A B757 FLYING IN ZLA AIRSPACE; EXPERIENCES A SUDDEN LOSS OF FUEL. FLC CHKS RATE OF LOSS; DECLARES AN EMER AND LANDS AT PHX. MALFUNCTION IN THE FUEL LINE CAUSES THE LOSS OF FUEL.

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XX55Z; FREQ/ALT: ZLA NEAR PKE FL390. LOCATION: 20 DME W PKE; AZ. WE WERE CRUISING AT FL390 ENRTE SNA-DFW AND APPROX 20 NM W OF PKE. ANOTHER ACFT RPTED TO ZLA ON ANOTHER FREQ THAT WE HAD A CONTRAIL BEHIND THE ACFT. OUR CTLR RPTED THAT FACT TO US. A CONTRAIL AT FL390 IS NOT UNUSUAL SO IT DIDN'T SET OFF ANY ALARMS WITH US. ABOUT 4 MINS LATER I CHKED THE FUEL AND NOTICED THAT WE WERE 3500 LBS UNDER WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE AT PKE. THE FO THEN NOTICED A 1500 LB IMBAL WITH THE R TANK LOW. WE BOTH MONITORED THE FUEL GAUGE FOR ABOUT 1 MIN AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BURN. AT THIS POINT I SENT THE FO BACK TO CHK THE R WING FOR ANYTHING UNUSUAL. HE CAME BACK AND RPTED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUEL COMING FROM THE R ENG. AT THIS POINT WE WERE 110 NM W OF PHX AND I CALCULATED THAT BASED ON THE 29500 LBS AND THE RATE OF LOSS; WE COULD EASILY MAKE PHX. AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND WE PROCEEDED DIRECT TO PHX. THE FO DID A GREAT JOB GETTING CHKLISTS ACCOMPLISHED; RADIO CALLS TO PHX; ACARS ENTRIES; ETC. I ELECTED TO KEEP BOTH ENGS RUNNING IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE GETTING THE ACFT ON THE GND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. ON TOUCHDOWN I HAD THE FO SHUT DOWN THE R ENG AND PULL THE FIRE HANDLE. WE EXITED THE RWY AND STOPPED AND WERE MET BY THE FIRE TRUCKS. THEY RPTED THAT FUEL WAS STILL LEAKING. THE APU WAS STARTED AND THE L ENG WAS SHUT DOWN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE FIRE DEPT SAID THAT THE FUEL LEAK HAD STOPPED. THIS WAS AFTER THE FUEL PUMPS WERE TURNED OFF. THE FUEL GAUGE READ 15000 LBS AND 17 MINS HAD ELAPSED SINCE WE DEPARTED FL390 WITH 29500 LBS. A HOLE THE SIZE OF A DIME WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL LINE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE WAY THEY CAUGHT THE FUEL LEAK WAS DURING A ROUTINE CHK OF FUEL QUANTITY AND BAL. UPON DISCOVERING THE FUEL IMBAL AND RATE OF FUEL USE; FLC DECIDED EARLY TO DIVERT TO PHX; AZ. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHING DOWN AT PHX; THE CAPT SHUT DOWN THE ENG THAT WAS USING THE MOST FUEL; HAD THE CFR INSPECT THE ENG; THEN TAXIED TO THE PARKING GATE. A FEW DAYS LATER; UPON REVIEWING WHAT HAPPENED; THE RPTR WAS SHOWN THE ACTUAL FUEL LINE THAT FAILED. IT WAS A 4 FT LONG RUBBER HOSE WITH METAL SHROUDING AROUND IT. THE FUEL LINE WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A QUARTER; AND THE HOLE IN THE FUEL LINE WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A DIME. THE MECHS STATED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THE FUEL LINE SIMPLY FAILED. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF RUBBING ON THE FUEL LINE; NOR WAS THERE ANY SIGN OF TAMPERING OR SABOTAGE.