Narrative:

Aircraft was accepted from previous crew around AX00 pm. The flts were running a bit late due to the bad WX and having to make instrument approachs at all airports served. I took acceptance of aircraft and talked to previous captain about any MEL'ed (deferred) items of note. There were none. I briefly checked aircraft logs for VOR currency, transponder/static tests. I neglected to verify the time remaining on the aircraft before a required maintenance check. Usually I am very thorough, but I was receiving the plane from a captain known to me to also be thorough, and if I hurried, I could get my first flight out on time, a factor that all airlines care deeply about. After the day's flts were over, I recorded the hobbs meter time in the process of closing out the aircraft logs for the day. As I wrote the number down, it occurred to me that on a previous day when I had flown this plane, an inspection was required at 2 hours prior to today's reading. I looked at the relevant log page and found I was correct, and it hadn't been signed off yet. The result: I flew the plane for about 5 hours, and the last 2 hours had been beyond a required sign-off. I immediately notified the company of the situation, and the aircraft was taken OTS. The next day, a ferry permit was obtained, and the aircraft flown to a maintenance base for a sign-off. It turns out the inspection had been all-but-completed a week prior, but the last item and overall sign-off had been put off until the aircraft was to be as close as possible to the legal limit. In this way, all the inspections are recorded as having taken place at a later time, at the last possible moment, and the full-between-inspection hours are allowed. The maintenance department, however, forgot about the aircraft, and did not stop us for the signature when we passed through our maintenance base either time that day. The flight operations management center did not seem to know about it earlier, as they did not discuss it with me when I checked in at the beginning of the day. How to prevent recurrence: I need to check the log every time and accept a slight flight delay, maintenance needs to keep better track of when sign-offs are due, and perhaps the FAA should look into the practice of doing 95 percent of an inspection before it's due, and dating the checks when the last 5 percent is done. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter had nothing to add to the report. So far as he knew, this practice of 'early' inspections is the norm with this airline. Reporter is no longer with the air carrier, having left of his own volition in late oct, last yr. He said he was 'away from home too much in this type of 135 operation.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE02 FLOWN PAST ITS SCHEDULED MAINT PERIOD.

Narrative: ACFT WAS ACCEPTED FROM PREVIOUS CREW AROUND AX00 PM. THE FLTS WERE RUNNING A BIT LATE DUE TO THE BAD WX AND HAVING TO MAKE INST APCHS AT ALL ARPTS SERVED. I TOOK ACCEPTANCE OF ACFT AND TALKED TO PREVIOUS CAPT ABOUT ANY MEL'ED (DEFERRED) ITEMS OF NOTE. THERE WERE NONE. I BRIEFLY CHKED ACFT LOGS FOR VOR CURRENCY, XPONDER/STATIC TESTS. I NEGLECTED TO VERIFY THE TIME REMAINING ON THE ACFT BEFORE A REQUIRED MAINT CHK. USUALLY I AM VERY THOROUGH, BUT I WAS RECEIVING THE PLANE FROM A CAPT KNOWN TO ME TO ALSO BE THOROUGH, AND IF I HURRIED, I COULD GET MY FIRST FLT OUT ON TIME, A FACTOR THAT ALL AIRLINES CARE DEEPLY ABOUT. AFTER THE DAY'S FLTS WERE OVER, I RECORDED THE HOBBS METER TIME IN THE PROCESS OF CLOSING OUT THE ACFT LOGS FOR THE DAY. AS I WROTE THE NUMBER DOWN, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT ON A PREVIOUS DAY WHEN I HAD FLOWN THIS PLANE, AN INSPECTION WAS REQUIRED AT 2 HRS PRIOR TO TODAY'S READING. I LOOKED AT THE RELEVANT LOG PAGE AND FOUND I WAS CORRECT, AND IT HADN'T BEEN SIGNED OFF YET. THE RESULT: I FLEW THE PLANE FOR ABOUT 5 HRS, AND THE LAST 2 HRS HAD BEEN BEYOND A REQUIRED SIGN-OFF. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE COMPANY OF THE SIT, AND THE ACFT WAS TAKEN OTS. THE NEXT DAY, A FERRY PERMIT WAS OBTAINED, AND THE ACFT FLOWN TO A MAINT BASE FOR A SIGN-OFF. IT TURNS OUT THE INSPECTION HAD BEEN ALL-BUT-COMPLETED A WK PRIOR, BUT THE LAST ITEM AND OVERALL SIGN-OFF HAD BEEN PUT OFF UNTIL THE ACFT WAS TO BE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE LEGAL LIMIT. IN THIS WAY, ALL THE INSPECTIONS ARE RECORDED AS HAVING TAKEN PLACE AT A LATER TIME, AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT, AND THE FULL-BTWN-INSPECTION HRS ARE ALLOWED. THE MAINT DEPT, HOWEVER, FORGOT ABOUT THE ACFT, AND DID NOT STOP US FOR THE SIGNATURE WHEN WE PASSED THROUGH OUR MAINT BASE EITHER TIME THAT DAY. THE FLT OPS MGMNT CTR DID NOT SEEM TO KNOW ABOUT IT EARLIER, AS THEY DID NOT DISCUSS IT WITH ME WHEN I CHKED IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY. HOW TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: I NEED TO CHK THE LOG EVERY TIME AND ACCEPT A SLIGHT FLT DELAY, MAINT NEEDS TO KEEP BETTER TRACK OF WHEN SIGN-OFFS ARE DUE, AND PERHAPS THE FAA SHOULD LOOK INTO THE PRACTICE OF DOING 95 PERCENT OF AN INSPECTION BEFORE IT'S DUE, AND DATING THE CHKS WHEN THE LAST 5 PERCENT IS DONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR HAD NOTHING TO ADD TO THE RPT. SO FAR AS HE KNEW, THIS PRACTICE OF 'EARLY' INSPECTIONS IS THE NORM WITH THIS AIRLINE. RPTR IS NO LONGER WITH THE ACR, HAVING LEFT OF HIS OWN VOLITION IN LATE OCT, LAST YR. HE SAID HE WAS 'AWAY FROM HOME TOO MUCH IN THIS TYPE OF 135 OP.'

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.