Narrative:

Upon arriving in the hotel lobby in detroit, my captain informed me he had been called in his room at XX30 pm by the captain who had flown the aircraft we would be taking out. The aircraft had been struck by lightning on approach into chicago midway the evening before. Maintenance had been called out to inspect the aircraft at chicago. In the rush to unload, reboard and associated activity the captain was informed the inspection was completed and the aircraft was fine and could continue on its last leg for the night to detroit. The captain at this time concurring that he could find nothing wrong with the system departed for detroit. My understanding is upon arrival at detroit metropolitan he was informed by company personnel that maintenance needed to talk to him. At this time he was reminded that the aircraft was supposed to have had an airworthiness release to continue after the lightning strike. After much discussion with maintenance and dispatch it was agreed to that the inspection would be written up and a new airworthiness release put in the logbook when the aircraft landed in chicago the next morning. (The first leg the next morning was det-mdw on which I was a crew member). (This was all discussed between my captain and the captain bringing the aircraft in the night before at XX30 pm at our hotel via phone). My captain described the events and situation to me on the way to the airport. I did discover evidence of a lightning strike on the aircraft under the captain's cockpit window area and on the tail area (first officer side) under and behind the APU inlet area. I related this information to the captain after preflight. I agreed with the captain that since the aircraft had been inspected by our a&P's at mdw and said it was fine, I truly believed the aircraft was fine to fly back to mdw, that we should fly the scheduled trip and have the paperwork finished at that time. Upon arrival at mdw our mechanics met us at the gate to discuss the situation. After they reinspected the aircraft it was decided by them that the aircraft should be taken to the hangar for further inspection on top of the fuselage and for the required repairs. This was a lot more than we were originally led to believe was necessary by our captain, maintenance and dispatch, all of whom my captain had had lengthy discussions with throughout the night and early that morning prior to our XC30 am CST push back. We realized at this point we had really flown an aircraft that had incomplete paperwork even though the original inspection had been completed to satisfaction and the aircraft verbally released by our a&P's at mdw the previous night.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN MLG OPERATED AN UNAIRWORTHY ACFT WHEN THEY FAILED TO OBTAIN A WRITTEN ACFT RELEASE FROM MAINT PRIOR TO FLT AFTER AN INSPECTION OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE.

Narrative: UPON ARRIVING IN THE HOTEL LOBBY IN DETROIT, MY CAPT INFORMED ME HE HAD BEEN CALLED IN HIS ROOM AT XX30 PM BY THE CAPT WHO HAD FLOWN THE ACFT WE WOULD BE TAKING OUT. THE ACFT HAD BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING ON APCH INTO CHICAGO MIDWAY THE EVENING BEFORE. MAINT HAD BEEN CALLED OUT TO INSPECT THE ACFT AT CHICAGO. IN THE RUSH TO UNLOAD, REBOARD AND ASSOCIATED ACTIVITY THE CAPT WAS INFORMED THE INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED AND THE ACFT WAS FINE AND COULD CONTINUE ON ITS LAST LEG FOR THE NIGHT TO DETROIT. THE CAPT AT THIS TIME CONCURRING THAT HE COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SYS DEPARTED FOR DETROIT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS UPON ARR AT DETROIT METRO HE WAS INFORMED BY COMPANY PERSONNEL THAT MAINT NEEDED TO TALK TO HIM. AT THIS TIME HE WAS REMINDED THAT THE ACFT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAD AN AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE TO CONTINUE AFTER THE LIGHTNING STRIKE. AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION WITH MAINT AND DISPATCH IT WAS AGREED TO THAT THE INSPECTION WOULD BE WRITTEN UP AND A NEW AIRWORTHINESS RELEASE PUT IN THE LOGBOOK WHEN THE ACFT LANDED IN CHICAGO THE NEXT MORNING. (THE FIRST LEG THE NEXT MORNING WAS DET-MDW ON WHICH I WAS A CREW MEMBER). (THIS WAS ALL DISCUSSED BTWN MY CAPT AND THE CAPT BRINGING THE ACFT IN THE NIGHT BEFORE AT XX30 PM AT OUR HOTEL VIA PHONE). MY CAPT DESCRIBED THE EVENTS AND SIT TO ME ON THE WAY TO THE ARPT. I DID DISCOVER EVIDENCE OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE ON THE ACFT UNDER THE CAPT'S COCKPIT WINDOW AREA AND ON THE TAIL AREA (FO SIDE) UNDER AND BEHIND THE APU INLET AREA. I RELATED THIS INFO TO THE CAPT AFTER PREFLT. I AGREED WITH THE CAPT THAT SINCE THE ACFT HAD BEEN INSPECTED BY OUR A&P'S AT MDW AND SAID IT WAS FINE, I TRULY BELIEVED THE ACFT WAS FINE TO FLY BACK TO MDW, THAT WE SHOULD FLY THE SCHEDULED TRIP AND HAVE THE PAPERWORK FINISHED AT THAT TIME. UPON ARR AT MDW OUR MECHS MET US AT THE GATE TO DISCUSS THE SIT. AFTER THEY REINSPECTED THE ACFT IT WAS DECIDED BY THEM THAT THE ACFT SHOULD BE TAKEN TO THE HANGAR FOR FURTHER INSPECTION ON TOP OF THE FUSELAGE AND FOR THE REQUIRED REPAIRS. THIS WAS A LOT MORE THAN WE WERE ORIGINALLY LED TO BELIEVE WAS NECESSARY BY OUR CAPT, MAINT AND DISPATCH, ALL OF WHOM MY CAPT HAD HAD LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS WITH THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AND EARLY THAT MORNING PRIOR TO OUR XC30 AM CST PUSH BACK. WE REALIZED AT THIS POINT WE HAD REALLY FLOWN AN ACFT THAT HAD INCOMPLETE PAPERWORK EVEN THOUGH THE ORIGINAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN COMPLETED TO SATISFACTION AND THE ACFT VERBALLY RELEASED BY OUR A&P'S AT MDW THE PREVIOUS NIGHT.

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.