AN AS350-B2 HELICOPTER ENGINE WAS OPERATED 1% IN EXCEEDANCE OF THE ENGINE OPERATING MANUAL. DOCUMENTATION TO ALLOW OPERATION NOT DELIVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER.

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I WAS THE NIGHT DUTY PLT. WE WERE DISPATCHED FOR AN INTERHOSPITAL TRANSPORT AT ABOUT XXXX. DURING TKOF I NOTICED NG AND T4 WERE RELATIVELY HIGH FOR THE TORQUE SETTING AND THE BLEED VALVE HAD FAILED TO CLOSE. WE NOTIFIED DISPATCH WE WOULD BE ABORTING THE MISSION AND RETURNED TO THE HELIPAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. FLT TIME WAS SEVEN MINS. I CONTACTED THE ON CALL MECH; WHO HAPPENED TO BE THE COMPANY DIRECTOR OF MAINT. HE TOLD ME THE BLEED VALVE HAD BEEN REMOVED FOR MAINT TWO DAYS BEFORE. AND TO CHECK IT FOR LOOSE AIR LINES. I AM ALSO AN A&P MECH. I LOCATED A LOOSE AIR LINE FITTING ON THE BLEED VALVE AND TIGHTENED IT. I PERFORMED A FLT CHECK AND FOUND THE BLEED VALVE TO BE OPERATING 1% NG OUTSIDE THE LIMITS ALLOWED BY THE ENG MANUAL. I RECORDED THE POWER CHECK AND BLEED VALVE NUMBERS IN THE LOG BOOK AND NOTIFIED THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT THAT THEY WERE OUTSIDE THE LIMITS. THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT SAID THAT HE WOULD COME IN TO LOOK AT THE SHIP; AND THE DAY DUTY PLT REPLACED ME AFTER A BRIEF ON THE SITUATION. WHEN I RETURNED TO WORK THAT NIGHT; THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT. THE DAY PLT BRIEFED ME THAT THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT HAD SPOKEN WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM MANUFACTURER AND THE ACFT HAD BEEN APPROVED FOR RETURN TO SERVICE WITH THE BLEED VALVE OPERATION 1% OUT OF LIMITS. THIS WAS VALIDATED BY LOGBOOK ENTRIES. IN WAS DISPATCHED FOR AN INTERHOSPITAL TRANSFER AND DEPARTED. WE RETURNED FROM THE FLT TO LAND AT OUR BASE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ACFT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE MOVED WHILE MAINT WAS BEING PERFORMED ON THE COMPANY'S OTHER SHIP. SCHEDULES HAD BEEN ADJUSTED TO ACCOMMODATE MAINT OPS AND I WAS SCHEDULED TO BE THE DAY PLT. WHEN I REPORTED FOR WORK; I WAS TOLD THAT THE SHIP HAD BEEN GROUNDED DUE TO THE OUT OF TOLERANCE BLEED VALVE. MANUFACTURER DID NOT PRODUCE A LETTER ALLOWING CONTINUED OPS. THROUGH SOME MISCOM OR MISUNDERSTANDING THE ACFT WAS KEPT IN SERVICE AND USED TO CONDUCT PART 135 OPS WITH A DISCREPANT ENG COMPONENT.