MDT CREW REFUSES A VECTOR OUT OF THE APCH PATH BECAUSE OF PERCEIVED LOW FUEL.

1991-07 · NASA ASRS report 185101

Date: 1991-07 · Aircraft: Medium Transport; High Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

MDT CREW REFUSES A VECTOR OUT OF THE APCH PATH BECAUSE OF PERCEIVED LOW FUEL.

Narrative

THE FORECAST FOR JFK INCLUDED A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON TSTMS. THE IFR MIN FUEL WAS 3800 POUNDS. I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED JUST OVER THAT PRIOR TO DEPARTING BUF. THE FLT WAS ROUTINE UNTIL WE WERE GIVEN HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AT PWL WITH ABOUT A 20 MIN HOLD EXPECTED. THE ACFT WAS SLOWED AND WE HELD FOR ABOUT 15-18 MINS. WE DECIDED WE WOULD ACCEPT NO FURTHER HOLDS BASED ON FUEL REMAINING. WE DEPARTED PWL TOWARD APT AND HAD TO DEVIATE FOR WX. WE REQUESTED TO DEVIATE R OF COURSE (SW TOWARD JFK) BUT ATC GAVE US L OF COURSE (SE AWAY FROM JFK). THIS OF COURSE ADDED TIME AND DISTANCE TO OUR ARR TO JFK. THE REMAINDER OF THE INITIAL APCH WAS ROUTINE WITH VECTORS FOR THE 22R ILS. THERE WERE MODERATE TO HVY RAINSHOWERS ON THE FINAL SO WE FLEW THROUGH THE LOC AND ASKED FOR A L TURN TO THE FINAL LATER FOR WX AVOIDANCE. WE APPARENTLY GOT TOO CLOSE TO THE LGA-JFK BUFFER ZONE AND WERE GIVEN A R 270 DEG TURN TO REJOIN THE FINAL FOR 22R. AS WE EXECUTED THE TURN ANOTHER VOICE VECTORED US OUT OF THE PATTERN TO START THE APCH AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I REFUSED THE LATEST VECTOR AND JOINED THE FINAL FOR 22R. WE ASKED FOR PRIORITY HANDLING; CONSIDERING OUR FUEL SITUATION. AS WE WERE IN THE TURN I LOOKED AT THE FUEL INDICATORS AND SAW JUST OVER 1400 POUNDS. WE WERE ASKED IF WE WERE DECLARING A 'LOW FUEL EMER' TO WHICH WE REPLIED 'NEGATIVE' BUT I WAS NOT WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM THE ARPT TO START ALL OVER. THE REMAINDER OF THE APCH AND LNDG WERE ROUTINE. ACTUAL FUEL BURN AT SHUTDOWN WAS 2524 POUNDS WITH JUST OVER 1500 POUNDS REMAINING. THE REASON FOR THE QUANTITY READINGS DURING THE APCH IS THAT THE SYS READS LOW IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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