Narrative:

Failure to obtain and log the first flight of the day. After reaching the airport this morning, discovered that my relief pilot (from yesterday's trip to ZZZ) and I had been assigned to fly flight from ZZZ to ZZZ1. Our original sequence was a turnaround ZZZ2-ZZZ-ZZZ2 with an augmented crew. After a substantial mechanical delay in ZZZ2, we got a second airplane, flew to ZZZ and arrived too late to be legal for the return. After learning that our return trip had been stubbed out, the first officer was released by crew tracking and left ZZZ for jfk. The relief pilot and I headed for the layover hotel last night and arrived back at the airport this morning expecting to deadhead home to ZZZ2. Fortunately, we were both in uniform and ready to go to work. When checking the flight plan I remarked that the aircraft we were assigned to fly was equipped with the X automation system. To be perfectly honest, I've not flown that system often enough to be completely comfortable with it -- especially the preflight, and now the first officer was about to have his first look at one. No problem --the aircraft had arrived last night and was probably at the gate. When we arrived at the departure lounge, I was met by the captain and first officer who had flown the aircraft down yesterday and it seems that they too had arrived a bit late and were 5 mins short of having a legal layover. This was the reason for our reassignment. They were now going to be deadheading with us to ZZZ to cover their layover and continue their 3-DAY sequence. We chatted for a min or so and decided that an on-time departure from ZZZ must be very important -- since he could have flown his own trip by simply leaving 5 mins late. I realize that there is often much more to the big picture than this, but that was my sense of the situation this morning. All in all, this was a good deal for both me and first officer my. He was somewhat new to the B757/767 operation. He'd get to fly a leg and log a landing. After being cleared aboard the airplane by the gate agent -- you know, playing the ns (I'm who I think I am and he's who he's supposed to be) game (I know the captain and first officer can now somehow check each other, but she had not received that change and since it only takes a few seconds, no fuss from us, here's my identify and mug shot from 12 yrs ago, let me know if you need any help from us). We met the flight attendants and I conducted a very short security briefing with most of them. They were a crew that I had never worked with an I wanted to cover the basics of normal emergencys, terrorist threats, cockpit door procedures, etc. While I did that, the first officer did the initial cockpit inspection and headed outside to conduct the exterior preflight. By the time he got back to continue setting up X automation system, the deadheading captain was aboard and offered the first officer his computer expertise. While he was a big help, I tried keeping up with what they were doing, and at the same time review the logbook and yes, I noticed that the required security paper was missing. In hindsight, I should have immediately called operations and got that ball rolling. At the time I had higher priorities - x- system being set up by a new first officer with help from another crew member that I'd never met before and my checking a route that I had never flown before, being among them. I figured that it (the first flight of the day security check paperwork) would arrive before we left and I'd enter it in the logbook en route. The deadheading captain left for his seat in the cabin. We ran the checklist, discussed the relatively light weight of the aircraft, the need to contact the tower prior to pushback on our particular gate, and the departure. I had just enough time remaining to reacquaint myself with X system --its time to leave, unstrap my seatbelt, remove my headset, grab a bottle of water and 2 cups from the flight attendant bar and door, redo the seat, seatbelt, shoulder harness and headset, and off we go. Yes, an on-time departure, but that security paperwork is long forgotten. We arrived in ZZZ1 without incident and concluded our flight. The plan was for me to deadhead home to ZZZ2, the first officer to get released in ZZZ1. Wheni was on the jetbridge boarding my flight home, a supervisor found me and queried me, that perhaps I'd forgotten to enter the first flight of the day security check on our airplane. Since that had not been done, they were likely taking a delay to accomplish a first flight of the day check. There is certainly no viable excuse on my part for leaving ZZZ without the required paperwork which resulted in me not making the required logbook entries. I've tried to explain my error due to the overall situation and distrs as noted above. However, I must continue to put reality ahead of paperwork when it comes to priorities in the cockpit and having said that, I will do my best to accomplish all of the new security requirements. At some point in this debrief, I must ask the question: does having that paperwork mean that the security check was accomplished, or are they 2 separate tasks? Yrs ago, I called for a required water slip and was shortly thereafter given the required slip by a man who told me that the water tanks would be filled shortly. Finally, I can't help but wonder what would have happened, what the response would have been in ZZZ, if I would have remembered to ask for that paperwork. I suppose, again in hindsight, that the ZZZ1 supervisor could have had that first flight of the day security check paperwork faxed to her location, presented to me, and then I could have signed the book. Yes, that might have made everything right and they would have saved a 6 min delay.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757-200 CAPT DID NOT GET 'FIRST FLT OF THE DAY' ACFT SEARCH SECURITY PAPERWORK FROM THE DEP STATION.

Narrative: FAILURE TO OBTAIN AND LOG THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY. AFTER REACHING THE ARPT THIS MORNING, DISCOVERED THAT MY RELIEF PLT (FROM YESTERDAY'S TRIP TO ZZZ) AND I HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO FLY FLT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1. OUR ORIGINAL SEQUENCE WAS A TURNAROUND ZZZ2-ZZZ-ZZZ2 WITH AN AUGMENTED CREW. AFTER A SUBSTANTIAL MECHANICAL DELAY IN ZZZ2, WE GOT A SECOND AIRPLANE, FLEW TO ZZZ AND ARRIVED TOO LATE TO BE LEGAL FOR THE RETURN. AFTER LEARNING THAT OUR RETURN TRIP HAD BEEN STUBBED OUT, THE FO WAS RELEASED BY CREW TRACKING AND LEFT ZZZ FOR JFK. THE RELIEF PLT AND I HEADED FOR THE LAYOVER HOTEL LAST NIGHT AND ARRIVED BACK AT THE ARPT THIS MORNING EXPECTING TO DEADHEAD HOME TO ZZZ2. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE BOTH IN UNIFORM AND READY TO GO TO WORK. WHEN CHKING THE FLT PLAN I REMARKED THAT THE ACFT WE WERE ASSIGNED TO FLY WAS EQUIPPED WITH THE X AUTOMATION SYS. TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST, I'VE NOT FLOWN THAT SYS OFTEN ENOUGH TO BE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH IT -- ESPECIALLY THE PREFLT, AND NOW THE FO WAS ABOUT TO HAVE HIS FIRST LOOK AT ONE. NO PROB --THE ACFT HAD ARRIVED LAST NIGHT AND WAS PROBABLY AT THE GATE. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE DEP LOUNGE, I WAS MET BY THE CAPT AND FO WHO HAD FLOWN THE ACFT DOWN YESTERDAY AND IT SEEMS THAT THEY TOO HAD ARRIVED A BIT LATE AND WERE 5 MINS SHORT OF HAVING A LEGAL LAYOVER. THIS WAS THE REASON FOR OUR REASSIGNMENT. THEY WERE NOW GOING TO BE DEADHEADING WITH US TO ZZZ TO COVER THEIR LAYOVER AND CONTINUE THEIR 3-DAY SEQUENCE. WE CHATTED FOR A MIN OR SO AND DECIDED THAT AN ON-TIME DEP FROM ZZZ MUST BE VERY IMPORTANT -- SINCE HE COULD HAVE FLOWN HIS OWN TRIP BY SIMPLY LEAVING 5 MINS LATE. I REALIZE THAT THERE IS OFTEN MUCH MORE TO THE BIG PICTURE THAN THIS, BUT THAT WAS MY SENSE OF THE SIT THIS MORNING. ALL IN ALL, THIS WAS A GOOD DEAL FOR BOTH ME AND FO MY. HE WAS SOMEWHAT NEW TO THE B757/767 OP. HE'D GET TO FLY A LEG AND LOG A LNDG. AFTER BEING CLRED ABOARD THE AIRPLANE BY THE GATE AGENT -- YOU KNOW, PLAYING THE NS (I'M WHO I THINK I AM AND HE'S WHO HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE) GAME (I KNOW THE CAPT AND FO CAN NOW SOMEHOW CHK EACH OTHER, BUT SHE HAD NOT RECEIVED THAT CHANGE AND SINCE IT ONLY TAKES A FEW SECONDS, NO FUSS FROM US, HERE'S MY IDENT AND MUG SHOT FROM 12 YRS AGO, LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY HELP FROM US). WE MET THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND I CONDUCTED A VERY SHORT SECURITY BRIEFING WITH MOST OF THEM. THEY WERE A CREW THAT I HAD NEVER WORKED WITH AN I WANTED TO COVER THE BASICS OF NORMAL EMERS, TERRORIST THREATS, COCKPIT DOOR PROCS, ETC. WHILE I DID THAT, THE FO DID THE INITIAL COCKPIT INSPECTION AND HEADED OUTSIDE TO CONDUCT THE EXTERIOR PREFLT. BY THE TIME HE GOT BACK TO CONTINUE SETTING UP X AUTOMATION SYS, THE DEADHEADING CAPT WAS ABOARD AND OFFERED THE FO HIS COMPUTER EXPERTISE. WHILE HE WAS A BIG HELP, I TRIED KEEPING UP WITH WHAT THEY WERE DOING, AND AT THE SAME TIME REVIEW THE LOGBOOK AND YES, I NOTICED THAT THE REQUIRED SECURITY PAPER WAS MISSING. IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY CALLED OPS AND GOT THAT BALL ROLLING. AT THE TIME I HAD HIGHER PRIORITIES - X- SYS BEING SET UP BY A NEW FO WITH HELP FROM ANOTHER CREW MEMBER THAT I'D NEVER MET BEFORE AND MY CHKING A RTE THAT I HAD NEVER FLOWN BEFORE, BEING AMONG THEM. I FIGURED THAT IT (THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY SECURITY CHK PAPERWORK) WOULD ARRIVE BEFORE WE LEFT AND I'D ENTER IT IN THE LOGBOOK ENRTE. THE DEADHEADING CAPT LEFT FOR HIS SEAT IN THE CABIN. WE RAN THE CHKLIST, DISCUSSED THE RELATIVELY LIGHT WT OF THE ACFT, THE NEED TO CONTACT THE TWR PRIOR TO PUSHBACK ON OUR PARTICULAR GATE, AND THE DEP. I HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME REMAINING TO REACQUAINT MYSELF WITH X SYS --ITS TIME TO LEAVE, UNSTRAP MY SEATBELT, REMOVE MY HEADSET, GRAB A BOTTLE OF WATER AND 2 CUPS FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT BAR AND DOOR, REDO THE SEAT, SEATBELT, SHOULDER HARNESS AND HEADSET, AND OFF WE GO. YES, AN ON-TIME DEP, BUT THAT SECURITY PAPERWORK IS LONG FORGOTTEN. WE ARRIVED IN ZZZ1 WITHOUT INCIDENT AND CONCLUDED OUR FLT. THE PLAN WAS FOR ME TO DEADHEAD HOME TO ZZZ2, THE FO TO GET RELEASED IN ZZZ1. WHENI WAS ON THE JETBRIDGE BOARDING MY FLT HOME, A SUPVR FOUND ME AND QUERIED ME, THAT PERHAPS I'D FORGOTTEN TO ENTER THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY SECURITY CHK ON OUR AIRPLANE. SINCE THAT HAD NOT BEEN DONE, THEY WERE LIKELY TAKING A DELAY TO ACCOMPLISH A FIRST FLT OF THE DAY CHK. THERE IS CERTAINLY NO VIABLE EXCUSE ON MY PART FOR LEAVING ZZZ WITHOUT THE REQUIRED PAPERWORK WHICH RESULTED IN ME NOT MAKING THE REQUIRED LOGBOOK ENTRIES. I'VE TRIED TO EXPLAIN MY ERROR DUE TO THE OVERALL SIT AND DISTRS AS NOTED ABOVE. HOWEVER, I MUST CONTINUE TO PUT REALITY AHEAD OF PAPERWORK WHEN IT COMES TO PRIORITIES IN THE COCKPIT AND HAVING SAID THAT, I WILL DO MY BEST TO ACCOMPLISH ALL OF THE NEW SECURITY REQUIREMENTS. AT SOME POINT IN THIS DEBRIEF, I MUST ASK THE QUESTION: DOES HAVING THAT PAPERWORK MEAN THAT THE SECURITY CHK WAS ACCOMPLISHED, OR ARE THEY 2 SEPARATE TASKS? YRS AGO, I CALLED FOR A REQUIRED WATER SLIP AND WAS SHORTLY THEREAFTER GIVEN THE REQUIRED SLIP BY A MAN WHO TOLD ME THAT THE WATER TANKS WOULD BE FILLED SHORTLY. FINALLY, I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED, WHAT THE RESPONSE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN ZZZ, IF I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED TO ASK FOR THAT PAPERWORK. I SUPPOSE, AGAIN IN HINDSIGHT, THAT THE ZZZ1 SUPVR COULD HAVE HAD THAT FIRST FLT OF THE DAY SECURITY CHK PAPERWORK FAXED TO HER LOCATION, PRESENTED TO ME, AND THEN I COULD HAVE SIGNED THE BOOK. YES, THAT MIGHT HAVE MADE EVERYTHING RIGHT AND THEY WOULD HAVE SAVED A 6 MIN DELAY.

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.