SO OF DC10-30 FAILED TO OPERATE THE FUEL DISTRIBUTION SYS TO USE THE AUX FUEL TANK FUEL PRIOR TO THE MAIN TANK FUEL WHICH RESULTED IN NOT BEING ABLE TO XFER ALL AUX FUEL TO THE MAIN TANKS PRIOR TO LNDG AS REQUIRED.

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FULL AMOUNT OF FUEL NOT XFERRED OUT OF CTR AUX TANK UNTIL DSCNT. SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED BEFORE OTHER MAIN TANK FUEL. OUR CARRIER OPERATES 2 MODELS OF DC10'S (-30 AND -40). A -30 HAS UPPER AND LOWER CTR AUX TANK (SOME INCLUDE 2 TYPES OF AFT AUX TANKS); WHILE -40 HAS ONLY UPPER AUX TANK. ON THIS FLT; VERY HVY FUEL LOAD REQUIRED SOME FUEL IN THE LOWER AUX TANK. NORMALLY FUEL IS ONLY LOADED IN UPPER (A VERY SMALL AMOUNT) AUX TANK; AND NO INDICATION IS GIVEN OTHER THAN TOTAL AMOUNT ON FUEL GAUGE. THIS MUCH FUEL WAS UNUSUAL; AND BECAUSE OF HABIT; I TREATED THE FUEL XFER MGMNT AS I WOULD HAVE FOR A -30 OR -40 WITH FUEL IN THE UPPER AUX TANK ONLY; BY OPERATING ONLY UPPER AUX TANK PUMPS. WHEN THE PUMP 'PRESSURE LOW' LIGHTS INDICATED COMPLETED FUEL XFER FROM UPPER TANK; APPROX 4000 LBS REMAINED ON THE GAUGE. NOT THINKING ABOUT A LOW AUX TANK; I ASSUMED A GAUGE ERROR; OR ACFT NOSE-UP ATTITUDE MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE; AND THOUGHT I WOULD TRY TO COMPLETE THE XFER ON DSCNT WITH THE NOSE DOWN. BY NOT SHARING THIS INFO WITH OTHER CREW MEMBERS; I DID NOT BENEFIT FROM OTHER'S KNOWLEDGE OR INPUTS. WHEN THE FUEL STILL WOULD NOT XFER; I CHKED OUR OPERATING MANUAL ABNORMAL PROCS AND MENTIONED THE PROB TO THE CAPT. THE MANUAL CLUED ME IN TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE LOWER TANK AND PUMP; AND XFER PROCS; WHICH I BEGAN IN THE DSCNT. DUE TO THE SHORT FLT REMAINING; ALL THE FUEL COULD NOT BE XFERRED BEFORE LNDG; AND WITH NO KNOWN LIMITATIONS ON LNDG WITH FUEL IN AUX TANK; WE ELECTED TO LAND WITH APPROX 2700 LBS IN THAT TANK.