AN A300 CREW; BEING FUELED AT MIA; REQUESTED THE JETWAY BE RETURNED TO THE ACFT AND THE FRONT DOOR OPENED.

Date: 2001-12 · Aircraft: A300 · Phase: ground

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-fueling-with-pax-aboard-and-acft-closed-up

Synopsis

AN A300 CREW; BEING FUELED AT MIA; REQUESTED THE JETWAY BE RETURNED TO THE ACFT AND THE FRONT DOOR OPENED.

Narrative

ONCE AGAIN THE FUELER SHOWED UP LATE. WE WERE CLOSE TO DEP TIME WAITING FOR THE FUELER TO FINISH. THE FUEL PANEL WAS PARTIALLY INOP PREVENTING ME FROM DETERMINING WHEN FUELING WAS TERMINATED. I NOTICED THE FUEL QUANTITY HAD STOPPED INCREASING. I SAW THE MECH THAT HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO THE AIRPLANE STANDING NEXT TO A WOMAN WITH A RADIO NOT BEING AWARE IF THE GND CREW WAS NEAR THE HEADSET (THEY USUALLY DON'T COME TO THE HEADSET UNTIL THE JETBRIDGE MOVES AWAY FROM THE AIRPLANE). I OPENED THE WINDOW AND ASKED IF THE FUEL TRUCK HAD DISCONNECTED. MS X SAID YES; IT WAS DISCONNECTED. I INFORMED THE GATE AGENT THAT SHE COULD CLOSE THE CABIN DOOR. A FEW MINS LATER; I NOTICED THE FUEL QUANTITY INCREASING. I OPENED THE WINDOW AND ASKED IF THE FUEL TRUCK WAS STILL CONNECTED. MS X SAID 'NO; HE'S NOT.' BELIEVING I WAS GETTING FALSE INFO; I THEN GOT ON THE INTERPHONE AND ASKED GND CREW IF THEY SAW THE FUEL TRUCK CONNECTED. THEY WERE ON THE HEADSET AND INFORMED ME THE FUELER WAS STILL CONNECTED AND WAS ADDING FUEL. I THEN TOLD MS X I WANTED THE JETBRIDGE BACK ON THE AIRPLANE. SHE SAID 'WHY?' WHEN I SAID THE FUELER WAS STILL ATTACHED AND I WANT THE JETBRIDGE BACK SHE SAID 'HE IS NOT CONNECTED.' I INFORMED HER THAT HE WAS; AND I WANTED THE JETBRIDGE BACK NOW. IT WAS MY IMPRESSION THAT SHE HAD THE ABILITY TO ASCEND THE STAIRS OF THE JETBRIDGE AND BRING IT OVER TO THE ACFT. IN MY MIND; SHE COULD AT LEAST GET THROUGH TO THE GATE AGENT FASTER WITH HER RADIO THAN I COULD BY CALLING OPS AND HAVING THEM CALL THE AGENT. I WAS ABOUT TO INFORM THE RAMP CREW TO INSTRUCT THE FUELER TO STOP JUST AS THE FUEL QUANTITY STOPPED INCREASING. THE JETBRIDGE NEVER CAME BACK TO THE ACFT. I ASKED THE RAMP AGENT TO HAVE THE WOMAN WITH THE RADIO COME OVER AND GET ON THE HEADSET. WHEN I ASKED HER FOR HER NAME; SHE INFORMED ME WHAT IT WAS. I FOUND OUT A DAY LATER FROM THE AGENT THAT WAS WORKING THE FLT THAT CUSTOMER SVC MGR X INFORMED THE AGENT ON THE RADIO THAT THE CAPT WANTED THE AGENT TO STAND BY. NOTHING ABOUT GETTING THE JETBRIDGE BACK TO THE ACFT -- JUST TO STAND BY.

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