Narrative:

On apr/xx/96, my first officer informed me that upon his first flight of the day inspection he could not find the aircraft flight manual for our dornier 328. I instructed him to look every place we could think of to locate it. When it became apparent that it was not to be found on the aircraft I went to a phone and called our dispatch for advice. They told me to look again and they would locate and ask the crew that flew in the night before if they knew where it was. They did not and had missed it on their preflight. I suggested to them to locate the first officer on the original flight the day before and ask him. Because the airplane had come out of our maintenance base the day before, they checked there and found it in the hangar to the embarrassment of the mechanics. But now we had to decide what to do as we are not allowed to fly without this book. I called flight control again and they tried to contact our director of operations who was flying at the time and could not be located. They then went up 1 notch in the chain of command to the vp of operations at his home and they asked him what our options were and he said we could go back to pit without it on his authority/authorized. After we got off the phone I began to think that he may not have that authority/authorized so I had flight control call him back and ask him if he had that authority/authorized. He said he did so I requested a hard copy via the computer stating that he had the authority/authorized to allow us to go back to pit. I was not so sure he had the authority/authorized but decided with the first officer that argument at this point would be fruitless. So with our copy of his blessing we proceeded to pit uneventfully. On may/xx/96, I was asked by the pit chief pilot to write a statement regarding the events of apr/xx/96. It seems mr. X may not have the authority/authorized and lied to us so we would complete the flight. He then disclosed the whole thing to the FAA. I am writing this now in an effort to stop this kind of action by a vp at the expense of flcs. I am told that my crew is not in trouble but at least 1 first officer and maybe the vp are. I was advised to write ASRS because we do not know at this time where this is leading. Finally let me state that we as a crew were not prepared to go without the afm and we trusted mr X as vp to be honest with us. I did not know on that early morning preflight if he had some limited pwrs for these kind of special circumstances.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A DORNIER DO328 DISCOVERED THE ACFT FLT MANUAL MISSING DURING THEIR FIRST FLT OF THE DAY AND SUBSEQUENTLY OPERATED THE ACFT WITHOUT THE REQUIRED MANUAL BASED ON THE PERMISSION OF THE COMPANY'S VP.

Narrative: ON APR/XX/96, MY FO INFORMED ME THAT UPON HIS FIRST FLT OF THE DAY INSPECTION HE COULD NOT FIND THE ACFT FLT MANUAL FOR OUR DORNIER 328. I INSTRUCTED HIM TO LOOK EVERY PLACE WE COULD THINK OF TO LOCATE IT. WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT IT WAS NOT TO BE FOUND ON THE ACFT I WENT TO A PHONE AND CALLED OUR DISPATCH FOR ADVICE. THEY TOLD ME TO LOOK AGAIN AND THEY WOULD LOCATE AND ASK THE CREW THAT FLEW IN THE NIGHT BEFORE IF THEY KNEW WHERE IT WAS. THEY DID NOT AND HAD MISSED IT ON THEIR PREFLT. I SUGGESTED TO THEM TO LOCATE THE FO ON THE ORIGINAL FLT THE DAY BEFORE AND ASK HIM. BECAUSE THE AIRPLANE HAD COME OUT OF OUR MAINT BASE THE DAY BEFORE, THEY CHKED THERE AND FOUND IT IN THE HANGAR TO THE EMBARRASSMENT OF THE MECHS. BUT NOW WE HAD TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO AS WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FLY WITHOUT THIS BOOK. I CALLED FLT CTL AGAIN AND THEY TRIED TO CONTACT OUR DIRECTOR OF OPS WHO WAS FLYING AT THE TIME AND COULD NOT BE LOCATED. THEY THEN WENT UP 1 NOTCH IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND TO THE VP OF OPS AT HIS HOME AND THEY ASKED HIM WHAT OUR OPTIONS WERE AND HE SAID WE COULD GO BACK TO PIT WITHOUT IT ON HIS AUTH. AFTER WE GOT OFF THE PHONE I BEGAN TO THINK THAT HE MAY NOT HAVE THAT AUTH SO I HAD FLT CTL CALL HIM BACK AND ASK HIM IF HE HAD THAT AUTH. HE SAID HE DID SO I REQUESTED A HARD COPY VIA THE COMPUTER STATING THAT HE HAD THE AUTH TO ALLOW US TO GO BACK TO PIT. I WAS NOT SO SURE HE HAD THE AUTH BUT DECIDED WITH THE FO THAT ARGUMENT AT THIS POINT WOULD BE FRUITLESS. SO WITH OUR COPY OF HIS BLESSING WE PROCEEDED TO PIT UNEVENTFULLY. ON MAY/XX/96, I WAS ASKED BY THE PIT CHIEF PLT TO WRITE A STATEMENT REGARDING THE EVENTS OF APR/XX/96. IT SEEMS MR. X MAY NOT HAVE THE AUTH AND LIED TO US SO WE WOULD COMPLETE THE FLT. HE THEN DISCLOSED THE WHOLE THING TO THE FAA. I AM WRITING THIS NOW IN AN EFFORT TO STOP THIS KIND OF ACTION BY A VP AT THE EXPENSE OF FLCS. I AM TOLD THAT MY CREW IS NOT IN TROUBLE BUT AT LEAST 1 FO AND MAYBE THE VP ARE. I WAS ADVISED TO WRITE ASRS BECAUSE WE DO NOT KNOW AT THIS TIME WHERE THIS IS LEADING. FINALLY LET ME STATE THAT WE AS A CREW WERE NOT PREPARED TO GO WITHOUT THE AFM AND WE TRUSTED MR X AS VP TO BE HONEST WITH US. I DID NOT KNOW ON THAT EARLY MORNING PREFLT IF HE HAD SOME LIMITED PWRS FOR THESE KIND OF SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

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.