AN ACR B727 PIC VOICES HIS CONCERNS WITH CONTINUING HIS FLT WITHOUT ENTERING THE INOP ENG START VALVE IN THE LOGBOOK AND HAVING MAINT SIGN IT OFF.

Narrative

AFTER COMPLETION OF CHKLISTS; COPLT CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY TO NOTIFY THEM OF OUR INTENTION TO PUSH BACK. THEY INFORMED US THAT THERE WAS A GND STOP ON ALL TFC TO LGA. THE COMPANY WANTED US TO PUSH BACK ON TIME; SO THE ACFT WAS PUSHED CLR OF THE GATE AND WE SAT MONITORING GND FOR OUR RELEASE. AFTER APPROX 65 MINS WE WERE CLRED TO START ENGS IN ANTICIPATION OF BEING RELEASED. SELECTING #1 ENG FOR START; THE START VALVE FAILED TO OPEN. MAINT WAS CALLED; COM WAS SET UP FOR A MANUAL START WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED AS PER OUR ABNORMAL CHKLIST. THE OTHER ENGS WERE STARTED NORMALLY AND THE FLT PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO LGA. ENRTE TO LGA; I BEGAN TO RETHINK MY DECISION TO GO WITHOUT HAVING A MAINT CARRYOVER ITEM PLACED IN THE LOGBOOK. IN MY HASTE TO DELIVER MY PAX (WHO WERE ALREADY DELAYED OVER AN HR) I HAD MISREAD MY FLT OPS MANUAL -- THINKING SINCE I WAS OFF THE GATE; I COULD WRITE UP THE START VALVE ENRTE AND HAVE IT FIXED IN LGA. ALTHOUGH THE MAINT MAN IN BOSTON ASSURED ME WE WERE OK TO GO; I FEEL I SHOULD HAVE INSISTED ON HIS 'SIGNOFF' OR AT LEAST HIS PLACARDING OF THE #1 START VALVE AS INOP. EVEN THOUGH THIS INCIDENT IS MORE OF A PAPERWORK ITEM THAN A SAFETY ITEM; I WILL NOT BE IN SUCH A HURRY THE NEXT TIME.