LTT CREW DIVERTS TO CSG WHEN THEY DISCOVER THEY ARE LOW ON FUEL.
Synopsis
LTT CREW DIVERTS TO CSG WHEN THEY DISCOVER THEY ARE LOW ON FUEL.
Narrative
THE BEFORE START CHKLIST WAS CALLED FOR AND EXECUTED AND WE DEPARTED TLH. WE REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A CLB TO 16000 FT. ACFT PERFORMANCE HAD DETERIORATED TO APPROX 100 FPM CLB. THE PERFORMANCE BECAME SO POOR; WE REQUESTED AND RECEIVED DSCNT CLRNC TO 12000 FT MSL. DURING THE DSCNT TO 12000 MSL; I LOOKED DOWN AT THE ENG GAUGES; AND NOTICED THE FUEL QUANTITY READINGS WERE LOW; (APPROX 450 POUNDS PER SIDE). I IMMEDIATELY QUESTIONED THE CAPT AS TO THE STATUS OF OUR FUEL QUANTITY. HE LOOKED AND AGREED TO THE LOW FUEL SITUATION. I SAID 'WE MUST HAVE A FUEL LEAK.' HE ASKED ME HOW FAR FROM CSG WE WERE. THE DME INDICATED WE WERE 35 NM OUT. THE CAPT TOLD ZTL WE HAD A FUEL PROBLEM; POSSIBLY A LEAK OR A GAUGE IRREGULARITY. ZTL ASKED US WHAT OUR INTENTIONS WERE. HE REPLIED; 'WE WANT TO GO TO THE CSG ARPT.' ZTL ASKED US IF WE WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER; AND THE CAPT REPLIED 'YES.' WE WERE GIVEN A HDG OF 270 DEGS DIRECT TO CSG. OUR FLT WAS HANDED OFF TO APCH CTL. APCH TOLD US EMER EQUIP WAS STANDING BY ON THE ARPT. THE CAPT TOLD THEM EMER EQUIP WAS NOT NECESSARY; BECAUSE THE COCKPIT GAUGES WERE STABLE; LEADING US TO BELIEVE THERE WAS NO FUEL LEAK. WE WERE CLRED FOR A STRAIGHT IN VISUAL APCH. THE CAPT AND I CHKED THE FUEL QUANTITY WITH THE MAGNASTICKS. THEY CONFIRMED THE FUEL GAUGES IN THE COCKPIT. A TOTAL OF 700 POUNDS FUEL WAS ON BOARD. WE LOOKED FOR A FUEL LEAK IN EITHER WING TANK; BUT COULD NOT FIND ONE. WE ADDED THE FUEL USED ENRTE BNA-TLH; THE FUEL TOTALIZER FIGURE ENRTE FROM TLH-CSG; AND THE FUEL CURRENTLY ON BOARD; EQUALING A TOTAL OF 3120 POUNDS. CAPT AND I ASSUMED WE LEFT TLH WITHOUT OBTAINING ADDITIONAL FUEL; BECAUSE WE LEFT BNA WITH 3000 POUNDS. THE CAPT CALLED FLT DISPATCH AND TLH OPS; CONFIRMING NO FUEL WAS LOADED IN TLH.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.