? verification of incident from mid80's ?
Query mentions case from mid-1980's, and asks for verification:
"... the pilot discovered that he had left his cabin crew behind at the airport."
This case was taught regularly during recurrent training. Since FSF publications mostly avoided mention of operator (airline), it would be difficult to now find specific airline/date. Unless a passenger reported the case to the press, there might be no newspaper story available (online-newspaper search yield NO press stories on this case).
During the '80's there were various reporting systems aside from ASRS (eg, BASIS, and other company-based compilations of incident-reports). The current ASRS online-report library does NOT include any such case from 1982-1985. The old ASRS hardcopy "report-sets" (eg, Cabin Safety ASRS reports, or ASRS' CRM pilot-reports) covering the years '83 & '84, might include the specific ASRS report (details-deleted to protect the reporter/airline).
Another tactic might be to search for the origin of the CHECKLIST's "Cabin Ready" report from the "A"-Stew' (or Purser or Lead FA) to the pilots. This requirement was added sometime about the '80s or '90's. Also, there was an added requirement for FA's to be onboard an airliner PRIOR to boarding pax.
I suspect there were multiple such incidents of a narrowbody airliner departing with no FA's -- picture a hub, late-flights, pilots rushing to next outbound aircraft, agents (dressed-up to appear similar to FAs) pressed by manager to complete "boarding" and then the AGENT closes the L-1 Door as usual, maybe an OAL uniformed FA riding as passenger, rushed pilots finish Before Start Check and look back to see all passengers seated and Overhead Bins CLOSED, pilots check for all DOORs CLOSED indication, then pilots pull the Cockpit Door CLOSED and request PUSHBACK clearance.