A B727-100 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE #1 ENG COWL ANTI-ICE VALVE DEFERRED OPEN USING THE INCORRECT MEL REF.

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DURING ACFT PREFLT OF B727 XYZ; THE FE DISCOVERED THE #1 ENG COWL ANTI-ICE VALVE FAILED CLOSED AS INDICATED BY THE ABSENCE OF PROPER LIGHT INDICATIONS ON THE ANTI-ICE CTL PANEL. MAINT WAS PROMPTLY NOTIFIED; AND THE MALFUNCTION WAS PLACED INTO THE ACFT MAINT LOG WHEN I (CAPT) ARRIVED. MAINT TROUBLESHOT THE PROB AND OBSERVED ALL ANTI-ICE VALVES FUNCTIONED PROPERLY; TO INCLUDE THE #1 COWL ANTI-ICE VALVE. HOWEVER; THE COCKPIT INDICATION CONTINUED TO SHOW THE #1 COWL ANTI-ICE VALVE CLOSED. LINE MAINT COORDINATED WITH MAINT OPS CTL CTR AND CONCLUDED THAT THE ACFT COULD BE FLOWN WITH THE #1 ENG COWL ANTI-ICE VALVE SECURED OPEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH MEL XX-YY(C). THIS MEL ALLOWED FOR OPS EXCEPT IN ICING CONDITIONS. OUR FLT HAD NO FORECAST FOR ICING FROM ZZZ-XXX-YYY. ACFT XYZ WAS RELEASED; THE ACFT LOGBOOK SIGNED; AND RETURNED TO THE CREW. WHEN ADVISED THAT THE ACFT WOULD BE RELEASED WITH THE #1 ENG COWL ANTI-ICE VALVE OPEN; I DISCUSSED WITH THE CREW THE ISSUE OF THIS OP. OUR LIMITATIONS REQUIRE MAX TKOF PWR; SO WE EXPECTED THAT. ONCE THE MEL WAS RETURNED TO THE CREW; I REVIEWED THE RELEASING MEL FOR AN OPEN ANTI-ICE VALVE ON MODIFIED ENGS (WVWX) AND INADVERTENTLY CONCLUDED THAT THIS WAS THE CORRECT ACTION. IN FACT; IF I HAD TURNED 2 MORE PAGES; I WOULD HAVE FOUND MEL XX-YY(E). THIS PAGE (THE LAST PAGE OF THE MEL XX-YY) IDENTS AN EXCEPTION FOR WVWX ENG OP WITH THE COWL ANTI-ICE VALVE OPEN. IT ALSO REFS YOU TO GO TO MEL XX-YY(A) FOR OP WITH THE VALVE CLOSED. BOTH MEL XX-YY(C)&(A) ARE FLAGGED ITEMS. MEL XX-YY(E) IS NOT FLAGGED. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS: THIS ACFT WAS TO CONTINUE FROM OUR DEST OMA TO DEN AND LGB. I THOUGHT THAT THE 'OPEN' VALVE CONDITION WOULD ENSURE COMPLETION OF THE FOLLOWING FLTS IF WX WAS ENCOUNTERED; ERGO; MISSION SUCCESS DOWNLINE. DECISIONS: FOLLOWING ACCEPTANCE OF THE ACFT FROM MAINT OPS CTL CTR AND LINE MAINT; I CONTACTED ABC OPS CTL CTR FOR ACCEPTANCE OF THE ACFT STATUS AND RECEIVED TIME AND INITIALS FROM THE MAINT CTLR. WE PROCEEDED NORMALLY TO TAKE OFF WITH MAX PWR AND NOTED THE HIGHER THAN NORMAL EGT ON #1 ENG COMPARED TO THE #3 ENG AS THIS WAS EXPECTED.