The plane was not ETOPS capable. It was not a certification issue.
I've seen photos with 'ETOPS' on the fuselage. Medium/pale blue, vertically aligned above the small nose gear door's forward edge.
As far as signing for a jet - if mx missed something in the heavy C check are you responsible? Didn't you just say you signed for the airplane? So saying someone signed for the airplane is a statement that doesn't cover all situations.
"But there's probably lots of holes in the swiss cheese, and from an operational perspective, a sub-fleet can be challenging, particularly when it's new for everyone."