Narrative:

I was told by my company to deadhead from atl to lft, then catch a limo to ZZZ in order to pick up an airplane that had just been painted. Normally, when a test flight is involved, I am told/briefed of that fact. That was not done in this case. When we arrived at ZZZ we were told the plane was ready and given our release. There was nothing in the release indicating a test flight was needed. The route back to atl was new and WX was closing in (thunderstorms) so the first officer and I were concerned with checking the route of flight and WX along the route. The flight was uneventful. The next morning I received a call from the chief pilot informing me that there was a write-up on the aircraft requiring a test flight. Since I did not sign off the test flight, the following captain missed the write-up and conducted a revenue flight with the open write-up. The flight from ZZZ-atl was uneventful and qualified as a test flight, I just missed the write-up. Supplemental information from acn 533255: I was scheduled to fly a nap line in aircraft abcd from atl to gnv. The captain and I arrived at the aircraft at XA50 local time. I conducted the preflight and had no noted discrepancies. The captain and I checked the aircraft log and noted that it had just been flown from the paint shop. There were no open write-ups as indicated by the absence of the top white copy in the discrepancy log. The last write-up stated that the stabilizer was removed and reinstalled for painting and a test flight was required. In the corrective action block the stabilizer reinstallation was signed off. Since the aircraft that had been flown to atl was scheduled for a flight and the white corrective action copy of the log was gone, we reasoned that the test flight was signed off. The flight to gnv and return flight to atlanta was completed as scheduled. On dec/mon/01, XA00, the captain called me and said she was informed that we had flown the aircraft with the test flight not being signed off. It had been completed by the crew that flew it from the paint shop but they had forgotten to make the entry clearing it for flight. To prevent this in the future 'test flight required' write-ups should be made on a separate discrepancy logsheet any time components are removed and replaced and a test flight is required.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AT72 CREW NEGLECTED TO SIGN OFF A TEST FLT IN THE LOGBOOK. THE NEXT CREW MISSED THE ERROR AND FLEW A REVENUE FLT WITH THE ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS TOLD BY MY COMPANY TO DEADHEAD FROM ATL TO LFT, THEN CATCH A LIMO TO ZZZ IN ORDER TO PICK UP AN AIRPLANE THAT HAD JUST BEEN PAINTED. NORMALLY, WHEN A TEST FLT IS INVOLVED, I AM TOLD/BRIEFED OF THAT FACT. THAT WAS NOT DONE IN THIS CASE. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT ZZZ WE WERE TOLD THE PLANE WAS READY AND GIVEN OUR RELEASE. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE RELEASE INDICATING A TEST FLT WAS NEEDED. THE RTE BACK TO ATL WAS NEW AND WX WAS CLOSING IN (TSTMS) SO THE FO AND I WERE CONCERNED WITH CHKING THE RTE OF FLT AND WX ALONG THE RTE. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE NEXT MORNING I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE CHIEF PLT INFORMING ME THAT THERE WAS A WRITE-UP ON THE ACFT REQUIRING A TEST FLT. SINCE I DID NOT SIGN OFF THE TEST FLT, THE FOLLOWING CAPT MISSED THE WRITE-UP AND CONDUCTED A REVENUE FLT WITH THE OPEN WRITE-UP. THE FLT FROM ZZZ-ATL WAS UNEVENTFUL AND QUALIFIED AS A TEST FLT, I JUST MISSED THE WRITE-UP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 533255: I WAS SCHEDULED TO FLY A NAP LINE IN ACFT ABCD FROM ATL TO GNV. THE CAPT AND I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT AT XA50 LCL TIME. I CONDUCTED THE PREFLT AND HAD NO NOTED DISCREPANCIES. THE CAPT AND I CHKED THE ACFT LOG AND NOTED THAT IT HAD JUST BEEN FLOWN FROM THE PAINT SHOP. THERE WERE NO OPEN WRITE-UPS AS INDICATED BY THE ABSENCE OF THE TOP WHITE COPY IN THE DISCREPANCY LOG. THE LAST WRITE-UP STATED THAT THE STABILIZER WAS REMOVED AND REINSTALLED FOR PAINTING AND A TEST FLT WAS REQUIRED. IN THE CORRECTIVE ACTION BLOCK THE STABILIZER REINSTALLATION WAS SIGNED OFF. SINCE THE ACFT THAT HAD BEEN FLOWN TO ATL WAS SCHEDULED FOR A FLT AND THE WHITE CORRECTIVE ACTION COPY OF THE LOG WAS GONE, WE REASONED THAT THE TEST FLT WAS SIGNED OFF. THE FLT TO GNV AND RETURN FLT TO ATLANTA WAS COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED. ON DEC/MON/01, XA00, THE CAPT CALLED ME AND SAID SHE WAS INFORMED THAT WE HAD FLOWN THE ACFT WITH THE TEST FLT NOT BEING SIGNED OFF. IT HAD BEEN COMPLETED BY THE CREW THAT FLEW IT FROM THE PAINT SHOP BUT THEY HAD FORGOTTEN TO MAKE THE ENTRY CLRING IT FOR FLT. TO PREVENT THIS IN THE FUTURE 'TEST FLT REQUIRED' WRITE-UPS SHOULD BE MADE ON A SEPARATE DISCREPANCY LOGSHEET ANY TIME COMPONENTS ARE REMOVED AND REPLACED AND A TEST FLT IS REQUIRED.

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.