MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure
We were on placard manual start valve procedure. At ZZZ the mechanic opened both the start valve access panel on the right engine and later the cowling to successfully start the right engine at the gate. At approximately 5000 feet on takeoff we received an ACARS msg from dispatch to return to gate/ do not takeoff; that the mechanic is believed he had not closed the start valve access panel door (located inboard on the right engine). We also received a Load close out has been deleted message at the same time.The message was sent at our takeoff time... yet we received it several minutes later at approximately 5000 feet... Several minutes of critical delay. We also received another message from dispatch and noticed a 4 minute delay from the sent time stamp until it rolled off the ACARS printer.Ops should have the ATC tower phone number to expedite communications in time critical situations; instead of going through either load control or dispatch through the ACARS system. The ACARS seems to have too much delay.
MD80 Captain reported being advised in flight that an access panel may have been left open after engine start.