WDB DISPATCHED WITH INSUFFICIENT FUEL FOR TRIP. MAINT ERROR.
Synopsis
WDB DISPATCHED WITH INSUFFICIENT FUEL FOR TRIP. MAINT ERROR.
Narrative
DURING THE FINAL STAGES OF DEP; FUELER CAME TO COCKPIT TO STATE HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH FUEL FIGURES. AFTER CHKING COCKPIT GAUGES HE MENTIONED HE'LL WORK IT OUT WITH MAINT. MAINT LATER PLACARDED FUEL QUANTITY #2 TANK INDICATED INOP; AND PROVIDED FUEL SLIP WITH ASSURANCES THAT FUEL WAS VERIFIED BY MEANS OF READING FUEL LEVEL MEASURING STICKS. AFTER TKOF AND DURING INITIAL CRUISE; FO NOTICED THAT FUEL SLIP WAS HEADED WDB B; AND REQUESTED FROM DISPATCH THAT FUEL LOAD BE VERIFIED AGAIN WITH COPY SENT TO ACFT VIA ACARS PRINTER. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; FO RPTED THAT THE INOP FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE WAS DECREASING EXACTLY AS FUEL USED INDICATION WAS INCREASING. WHEN FUEL QUANTITY #2 GAUGE REACHED 0 AND A FUEL TANK PRESSURE LOW LIGHT CAME ON; XFEEDS WERE OPENED AND FLT DIVERTED TO DENVER TO WORK OUT DISCREPANCY. I BELIEVE FUEL LOAD ERROR WAS IN PART CAUSED BY MISFUELING BY GND PERSONNEL; WHO WERE MISLEAD BY RECURRING PROBS WITH THIS TYPE ACFT HISTORY OF FUEL INDICATING SYS ANOMALIES. WHY VERIFICATION OF FUEL LOAD USING MAGNETIC STICKS WAS IN ERROR I WILL NEVER KNOW; EXCEPT POSSIBLY UNLEVEL RAMP OR DEFECTIVE STICKS. AS FAR AS PREVENTING A RECURRENCE; I WOULD EMPTY ALL QUESTIONABLE TANKS AND METER FUEL IN AND THEN STICK TANKS MANUALLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: A HEARING WAS CONDUCTED. THE ACR HAS ASCERTAINED THAT THE ACFT WAS PARKED ON A SLOPING RAMP WHICH RENDERED THE DRIP STICK READING INACCURATE. HE THINKS THE FAA IS GOING TO PURSUE THE ISSUE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.