A B727-200 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH #1 FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR DEFERRED INOP PER THE MEL; BUT SPECIAL FUELING PROCS WERE NOT ACCOMPLISHED. ACFT RETURNED WITH #1 TANK EMPTY.

Narrative

ACFT ARRIVED WITH #1 FUEL QUANTITY INOP (ALREADY ON MEL 28-XX-11C). CREW NOTIFIED OPS ABOUT VACATING THE #1 FUEL TANK. I DECIDED TO GO OUT TO ASSIST THE CREW AND WATCH THE #1 FUEL QUANTITY GO TO ZERO BY CHKING THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP LOW PRESSURE LIGHTS TO APPEAR. WHEN THE LOW PRESSURE LIGHTS CAME ON FOR THE #1 FUEL TANK THEN SHUT THE PUMP SWITCHES TO OFF; THEN WENT DOWN TO THE LOWER R WING TO SHUT THE DEFUEL VALVE TO OFF AND CLOSED THE PANEL; I THEN TOLD THE FUELERS THAT THE #1 TANK WAS EMPTY AND HE COULD START FUELING. LATER; NOTICED THE DEFUELING PANEL WAS OPEN AND LEVER IN DOWN POS AND ASKED FUELER; AND HE SAID HE WAS WAITING FOR BEACON LIGHT FROM CREW DUE TO BAL FUEL LOAD. BEACON LIGHT CAME ON; AND I MADE SURE THAT THE DEFUEL HANDLE WAS AGAIN CLOSED AND THE PANEL CLOSED. THE FUELER CHKED THE INDICATORS AT THE FUELING PANEL AND THEN HE CLOSED THE PANEL. LATER; THE ACFT DEPARTED. THE ACFT PUSHED OUT AT XA05 AND OFF AT XA24. LATER; ACFT RETURNED TO GATE AT XB15. FROM THE ACFT LOG OF THE INBOUND CREW STATED: ON LIFTOFF; ROLLED SHARPLY TO THE R REQUIRED FULL L YOKE TO KEEP WINGS LEVEL. FLAPS/LEADING EDGE DEVICES OK. SUSPECTED FUEL IMBAL AT 15000 FT. BOTH LOW PRESSURE LIGHTS IN #1 TANK ILLUMINATED. BURNED/DUMPED TANK #3 TO BAL WINGS. LESS CTL INPUT WAS REQUIRED AS #3 TANK QUANTITY DECREASED. LAND FUEL #1 = 0; #2 = 8.7; #3 =M 3.1. EMER DECLARED; RETURN LAND. ON ACFT ARR AT BLOCK; VERIFIED NO FUEL IN #1 TANK WHICH CAUSED FULL L YOKE DEFLECTION. #1 TANK FUEL QUANTITY PREVIOUSLY ON ACFT VERIFIED FUEL QUANTITY FOR #2 AND #3 TANK. AT THIS TIME IT IS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE APPROPRIATE PARTIES. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS AS UNDER THE MEL 28-00-11C THE VERIFICATION OF THE FUEL QUANTITY IN THE FUEL TANK SHOULD BE PERFORMED USING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS: 1) FUEL TRUCK METER METHOD; 2) FUEL XFER METHOD; 3) DRIP STICKS.