AN MD11 CREW DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOW FUEL AND LANDED AT NARITA; (RJAA) JAPAN.

2001-11 · NASA ASRS report 531089

Date: 2001-11 · Aircraft: MD-11 · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-inaccurate-wind-forecast

Synopsis

AN MD11 CREW DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOW FUEL AND LANDED AT NARITA; (RJAA) JAPAN.

Narrative

WE DEPARTED ATL WITH 275000 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD. OUR TARGET ARR FUEL WAS 29500 LBS. WE HAD A REDISPATCH FLT PLAN. WE TOOK OFF FROM ATL AT MAX GROSS WT. OUR 'HOWGOZIT' SHOWED THAT WE WERE BURNING MORE FUEL THAN PROGRAMMED RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING. WE HAD A MORE ADVERSE WIND COMPONENT THAN FORECAST FOR MOST OF THE FLT. APCHING ANC; WE STARTED DISCUSSING THE SIT WITH FLT CTL. AT THIS POINT; WE HAD OVERBURNED APPROX 7000 LBS AND THE TREND WAS CONTINUING. WE DISCUSSED LNDG IN ANC AND REFUELING; THIS WOULD HAVE REQUIRED DUMPING 65000 LBS TO GET DOWN TO MAX LNDG WT. FLT CTL CHKED WITH ACR AND WAS ASSURED THAT RJCC HAD MD11 QUALIFIED FUELERS AND MECHS WHO WOULD BE ON DUTY WHEN WE WERE PLANNED TO PASS BY RJCC; IF WE NEEDED TO STOP THERE FOR FUEL. FLT CTL ALSO CHKED THE FORECAST WINDS ACROSS RUSSIA AND TOLD US THAT THEY HAD CONFIDENCE IN THEM. I DECIDED TO CONTINUE ON. WE WERE FLT PLANNED TO OVERFLY RJCC APPROX 90 MINS PRIOR TO OUR ARR IN RJAA. RJAA WX DID NOT REQUIRE AN ALTERNATE. WE WERE FLT PLANNED OVER RUSSIAN AIRSPACE. WE WERE UNABLE TO GET OUR DESIRED ALT ACROSS RUSSIA. WE WERE ASSIGNED 8600 METERS; OUR OPTIMUM ALT WAS 10600 METERS. WE WERE EVENTUALLY ABLE TO CLB WHICH IMPROVED OUR TARGET ARR FUEL TO 21500 LBS. WE OVERFLEW RJCC AND CONTINUED TO RJAA. THE WINDS OVER THE COAST OF JAPAN WERE HIGHER THAN FORECAST. WHEN WE WERE TURNED OVER TO RJAA APCH CTL; WE HAD 19000 LBS ON BOARD. RJAA APCH ISSUED US A HOLDING CLRNC; AT WHICH POINT I DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOW FUEL. WE WERE THEN GIVEN A CLRNC DIRECT TO RJAA AND ACCOMPLISHED AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. WE LANDED WITH 17200 LBS ON BOARD. WE HAD A 12300 LB OVERBURN AND WERE 8 MINS BEHIND THE FLT PLAN. I REQUESTED A LOAD AUDIT BE DONE. ACFT XXX HAS A LONG HISTORY OF FUEL OVERBURN; THAT COMBINED WITH INACCURATE FORECAST WINDS AND LOWER THAN FLT PLANNED CRUISE ALT ALL LED UP TO THE LOW FUEL EMER.

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

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