A B727 WAS DISPATCHED WITH THE L WING AFT LIGHT INOP AND DEFERRED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE MEL.

Narrative

WE WERE OPERATING A SCHEDULED PART 121 CARGO FLT FROM VIENNA; AUSTRIA TO COLOGNE; GERMANY WITH AN ENRTE STOP AT NUREMBURG; GERMANY. DURING HIS PREFLT INSPECTION ON THE RAMP AT VIE; MY SO INFORMED ME THAT THE WHITE POS LIGHT LOCATED ON THE L-HAND WINGTIP (FACING REARWARD) WAS INOP. I WAS VERY BUSY WITH SEVERAL THINGS INVOLVING DEICE COORD; ENRTE CLRNCS; ON-TIME DEP CONCERNS; ETC. I CONSIDERED THIS PARTICULAR FE TO BE EXTREMELY COMPETENT AND SO I REQUESTED HIM TO REVIEW THE MEL AND BRIEF ME ON GO/NO-GO STATUS. HE DID SO; AND INFORMED ME THAT THIS ITEM COULD BE MEL'ED. A CONTRACT MECH WAS IN THE COCKPIT AND HE AGREED WITH THIS; AND PROCEEDED TO ENTER A SIGN- OFF IN THE LOGBOOK FOR THIS ITEM; REFING THE MEL. I DID NOT PERSONALLY READ THE MEL REF AS HAS BEEN MY HABIT; BUT ACCEPTED THE POS OF THE FE AND MECH. OUR COMPANY PROC ALLOWS US TO DEPART WITHOUT A CTL NUMBER FROM MAINT CTL AND GET THE NUMBER ENRTE; IF THE PROB IS DISCOVERED WITHIN 30 MINS OF DEP; AND ALL OTHER LOGBOOK/MEL PROCS HAVE BEEN COMPLIED WITH. WE DEPARTED FOR NUREMBURG AND REQUESTED THE ITEM CTL NUMBER VIA ACARS THAT THIS ITEM WAS A NO-GO ITEM FOR THE MEL FOR NIGHT OPS. WE WERE TOLD TO OVERFLY NUREMBURG AND PROCEEDED TO COLOGNE; AS NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE IN NUREMBURG. RESULT OF THIS WAS THAT I OPERATED THE ACFT IN AN UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION AND CAUSED THE COMPANY TO HAVE TO DISPATCH AN ADDITIONAL ACFT TO NUREMBURG.