Narrative:

During preflight the flight engineer reported #2 fuel heat valve would not close, called maintenance. A man showed up in about 15 mins. Said it was shift change and left. Next guy shows up 20 mins later. I suggested we try running the engine. He said it would not help. He reported that the valve was inoperative, but we could placard it. I reviewed the MEL and agreed to do that. He seemed to not fully understand the procedure, so I called maintenance headquarters and had them confer with one of the maintenance people. They returned later with the log signed off. At this time, I specifically asked if the valve had been safetywired shut, and pointed to the MEL requirements. He said that all of the MEL requirements had been taken care of, but would not say the words I was looking for, which were yes I safety wired the valve shut. He continued to reassure me that everything had been done, so we departed. After taxi to runway 35L, we did a brief runup and the oil temperature was normal and it was still normal just after takeoff. During the climb, the temperature rose into the yellow arc. We turned back direct to dfw, declared an emergency. After the 15 min limit in the yellow arc, we shut down the #2 engine per procedure. We dumped 7000- 8000 pounds of fuel and made an uneventful landing at dfw. A maintenance supervisor met the flight. I told him that I didn't believe the valve had been safetywired, and that I wanted to know if it had been. He left never to return. My first officer saw the valve just after it was removed later, it was not safetywired -- it could have been before they removed it but it seems unlikely. It also seems highly unlikely that the valve could be open if it were safetywired. The mechanics disregard for the MEL requirements created a situation that was very dangerous and I cannot understand his failure to follow the correct procedures. His evasive behavior leads me to believe that he knew what he was doing and chose to ignore my requests and the MEL instructions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 ACFT FUEL HEAT VALVE WOULDN'T CLOSE ON PREFLT. MAINT MEL'ED THE VALVE, BUT FAILED TO WIRE IT SHUT AS REQUESTED BY RPTR CAPT. AFTER TKOF, OIL TEMP CLBED INTO DANGER AREA, ENG WAS SHUT DOWN, EMER DECLARED, FUEL DUMPED AND ACFT RETURN LAND.

Narrative: DURING PREFLT THE FE RPTED #2 FUEL HEAT VALVE WOULD NOT CLOSE, CALLED MAINT. A MAN SHOWED UP IN ABOUT 15 MINS. SAID IT WAS SHIFT CHANGE AND LEFT. NEXT GUY SHOWS UP 20 MINS LATER. I SUGGESTED WE TRY RUNNING THE ENG. HE SAID IT WOULD NOT HELP. HE RPTED THAT THE VALVE WAS INOP, BUT WE COULD PLACARD IT. I REVIEWED THE MEL AND AGREED TO DO THAT. HE SEEMED TO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PROC, SO I CALLED MAINT HEADQUARTERS AND HAD THEM CONFER WITH ONE OF THE MAINT PEOPLE. THEY RETURNED LATER WITH THE LOG SIGNED OFF. AT THIS TIME, I SPECIFICALLY ASKED IF THE VALVE HAD BEEN SAFETYWIRED SHUT, AND POINTED TO THE MEL REQUIREMENTS. HE SAID THAT ALL OF THE MEL REQUIREMENTS HAD BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, BUT WOULD NOT SAY THE WORDS I WAS LOOKING FOR, WHICH WERE YES I SAFETY WIRED THE VALVE SHUT. HE CONTINUED TO REASSURE ME THAT EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DONE, SO WE DEPARTED. AFTER TAXI TO RWY 35L, WE DID A BRIEF RUNUP AND THE OIL TEMP WAS NORMAL AND IT WAS STILL NORMAL JUST AFTER TKOF. DURING THE CLB, THE TEMP ROSE INTO THE YELLOW ARC. WE TURNED BACK DIRECT TO DFW, DECLARED AN EMER. AFTER THE 15 MIN LIMIT IN THE YELLOW ARC, WE SHUT DOWN THE #2 ENG PER PROC. WE DUMPED 7000- 8000 LBS OF FUEL AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT DFW. A MAINT SUPVR MET THE FLT. I TOLD HIM THAT I DIDN'T BELIEVE THE VALVE HAD BEEN SAFETYWIRED, AND THAT I WANTED TO KNOW IF IT HAD BEEN. HE LEFT NEVER TO RETURN. MY FO SAW THE VALVE JUST AFTER IT WAS REMOVED LATER, IT WAS NOT SAFETYWIRED -- IT COULD HAVE BEEN BEFORE THEY REMOVED IT BUT IT SEEMS UNLIKELY. IT ALSO SEEMS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THE VALVE COULD BE OPEN IF IT WERE SAFETYWIRED. THE MECHS DISREGARD FOR THE MEL REQUIREMENTS CREATED A SIT THAT WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HIS FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE CORRECT PROCS. HIS EVASIVE BEHAVIOR LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING AND CHOSE TO IGNORE MY REQUESTS AND THE MEL INSTRUCTIONS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.