A300
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness; Confusion
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Aircraft; MEL
Aircraft had MEL 36-11-03 HP Bleed Air Valves (#1) inop. During taxi out for takeoff; we got a single chime and the left ECAM displayed:AIR BLEED 1 HP VALVE STUCK OPEN (Amber)-AIR X FEED....................MAN-AIR X FEED....................IN LINE-BLEED VALVE 1.............OFFrThe Right ECAM displayed Bleed picture with the line from High Pressure (HP) to Intermediate Pressure (IP) from # 1 Engine Amber but inline; even though the HP switch was Off. The MEL calls for the HP bleed valve to be secured CLOSED. There is verbiage in the MEL that the associated PACK Valve may fault due to insufficient flow. We did not get a PACK fault at any time during this event. The MEL does not indicate that you may get an HP Bleed stuck open after being secured closed. I stopped the taxi in order to confer with maintenance about whether this was a normal indication. The Maintenance Center rep indicated that it could be normal so we concluded the call at which point I called the ZZZ Ramp and talked to Maintenance. The ZZZ station is the place the work took place so I spoke with the mechanic to make sure the HP valve was secured closed per the MEL. Maintenance stated that it was secured Closed so we then continued taxi and departed.Airbus Systems Manual 21-4-0-2 Item #8 indicates that a manually closed valve should be Amber cross-line on ECAM; not Amber in-line. Was the valve manually secured open instead of closed?[Recommendations]Would be helpful if the MEL had more amplifying remarks about ECAMS and other indications that may occur. It isn't clear that an ECAM stating that the HP valve is stuck open after being deferred closed is a possible indication you may get.
Reporter stated with the High Stage valve for the #1 engine manually closed that the ECAM should show Cross-lines across the Flow lines indicating it was closed. It did not; the ECAM indicated the valve was open. Reporter stated the valve was verified manually closed and MEL was ambiguous as to what the ECAM indication should be.The Reporter felt that the MEL needs to be more precise as to what the indications should be in the cockpit when a high stage valve is manually closed.
An A300 #1 Engine High Stage valve was manually closed Per the MEL but the indication on the ECAM showed the valve open which created confusion for the flight crew. The MEL was ambiguous as to what the flight deck indications should be.