A B727 was dispatched with an open logbook item entered after the maintenance release was signed.

Attributes
ACN	399945
Time
Date	199804
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	399945
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

I released air carrier aircraft a B727 and carried the maintenance release and log book to the flight deck. Between XA16 and the actual time of dispatch, another log item was opened against my aircraft. The flight # was xxy bound for houston. There is no history of this item other than it showed open as log #5. Log #5 concerned a left wing white position light. Both white position lights were operating normally when I did my walkaround. The flight crew made no mention of an inoperative navigation light to me. I contacted maintenance control upon finding out my maintenance release had been broken. Upon finding out, I re- released aircraft before it lifted off. Today 4/xb/98, I pulled up a history, once again I found no mention of the 'left wing position light' being inoperative.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 WAS DISPATCHED WITH AN OPEN LOGBOOK ITEM ENTERED AFTER THE MAINT RELEASE WAS SIGNED.

Narrative: I RELEASED ACR ACFT A B727 AND CARRIED THE MAINT RELEASE AND LOG BOOK TO THE FLT DECK. BETWEEN XA16 AND THE ACTUAL TIME OF DISPATCH, ANOTHER LOG ITEM WAS OPENED AGAINST MY ACFT. THE FLT # WAS XXY BOUND FOR HOUSTON. THERE IS NO HISTORY OF THIS ITEM OTHER THAN IT SHOWED OPEN AS LOG #5. LOG #5 CONCERNED A L WING WHITE POSITION LIGHT. BOTH WHITE POSITION LIGHTS WERE OPERATING NORMALLY WHEN I DID MY WALKAROUND. THE FLT CREW MADE NO MENTION OF AN INOP NAV LIGHT TO ME. I CONTACTED MAINT CTL UPON FINDING OUT MY MAINT RELEASE HAD BEEN BROKEN. UPON FINDING OUT, I RE- RELEASED ACFT BEFORE IT LIFTED OFF. TODAY 4/XB/98, I PULLED UP A HISTORY, ONCE AGAIN I FOUND NO MENTION OF THE 'L WING POSITION LIGHT' BEING INOP.

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.