A DC10-10 WAS FUELED WITH PAX ON BOARD WITHOUT AN AIRSTAIR OR JETWAY POSITIONED ON THE ACFT FOR AN EMER EXIT.

Date: 1998-02 · Aircraft: DC-10 10

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-unspecified

Synopsis

A DC10-10 WAS FUELED WITH PAX ON BOARD WITHOUT AN AIRSTAIR OR JETWAY POSITIONED ON THE ACFT FOR AN EMER EXIT.

Narrative

THE DECISION WAS MADE BY ME TO DIVERT ACR FLT XYZ TO ZZZ AFTER NUMEROUS ENRTE HOLDING PATTERNS HAD ERODED OUR FUEL CONDITION TO A POINT WHERE ANY HOLDING IN THE TERMINAL AREA WOULD PUT US IN A LOW FUEL SIT. IN ADDITION; WE ALSO WANTED TO AVOID THE ANTICIPATED RUSH TO ALTERNATES BY OTHER FUEL STARVED ACFT. ACR'S ZZZ OP RARELY SVCS DC10 ACFT. OUR PLAN WAS TO BRIEFLY STOP FOR FUEL AND REDISPATCH TO OUR ORIGINAL DEST. CHALLENGES BEGAN MOUNTING WHEN WE HAD TO LEAVE ENG #2 RUNNING BECAUSE OF AN INOP APU. OUR GND SVC PERSONNEL HAD DIFFICULTY CONNECTING AN ADEQUATE GPU. UNBEKNOWNST TO ME THERE WAS SUCH A DESIRE TO TURN US AROUND QUICKLY; THAT THE FUELER ATTACHED AND BEGAN FUELING THE ACFT WHILE ENG #2 WAS STILL RUNNING; UNUSUAL; BUT PERMITTED BY OUR COMPANY'S POLICY. THE FUELING PROC WAS ALMOST COMPLETED BEFORE MY SO NOTIFIED ME THAT FUELING WAS INDEED TAKING PLACE. SOON AFTER RECOGNIZING THIS; THE GPU WAS PROPERLY ATTACHED AND SUPPLYING PWR TO THE ACFT; I SECURED THE #2 ENG. I SUSPECT THAT THE EAGERNESS TO FUEL THE ACFT WAS DUE IN PART BY THE FUELER'S DESIRE TO SEEK SHELTER FROM THE HVY RAIN THAT WAS FALLING AT THE TIME. THE REASON FOR THIS RPT IS THAT DURING ALL THE ACTIVITY AT THIS FUEL STOP AN AIRSTAIRS WAS NOT BROUGHT UP TO THE ACFT OFFERING PAX EXIT SHOULD IT HAVE BEEN NECESSARY. THIS IS REQUIRED DURING REFUELING BY ACR OPS MANUAL; SECTION ENTITLED ACFT SVCING.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.