FLC OF AN MD80 TAKE OFF WITH A LOW FUEL LOAD AND THEN DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL TO CTR WHEN INSTRUCTED TO DSND EARLY. IN ADDITION; APCH CTL STARTED GIVING VECTORS AND THE CREW DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL AGAIN TO AVOID UNNECESSARY DELAYS AND SUBSEQUENTLY LNDG SAFELY.
Synopsis
FLC OF AN MD80 TAKE OFF WITH A LOW FUEL LOAD AND THEN DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL TO CTR WHEN INSTRUCTED TO DSND EARLY. IN ADDITION; APCH CTL STARTED GIVING VECTORS AND THE CREW DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL AGAIN TO AVOID UNNECESSARY DELAYS AND SUBSEQUENTLY LNDG SAFELY.
Narrative
LOCATION: 10 NM W OF BPR. JUST BEFORE DEP; THE PAYLOAD JUMPED ABOUT 10000 LBS. DISPATCH SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE ADVISING OF THAT BUT STATING THE DESIRE WAS NOT TO TAKE A DELAY FOR ADDITIONAL FUEL AND TO SEND A LOT OF POS RPTS TO TRACK THE FUEL. WE DID; BUT WE COULD NOT GO TO FL370 BECAUSE WE WERE TOO HVY AT FIRST; THEN THE RIDE AT FL370 WAS RPTED VERY BAD. WE WENT BY ABQ 600 LBS BEHIND; WE WERE LOSING A LITTLE MORE ON EACH LEG; BUT I FIGURED WE WOULD LAND WITH ABOUT 5300 LBS OR SO. WE GOT A CLRNC DIRECT BPR; AND THEN ZFW TOLD US TO CROSS 50 MI W OF BPR AT FL240. I PLANNED TO START AN IDLE DSCNT AT 95 MI FROM BPR TO MINIMIZE FUEL BURN; BUT AT 150 MI OUT THEY ASKED US TO START OUR DSCNT AND ACCELERATE TO 320 KTS. I TOLD THEM WE WERE MINIMUM FUEL AND WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN AT FL330 AS LONG AS WE COULD; THAT WE WOULD CROSS 50 MI W AT FL240. THEY SAID OK. WHEN WE GOT ON APCH CTL; IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT CTR HAD NOT RELAYED OUR MINIMUM FUEL STATE; AND WE HAD TO DECLARE MINIMUM FUEL AGAIN TO AVOID A LONG VECTOR OFF TO THE N. AS IT WAS; WE LANDED WITH 5100 LBS. I SUBMIT THIS RPT TO ASK WHETHER ATC FACILITIES ARE REQUIRED TO RELAY THE ACFT STATUS ONCE THEY HAVE DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.