LNDG WITH LESS THEN MIN REQUIRED FUEL INDICATION.

Date: 1992-02 · Aircraft: Medium Large Transport

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|inflight-event-encounter-other-unknown|other-unspecified

Synopsis

LNDG WITH LESS THEN MIN REQUIRED FUEL INDICATION.

Narrative

DEPARTED PSP WITH 20400 POUNDS OF FUEL AS RELEASED. FLT RELEASE FUEL BURN (PSP-BLI) WAS 14700 POUNDS. FORECAST WINDS ALOFT ON OUR RTE AT FL240 WERE (310-300/67-52 KTS) AT FL300 WERE (310-300/72-63 KTS.) OUR FILED ALT WAS FL230. DUE TO TURB; WE ELECTED TO FLY AT FL220 FROM PSP TO ABOUT 100 MI N OF LKY. AT THAT POINT WE AGAIN EXPERIENCED CONTINUOUS TURB AND ENDED UP AT FL260 TO GET A SMOOTHER RIDE. UPDATED WINDS ALOFT WERE RPTED TO BE (300/60 KTS.) UPON ARRIVING OVER SEA WITH 4100 POUNDS; IT WAS DECIDED TO CONTINUE ON THE BLI. SINCE OUR DSCNT BEGAN HERE; WE FIGURED TO BURN ABOUT 1000 POUNDS TO THE BLI ARPT; AND ARRIVE WITH 3100 POUNDS - OUR MIN RELEASED LNDG FUEL. ABOUT 10 MI OUT OF BLI; WE GOT BOTH L AND R FEED LOW LEVEL LIGHTS; INDICATING OUR FUEL REMAINING WAS 2400 POUNDS. BY THIS TIME WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH VANCOUVER APCH ON A VECTOR FOR DOWNWIND AT 6000 FT; CLRED TO 4000 FT. BLI WX WAS 4000 OVC 15 MI VISIBILITY. WE REQUESTED 2000 FT TO GET UNDER THE OVCST AND MAKE CONTACT WITH THE ARPT. VANCOUVER APCH GAVE US AN EXTENDED HDG DOWNWIND AND STILL ONLY TO 4000 FT. AT THIS POINT I DECLARED AN MIN FUEL EMER AND THAT WE WANTED TO DSND TO 2000 FT AND DIRECT TO THE ARPT. APCH CTL COMPLIED AND WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. IN CONCLUSION; THE FORECAST WINDS ALOFT WERE CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN RPTED; EVEN DURING DSCNT; SINCE OUR TOTAL FUEL BURN WAS 18000 POUND. THERE WAS ALSO A 700 POUND DISCREPANCY BTWN THE FUEL TOTALIZER AND THE GAUGES. THE TOTALIZER INDICATED 3100 POUNDS REMAINING ON THE GND AND THE GAUGES INDICATED 2400 POUNDS.

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