Incident Overview
On 13 February 2020, a Boeing 737-800-86J, registration SP-ENW, was preparing for a passenger flight from Marrakesh Menara Airport (GMMX) to Milan Malpensa (LIMC). During pushback from the parking stand, the flight crew attempted to start the right engine (engine #2). The crew noted that the expected 'START VALVE OPEN' indication did not illuminate and that no N2 rotation was observed. In response, they executed the procedure for an aborted engine start.
Failed Start Attempts
After pushback was completed, the crew made a second attempt to start engine #2. During this attempt, the 'START VALVE OPEN' indication did activate, but the N2 rotation increased only to approximately 9%. The crew again aborted the start process. Following this, the aircraft was returned to the parking stand.
Maintenance Action
Ground maintenance personnel were called to inspect the aircraft. They cleared the aircraft for flight using an Acceptable Deferred Defect (ADD) procedure under Minimum Equipment List (MEL) item 80.1.2. The aircraft subsequently operated a flight the following day, after which the faulty valve was replaced with a new component.
Cause
The investigation determined that the incident was caused by a malfunction of the engine #2 start valve.
Contributing Factors
No contributing factors were identified.
Safety Actions
No preventive actions or safety recommendations were made by the investigating body or the operator.