A300 AIRBUS FLT CREW HAS LOW FUEL STATE; DIVERTS AND DECLARES AN EMER TO ENSURE PRIORITY.
Synopsis
A300 AIRBUS FLT CREW HAS LOW FUEL STATE; DIVERTS AND DECLARES AN EMER TO ENSURE PRIORITY.
Narrative
I WAS PF. AS WE APCHED ZZZ1 WE WERE ADVISED THAT WX WAS PASSING THE ARPT. APCH CLRED US TO AN INTXN FOR A POSSIBLE HOLD. FUEL ON BOARD APPROX 18600 LBS. WE ENTERED HOLD AND DID 2 TURNS IN THE PATTERN AND WAS ISSUED A VECTOR FOR THE ILS RWY 22L APCH AT ZZZ1. AT APPROX 1500 FT WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE WIND ON THE ARPT WAS 010 DEGS GUSTING TO 29 KTS. WE EXECUTED A MISSED APCH AND WERE INFORMED THAT WE ARE NOW #1 ON A VECTOR FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31L. WE WERE VECTORED AT ALTS BTWN 3000-4000 FT. SUBSEQUENTLY; WE WERE INFORMED THAT ZZZ1 TWR COULD NOT ACCEPT US ON RWY 31L AND VECTORS CONTINUED IN VISUAL CONDITIONS TO RWY 4R. WE WERE VECTORED TO THE APCH TWICE AND WERE INFORMED THAT WE WERE #1. DURING OUR VECTORING; WE INFORMED ATC THAT WE WERE APCHING MINIMUM FUEL: 1.9 MINIMUM FUEL. 1) IF FUEL QUANTITY REACHES A STATE WHEREUPON REACHING DEST AN UNDUE DELAY CANNOT BE ACCEPTED; ADVISE ATC OF MINIMUM FUEL STATUS. THIS IS NOT A DECLARATION OF EMER; BUT AN ADVISORY THAT INDICATES AN EMER SITUATION IS POSSIBLE SHOULD ANY UNDUE DELAY OCCUR. ATC THEN INFORMED US THE ZZZ1 TWR WAS 'GRIDLOCKED' AND WAS NOT ACCEPTING ARRS. WE INFORMED ZZZ1 TRACON THAT WE NEEDED TO DIVERT TO ZZZ. THE TRACON WAS AWARE THAT NOW WE WERE IN A MINIMUM FUEL STATE. AS WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ZZZ ARRS; IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE CTLR WAS SWAMPED. WE QUICKLY BECAME AWARE THE CTLR WAS HANDLING 3 FUEL EMERS AHEAD OF US. NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCEPT ANY ADDITIONAL DELAY AS WE WERE BEING VECTORED AWAY FROM THE ARPT; I DECIDED THE SAFEST AND MOST PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO DECLARE A FUEL EMER. 2) IF FUEL QUANTITY REQUIRES TFC PRIORITY TO ENSURE A SAFE LNDG; AN EMER SHOULD BE DECLARED; AND FUEL ABOARD; IN MINS; SHOULD BE RPTED TO ATC. WE WERE IMMEDIATELY CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 22R; THE FLT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE ARRIVED ON THE DECK WITH 6000 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.