AN ACR MLG CREW HAD TO DECLARE AN EMER DUE TO EXCESSIVE AND UNEXPECTED HOLDING AND A GAR.

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PLACED IN HOLDING AT RAMAH INTXN FOR SEQUENCE INTO DEN (FUEL 6.2); RELEASED FOR APCH AND VECTORS TO ILS 35R DENVER (FUEL 5.8); MAINTAINING 180 KTS TO MARKER. AT MARKER GANDI INTXN CONTACTED TWR. TWR ADVISED OUR OVERTAKING AND DISTANCE HAD CLOSED TO 2 MI; ORDERED TO EXECUTE MISS! FUEL WAS MINIMUM; SO DECLARED A 'FUEL EMER.' EXCELLENT HANDLING FROM APCH. LANDED WITH 4.2 FUEL. SEQUENCING HAD BEEN 20 MI S OF ARPT. DO I FEEL FOOLISH NOW? NO! I FEEL 'FUELISH' NOW. SUCH GOOD HANDLING THE SECOND TIME AROUND I ACTUALLY WAS SURPRISED. PROBS I SEE: ARPTS SHOULD BE STANDARDIZED IN SPDS DURING INST CONDITIONS. CHICAGO IT'S 170 KTS TO MARKER; DENTER IT'S 180 KTS; IT'S YOUR BEST GUESS ON A GIVEN DAY. SPD SEQUENCING SHOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED AT ALT; DURING DSCNTS BUT NOT IN APCH PATTERN. IN APCH PATTERN THEY SHOULD BE STANDARDIZED. IF I HAD DECLARED 'LOW FUEL' AND SEQUENCED NORMALLY DOWNWIND; I WOULD HAVE FLOWN INTO 'CRITICAL FUEL' AND DECLARED AN 'EMER' SOMEWHERE IN THE APCH SEQUENCE. I DID IT EARLY. TO SOME IT MAY HAVE SEEMED PREMATURE; THAT'S THE GREATNESS OF MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING CAPT STATES THAT HE HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA REGARDING THIS INCIDENT AND DOESN'T EXPECT TO. HIS ACR CHIEF PLT CHASTISED HIM FOR USING THE 'EMER' WORD. THE PLT DOES NOT AGREE WITH HIS BOSS. HE WAS ADVISED TO SUBMIT AN ASRS RPT BECAUSE HE SAID 'EMER.' THE RPTR STATES THAT THE HANDLING HE HAD AFTER HIS MISSED APCH WAS SPECTACULAR! THE NORMAL RESERVE FUEL FOR THIS MLG IS 3.8 THOUSAND LBS WITH A NEVER GAR OF LESS THAN 3.4. THIS CREW LANDED WITH 4.2