FLC DIDN'T CHK FUEL LOAD PRIOR TO DEP. AFTER TKOF THEY HAD TO RETURN FOR FUEL.

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AT THIS POINT THE SCHEDULED FLT IS ABOUT 1 1/2 HR BEHIND SCHEDULE. PRIOR TO OUR ARR IN GJT WE EXPERIENCED SOME PROBS WITH THE AUTOPLT SYS. I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE OPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEL BUT I STILL HAD TO CALL MAINT FOR APPROVAL. I DISCUSSED THIS WITH MY FO. MY FO THEN CONTACTED COMPANY OP; ADVISED OF OUR TIME OF ARR AND CALL FOR FUEL WITH AN ORDER FOR 1900 LBS. I THEN ASKED MY FO TO READY THE ACFT FOR THE NEXT LEG. ONCE ON THE GND AND PAX WERE DEPLANED; I WENT INSIDE THE TERMINAL TO CALL MAINT CTL. I GOT THE INFO I NEEDED AND HEADED BACK TO THE ACFT TO COMPLETE THE PAPERWORK. THE PAX WERE BOARDING THE FLT AND THE FO WAS AT THE BACK OF THE ACFT; WHERE THE BAGS WERE BEING LOADED. AS WE BOTH GOT INTO THE COCKPIT THE FO STARTED THE LOAD MANIFEST. I THEN COMPLETED THE WRITE-UP IN THE MAINT LOG AND DURING THIS TIME ASKED THE FO IF THE BEFORE START CHKS WERE COMPLETE. HE ANSWERED 'NO.' I THEN STARTED THE BEFORE START CHKS MYSELF BUT WAS DISTRACTED BY THE EVENTS OF A FINAL BAGGAGE AND PAX COUNT FOR THE LOAD MANIFEST. THERE WAS OTHER FLTS ON THE GND AND I HAD SEEN THE FUEL TRUCK MOVING ABOUT AND THE PAX MOVING TO AND FROM OTHER FLTS AND THE TERMINAL. WITH THE PAX AND BAGS ONBOARD AND DOORS CLOSED; ENGS WERE STARTED AND A CALL FOR TAXI MADE. CONSTRUCTION HAS BEEN GOING ON AT THIS ARPT ON THE MAIN RWY AND WE HAVE BEEN USING A SHORTER RWY DUE TO THE CLOSURE OF THE MAIN RWY. ON THIS DAY; A PORTION WAS REOPENED FOR USE AND WE WERE GIVEN TAXI FOR RWY 29. AFTER A LOOK AT TKOF DATA; WINDS AND WTS; WE ADVISED WE NEEDED RWY 22. THE TWR THEN CLRED US FOR TKOF ON RWY 22 BUT WE HAD NOT COMPLETED THE CHKLIST AND SO ADVISED TWR AND TOOK THE TIME TO COMPLETE THE CHKS. ONCE COMPLETED WE DEPARTED RWY 22 WITH A CLB IN VFR CONDITIONS ON COURSE AND CONTACTED ZDV. AFTER CLBING THROUGH 12000 FT MSL AND OUT OF THE ARPT TFC AREA; I (PNF) COMPLETED THE OUT OF 12000 FT CHKS. I WAS SCANNING THE INSTS AND NOTICED THE FUEL QTY ONLY SHOWED 980 LBS. I THEN QUERIED THE FO (PF) ABOUT THE FUEL. THE IMMEDIATE DECISION WAS MADE TO RETURN TO THE FIELD FOR LNDG WHICH WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE SERIES OF EVENTS FROM THE FIRST LNDG TILL TKOF WAS ABOUT 15 MINS. THE FO AND I DISCUSSED HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED AND WHERE THE BREAKDOWN OCCURRED. TO THIS POINT THERE WERE NO PROB BTWN THE FO AND MYSELF AND THE SHIFT WAS GOING OK. THE SIT IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF MY SUPERIORS AND I AM LOOKING AT ALL THE AREAS SUCH AS CREW DUTIES DURING THESE TURNS WITH MINIMUM TIME ON THE GND AND CHKLIST. WITH ALL THE CHKS IN PLACE; I FEEL THERE WERE MANY DISTRACTIONS THAT INTERRUPTED THE FLOWS ON THE CHK AND ITEMS WERE SKIPPED. I WAS ADVISED BY MY COMPANY OPS THAT THE FUEL ORDER WAS GIVEN TO THE CONTRACTED FUELING COMPANY AND ACKNOWLEDGED.