Confusion on currency of airworthiness release. Flight crew thought their flight date was the last v...

Attributes
ACN	330390
Time
Date	199603
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : tpa
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Light	Dawn
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 210
ASRS Report	330390
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time total : 14000 flight time type : 6000
ASRS Report	330388
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far non adherence other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Chart Or Publication
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

The flight was the originating flight from tampa to birmingham. I had watched the WX channel before leaving the hotel and saw that there was severe WX in alabama and georgia associated with a large front stretching across the southeastern states. Arriving at the aircraft I was very concerned about the safety of flight through this WX system into birmingham. Preflight was normal. I checked the logbook for any write-ups and for the airworthiness (a/west) release. After going back through the flight log I came to an airworthiness release dated mar/xx/96 and noted that today was the last day the release would be valid. What I failed to notice was that this airworthiness had a t- check circled and that the controling airworthiness release was a couple of pages further back dated feb/xx/96. Both airworthiness releases are identical with the exception that the controling airworthiness release will have an a, B, or C check circled. We flew the sequence as scheduled up to st louis, through birmingham, and back with an invalid airworthiness release. We turned the aircraft over to the pm crew in tampa and the captain mentioned to me that they had terminated the same aircraft the night before and that this was the last day that the airworthiness release would be valid. Either the captain on further checking the flight log or maintenance control discovered that the airworthiness release was out of date and the aircraft was taken OTS. Because the two airworthiness releases are identical with the exception of which letter is circled, I feel this mistake could easily happen again, especially when there are numerous other problems facing the flight, ie, WX, route changes, etc. I believe there should be only one type of airworthiness release and that any other type of maintenance work or t-chks be signed off in another manner or place.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CONFUSION ON CURRENCY OF AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE. FLC THOUGHT THEIR FLT DATE WAS THE LAST VALID DATE FOR THE AIRWORTHINESS, BUT IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAD ACTUALLY FLOWN THE SEQUENCE WITH IT OUTDATED.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS THE ORIGINATING FLT FROM TAMPA TO BIRMINGHAM. I HAD WATCHED THE WX CHANNEL BEFORE LEAVING THE HOTEL AND SAW THAT THERE WAS SEVERE WX IN ALABAMA AND GEORGIA ASSOCIATED WITH A LARGE FRONT STRETCHING ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES. ARRIVING AT THE ACFT I WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF FLT THROUGH THIS WX SYS INTO BIRMINGHAM. PREFLT WAS NORMAL. I CHKED THE LOGBOOK FOR ANY WRITE-UPS AND FOR THE AIRWORTHINESS (A/W) RELEASE. AFTER GOING BACK THROUGH THE FLT LOG I CAME TO AN AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE DATED MAR/XX/96 AND NOTED THAT TODAY WAS THE LAST DAY THE RELEASE WOULD BE VALID. WHAT I FAILED TO NOTICE WAS THAT THIS AIRWORTHINESS HAD A T- CHK CIRCLED AND THAT THE CTLING AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE WAS A COUPLE OF PAGES FURTHER BACK DATED FEB/XX/96. BOTH AIRWORTHINESS RELEASES ARE IDENTICAL WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THE CTLING AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE WILL HAVE AN A, B, OR C CHK CIRCLED. WE FLEW THE SEQUENCE AS SCHEDULED UP TO ST LOUIS, THROUGH BIRMINGHAM, AND BACK WITH AN INVALID AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE. WE TURNED THE ACFT OVER TO THE PM CREW IN TAMPA AND THE CAPT MENTIONED TO ME THAT THEY HAD TERMINATED THE SAME ACFT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND THAT THIS WAS THE LAST DAY THAT THE AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE WOULD BE VALID. EITHER THE CAPT ON FURTHER CHKING THE FLT LOG OR MAINT CTL DISCOVERED THAT THE AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE WAS OUT OF DATE AND THE ACFT WAS TAKEN OTS. BECAUSE THE TWO AIRWORTHINESS RELEASES ARE IDENTICAL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF WHICH LETTER IS CIRCLED, I FEEL THIS MISTAKE COULD EASILY HAPPEN AGAIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER PROBS FACING THE FLT, IE, WX, RTE CHANGES, ETC. I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE ONLY ONE TYPE OF AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE AND THAT ANY OTHER TYPE OF MAINT WORK OR T-CHKS BE SIGNED OFF IN ANOTHER MANNER OR PLACE.

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.

Confusion on currency of airworthiness release. Flight crew thought their flight date was the last valid date for the airworthiness, but it was discovered that they had actually flown the sequence with it outdated.