FUEL MIGRATED FROM THE L MAIN TANK TO THE CTR TANK INFLT. THE ENG FLAMED OUT WHEN THE L TANK WENT DRY. THE CREW HAD TO DSND TO FL240 TO GET THE L ENG TO RELIGHT. THE CREW ELECTED TO RUN BOTH ENGS THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT ON THE CTR TANK RATHER THAN OPEN ANY XFEEDS. THE ACFT WAS LANDED WITH 350 LBS IN THE L MAIN TANK; 5500 LBS IN THE R MAIN TANK; AND 450 LBS IN THE CTR TANK.

Narrative

FLT LAX TO SEA. MD80 FUEL LOAD 24000 LBS. FUEL WAS LOADED AS PER NORMAL FUELING PROCS; 9250 LBS IN THE L MAIN; 9250 LBS IN THE R MAIN AND 5500 LBS IN THE CTR TANK. THE INBOUND FLC HAD BRIEFED US THAT A TRIM PROB REQUIRING AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF AILERON AND RUDDER WAS NOTED IN THE LOG BOOK AND A TRIM RPT FOR MAINT HAD BEEN FILLED OUT. UPON REVIEWING THE LOGBOOK THE TRIM WRITE-UP WAS NOTED ALONG WITH AN IDENTICAL SQUAWK FROM ANOTHER CREW. DEP WAS NORMAL AND APPROX 10 MINS AFTER REACHING CRUISING ALT 31000 FT (APPROX 50 MI N OF EFH VOR ON A RADAR VECTOR DIRECT TO LMT); THE CTR FUEL TANK WAS DEPLETED OF FUEL; AND THE CTR TANK FUEL BOOST PUMPS WERE TURNED OFF. I COMMENTED TO THE FO THAT THE PLANE SEEMED TO BE FLYING IN A NORMAL TRIM CONFIGN. APPROX 50 MINS OUT OF SEATTLE; ON J189 JUST N OF LMT VOR; THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT CAME FROM A 'L INLET FUEL PRESSURE LOW' INDICATOR. THE AUTOPLT WAS ON AND WE WERE EXPERIENCING SOME TURB; BUT NO UNUSUAL CTL YOKE INPUT HAD BEEN NOTICED AT THIS TIME. MY REACTION TO THE WARNING LIGHT WAS TO CHK THE OVERHEAD AND CONFIRM THAT THE MAIN TANK FUEL BOOST PUMPS WERE ON AND THAT THE IGNITION WAS ON. HAVING CONFIRMED BOTH; I THEN LOOKED TO THE FUEL TEMP GAUGES AND NOTED FUEL TEMPS AT ZERO DEGS. WHEN I TURNED ON THE L FUEL HEAT THE L ENG FLAMED OUT. THE FO RPTED THAT THERE WAS NO FUEL IN THE L MAIN TANK. THE FUEL FROM THE L MAIN HAD TRANSFERRED INTO THE CTR TANK. FUEL TANK READINGS WERE L MAIN 0000 LBS; CTR TANK 5600 LBS; AND R MAIN 5500 LBS. OUR NEXT STEP WAS TO TURN ON THE CTR FUEL TANK BOOST PUMPS; WHICH CAUSED AN EGT RISE; BUT NO INCREASE IN N1 OR N2. THE FUEL CTL LEVER WAS CLOSED AND A DSCNT WAS REQUESTED TO FL240. DURING OUR DSCNT; WITH ALL 6 BOOST PUMPS ON; FUEL BEGAN TO TRANSFER BACK INTO THE L MAIN FUEL TANK. A SUCCESSFUL ENG START WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND THE FLT CONTINUED WITH OUR DSCNT INTO SEATTLE. DURING OUR DSCNT WE DISCUSSED OUR OPTIONS FOR LNDG. IF WE OPENED THE FUEL XFEED LEVER TO SUPPLY BOTH ENGS FROM THE R FUEL TANK; WITH OUR PUZZLING FUEL FLOW; WE COULD NOT ACCURATELY PREDICT THE FUEL TRANSFER. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO STAY WITH THE CONFIGN THAT WE WERE IN -- ALL 6 BOOST PUMPS ON; XFEED CLOSED. THE ACFT WAS FLYING WITH ZERO RUDDER AND AILERON TRIM INPUTS AND THE FUEL QUANTITY WAS INCREASING IN THE L MAIN FUEL TANK. A NORMAL FLAPS 28 DEGS LNDG WAS MADE CARRYING 15 EXTRA KTS OF SPD. ONLY 2 DEGS OF L WING AILERON TRIM WAS REQUIRED ON FINAL APCH. FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES ON LNDG INDICATED L MAIN 350 LBS; CTR 450 LBS; AND R MAIN 5500 LBS. AFTER CLRING THE RWY; I AGREED TO LET THE FO TURN OFF THE L MAIN BOOST PUMP. FUEL TRANSFERRED FROM THE CTR TANK TO THE L MAIN TANK AT THE RATE OF 50 LBS PER MIN WHILE TAXIING TO THE GATE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT AFTER 12 DAYS THE AIRPLANE PROB HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. THE AIRPLANE IS STILL GNDED AND IN THE HANGAR. THERE IS METAL CONTAMINATION IN THE L TANK WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE RENDERED THE CHK VALVES AND PLUMBING INOP. THE AIRPLANE HAD JUST HAD ITS FUEL TANKS MODIFIED BY CONTRACT TO HAVE A HEATER BLANKET SYS INSTALLED IN THE MAIN FUEL TANKS THAT WOULD PREVENT ICE AND FROST FROM FORMING ON THE WINGS FROM COLD FUEL IN THE MAIN WING TANKS. ICE AND FROST FORMING ON THE WINGS AT THE GATE FROM THE COLD FUEL IN THE WINGS HAS BEEN A PROB WITH THE MD80. THE RPTR STATED HE AND THE COPLT HAD RAN A HOW GOES IT FUEL CHK JUST PRIOR TO THE ENGS FLAMING OUT. UNFORTUNATELY; THE CREW DETERMINED THE FUEL USED BY THE TOTALIZER AND NOT BY READING THE INDIVIDUAL TANK. THE RPTR STATED HE WAS TOLD THE 4 INCH PIPES AND FUEL BOOST PUMP ARRANGEMENTS IN THE INVOLVED PLUMBING ARE DESIGNED TO MOVE 32000 LBS OF FUEL PER HR. SO; IT DOES NOT TAKE LONG FOR 5000 LBS TO MOVE FROM 1 TANK TO THE OTHER IF THE CHK VALVES ARE NOT FUNCTIONING. THE MAX LATERAL FUEL IMBAL FOR LNDG IS 1500 LBS FOR HIS AIRLINE. THE RPTR STATED THAT OTHER THAN DOING A BETTER JOB OF WRITING UP THE PROB IN THE BOOK HE WOULD NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY.