOLD ME THE STORY OF FINDING IT IN THE OVEN. SHE THOUGHT I KNEW IT WAS FOUND. THEY SAID THEY DID A CAREFUL PREFLT OF THE PREVIOUS AIRPLANE AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. LEAVING MEMPHIS, I CHKED THE FLT OPS MANUAL FOR PROCS FOR REPLACING A LOST LOG, BUT FOUND NONE. I THEREFORE RELIED ON MAINT TO TAKE THE PROPER ACTION. THE ATMOSPHERE AT COMPANY CAUSED BY THE COMPANY'S THREAT WHEN A FLT DOESN'T LEAVE ON TIME, HAS INTIMIDATED MANY EMPLOYEES. I FEEL THIS HAS LOWERED THE MARGIN OF SAFETY. A FEW MONTHS AGO, A FLT OF MINE LANDED IN SAT AND THE FORWARD CARGO WAS FOUND TO HAVE BATTERY ACID ON THE FLOOR. THIS CAUSED BY THE HASTY LOADING OF A POWERED WHEELCHAIR FROM A LAST MIN BOARDING HANDICAPPED PAX. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO HANDLE THE FLTS HAVE BEEN CUT BELOW WHAT IS NEEDED. THIS FORCES THE REMAINING EMPLOYEES INTO A SIT WHERE A CHOICE OF TAKING SHORTCUTS OR BEING HARASSED FOR A LESS THAN ON TIME DEP HAS TO BE MADE.

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.