FUEL VENTING FROM R WING TANK AT GATE; TEMPORARILY STOPPED; ENGS STARTED AND VENTING REOCCURRED. PAX DEPLANED; ACFT DEFUELED AND FLT CONTINUED. FAA VIOLATED MECH FUELER.

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FUEL VENTING R WING AT GATE. UPON NOTIFICATION BY GND CREW; FUEL VENTING STOPPED AND CONTAINED; FIRE TRUCKS PRESENT. FUEL SPILL DUE TO OVERFILLING #3 TANK BY FUELER. VENT BOX HAD MINOR RESIDUE DROPS. MAIN CABIN DOOR REMAINED OPEN. ADVISED BY MECH FUEL NOT DRIPPING; DOOR SHUT; PUSHBACK. UPON STARTING; FUEL BEGAN POURING OUT VENT BOX; ENGS SHUT DOWN; TUGGED TO GATE; PAX DEPLANED; LOGBOOK ENTRY; FIRE TRUCKS PRESENT. DEFUELED 136 GALLONS SYMMETRICALLY FROM #1 AND #3 TANKS. STICKED AND VERIFIED LOGBOOK CLRED. WITH PAX OFF; ACFT PUSHED TO ALLEY; ENGS STARTED; NO FUEL VENTING VERIFIED. FUEL TANKS STICKED; NEW FUEL SLIPS; WT AND BAL AND RELEASE. PAX SAFETY FIRST PRIORITY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ACFT WAS B727-200 AND LOCATION WAS SAN DIEGO; CA. SHORTLY AFTER THE FUEL SPILL; THE FAA INSPECTOR ARRIVED ON SCENE AND CAPT RPTR SAYS HIS PRESENCE AND ATTITUDE MADE EVERYONE NERVOUS AND CREATED MORE PROBS FOR THE FLC. RPTR SAYS THAT THE FAA INSPECTOR WAS OVERZEALOUS AND LOOKING FOR A SMOKING GUN OR SOMEONE TO HANG. WHEN QUESTIONED THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE OF STORIES THAT THE FUELER/MECH RELATED TO THE FAA COMPARED TO WHAT THE FLC SAID. AFTER THE ACFT WAS INITIALLY STARTED AND THE FUEL AGAIN STARTED DUMPING AND THE ENG SHUT DOWN; PAX DEPLANED AND ACFT TOWED BACK TO THE GATE; THE MECH FOLLOWED CORRECT PROCS BY DROPPING THE FLAPS AND RESETTING THE FUEL GAUGE. HOWEVER; WHEN AGAIN THE FUEL STARTED DUMPING AFTER ENG START; THE ACFT WAS DEFUELED ENOUGH TO PREVENT THE VENTING. IT WAS SUSPECTED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROB WAS A STUCK FUEL VENT VALVE WHICH WOULD ALLOW FUEL TO PUMP INTO THE DRAIN TANK AND VENT OVERBOARD. RPTR CAPT SAYS THAT FAA IS VIOLATING THE MECH/FUELER.