Narrative:

I was asked by the owner of a cessna 340 if I would fly the aircraft and list any discrepancies. I told him that I would fly the plane from palwaukee, il, to bloomington, il, for the weekend. The aircraft went into its annual inspection in november 2002. The work was being performed by the owner's personal mechanic. The work was finished by mid march 2003, and I spoke to the mechanic a number of times about the airplane. He told me that he had replaced 1 cylinder on the right engine. He said that he ran the engine and it checked out ok. He told me that the annual was complete and that he was looking for someone to fly the plane since the owner never flies the plane. On jun/sun/03, I went out to the hangar where the plane was kept and where the full time mechanic's office was located. I was expecting to see the mechanic there to discuss flying the airplane. When I arrived, he was not there. I called his cell phone trying to get in touch with him, but was unsuccessful. I thoroughly inspected the airplane and made sure that the required paperwork and airworthiness certificate was on the airplane. When I went to check the logbooks that were stored in the mechanic's office, I found that my key did not work and the locks had been changed on the office door. I again tried to call the mechanic once again, thinking that he may have gone to lunch, but still was unsuccessful. After being at the hangar waiting for the mechanic to return for more than 3 hours, I decided to fly the plane to bloomington, il. The flight went good and the airplane was running great. After landing at the bloomington, il airport, I looked the plane over and could find nothing wrong. I flew the plane back to palwaukee, il, on jun/tue/03. On jun/sat/03, the owner told me that the mechanic said that he had not signed the aircraft logbook stating that the annual inspection had been complete even though he has been asking people to fly the plane for the past 3 months. He led both the owner and myself to believe that the annual was complete and the paperwork was filled out. Since the mechanic is privately employed by the owner of the cessna 340 and is the only mechanic that is employed by the owner. I had no reason to doubt the owner or the mechanic. In my yrs of flying I have never heard of an annual inspection with no major items to replace to take 8 months to complete. I feel that I was mislead into flying this aircraft and that the mechanic was not doing the job that an ia a&P is licensed to perform.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C340 PLT WAS ASKED TO TEST FLY THE ACFT AFTER AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE PLT LATER FOUND THE INSPECTING MECH HAD NOT SIGNED FOR THE ANNUAL INSPECTION IN THE ACFT LOGBOOKS.

Narrative: I WAS ASKED BY THE OWNER OF A CESSNA 340 IF I WOULD FLY THE ACFT AND LIST ANY DISCREPANCIES. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD FLY THE PLANE FROM PALWAUKEE, IL, TO BLOOMINGTON, IL, FOR THE WEEKEND. THE ACFT WENT INTO ITS ANNUAL INSPECTION IN NOVEMBER 2002. THE WORK WAS BEING PERFORMED BY THE OWNER'S PERSONAL MECH. THE WORK WAS FINISHED BY MID MARCH 2003, AND I SPOKE TO THE MECH A NUMBER OF TIMES ABOUT THE AIRPLANE. HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD REPLACED 1 CYLINDER ON THE R ENG. HE SAID THAT HE RAN THE ENG AND IT CHKED OUT OK. HE TOLD ME THAT THE ANNUAL WAS COMPLETE AND THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO FLY THE PLANE SINCE THE OWNER NEVER FLIES THE PLANE. ON JUN/SUN/03, I WENT OUT TO THE HANGAR WHERE THE PLANE WAS KEPT AND WHERE THE FULL TIME MECH'S OFFICE WAS LOCATED. I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE THE MECH THERE TO DISCUSS FLYING THE AIRPLANE. WHEN I ARRIVED, HE WAS NOT THERE. I CALLED HIS CELL PHONE TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. I THOROUGHLY INSPECTED THE AIRPLANE AND MADE SURE THAT THE REQUIRED PAPERWORK AND AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE WAS ON THE AIRPLANE. WHEN I WENT TO CHK THE LOGBOOKS THAT WERE STORED IN THE MECH'S OFFICE, I FOUND THAT MY KEY DID NOT WORK AND THE LOCKS HAD BEEN CHANGED ON THE OFFICE DOOR. I AGAIN TRIED TO CALL THE MECH ONCE AGAIN, THINKING THAT HE MAY HAVE GONE TO LUNCH, BUT STILL WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. AFTER BEING AT THE HANGAR WAITING FOR THE MECH TO RETURN FOR MORE THAN 3 HRS, I DECIDED TO FLY THE PLANE TO BLOOMINGTON, IL. THE FLT WENT GOOD AND THE AIRPLANE WAS RUNNING GREAT. AFTER LNDG AT THE BLOOMINGTON, IL ARPT, I LOOKED THE PLANE OVER AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. I FLEW THE PLANE BACK TO PALWAUKEE, IL, ON JUN/TUE/03. ON JUN/SAT/03, THE OWNER TOLD ME THAT THE MECH SAID THAT HE HAD NOT SIGNED THE ACFT LOGBOOK STATING THAT THE ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN COMPLETE EVEN THOUGH HE HAS BEEN ASKING PEOPLE TO FLY THE PLANE FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS. HE LED BOTH THE OWNER AND MYSELF TO BELIEVE THAT THE ANNUAL WAS COMPLETE AND THE PAPERWORK WAS FILLED OUT. SINCE THE MECH IS PRIVATELY EMPLOYED BY THE OWNER OF THE CESSNA 340 AND IS THE ONLY MECH THAT IS EMPLOYED BY THE OWNER. I HAD NO REASON TO DOUBT THE OWNER OR THE MECH. IN MY YRS OF FLYING I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF AN ANNUAL INSPECTION WITH NO MAJOR ITEMS TO REPLACE TO TAKE 8 MONTHS TO COMPLETE. I FEEL THAT I WAS MISLEAD INTO FLYING THIS ACFT AND THAT THE MECH WAS NOT DOING THE JOB THAT AN IA A&P IS LICENSED TO PERFORM.

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.