AN MD11 IN CRUISE AT FL350 WAS FEEDING ALL ENGS FROM #1 AND #3 TANKS WITH #2 TANK BOOST PUMPS OFF WHEN THE XFEED VALVE WAS INADVERTENTLY CLOSED CAUSING #2 ENG TO SPOOL DOWN.

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WE WERE DISPATCHED WITH THE FUEL SYS CONTROLLER INOP. A HIGHLY UNUSUAL SIT. WHILE IN CRUISE ENRTE BTWN ZZZ-XYZ; A DISPARITY WAS NOTICED BTWN THE FUEL QUANTITIES IN #1; #2; AND #3 TANKS. WE WERE JUST PRIOR TO OUR ENTRY POINT FOR RUSSIAN OVERFLT AND I WANTED EVERYTHING TO BE IN ORDER FOR THIS PHASE OF FLT. I BEGAN A FUEL XFER FROM #1 AND #3 TANKS TO #2 ENG. AS THE XFEED WAS NEARING ITS CONCLUSION; A SUDDEN FLURRY OF RADIO CALLS CREATED A DISTR. I WAS IN THE R SEAT AS A LINE CHK AIRMAN GIVING IOE TO A NEW CAPT. ZAN CALLED FOR A RADIO CHK ON ANOTHER FREQ. I TUNED #2 VHF TO THIS FREQ AND MADE THE CHK. IT TOOK SEVERAL CALLS TO GET A GOOD CHK. THE IOE CAPT WAS MONITORING CTR ON VHF #1. AFTER THE RADIO CHK; I ANNOUNCED I WAS GOING TO TERMINATE THE FUEL XFER. JUST AS I REACHED UP TO TURN ON THE #2 TANK PUMP FOR FUEL FEED TO #2 ENG; ATC CALLED WITH OUR RUSSIAN HDOF. AS MY FINGER WENT FORWARD TO PRESS THE TANK PUMP; I LOOKED DOWN TO COPY THE HDOF FREQ. SOMEHOW I PUSHED THE XFEED SWITCH NEXT TO THE PUMP SWITCH INSTEAD. (A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THAT A GUARD THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE PUMP SWITCH WAS LEFT OFF BY MAINT WHEN THEY CHANGED THE CONTROLLER THE PREVIOUS FLT.) HAD THE GUARD BEEN IN PLACE; I AM CONFIDENT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. THE #2 ENG ROLLED BACK. AS I SAW THIS; I LOOKED UP AND SELECTED #2 TANK PUMP TO 'ON;' IGNITION TO 'OVERRIDE' AND #2 RETURNED TO OP. WE CONTINUED A NORMAL FLT TO DEST.