ENGINE FAILURE; FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative

COMPLETED NORMAL PREFLT BUT FAILED TO REALIZE EXTENT OF REDUCED FUEL CONDITION. MECHS HAD OVERNIGHT DRAINED FUEL AND WORKED ON FUEL GAUGE SENDER UNIT IN LEFT INBOARD TANK. THEY FAILED TO INFORM PLT OR ORDER PLANE TO BE REFUELED WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN NORMAL PROC SINCE PLANE HAD BEEN TOPPED OFF PRIOR TO THEIR MAINT OPERATION. PLANE WASN'T RELEASED FROM MAINT TILL VERY SHORTLY PRIOR TO SCHEDULED DEP TIME. LEFT INBOARD FUEL GAUGE APPARENTLY LEFT INOP BY MAINT AND NO NOTICE GIVEN MECH OF THAT CONDITION. ON PREFLT BOTH INBOARD GAUGES SHOWED NEAR FULL. VISUALLY CHKED AND FOUND FUEL REDUCED AN ESTIMATED 80 LBS OR SO AND NOTED A WT AND BAL FOR SOME REASON MUST NOT HAVE CHKED LEFT INBOARD TANK VISUALLY. BELIEVED I CHKED IT BUT NO OTHER EXPLANATION. MORNING PORTION OF FLT UNEVENTFUL; NO VISUAL INDICATION OF FUEL RESERVE AVAILABLE BELOW 30 GALS IN THIS ACFT. AFTER DEP ON RETURN FLT GOT LOW FUEL FLOW LIGHT BUT FUEL FLOW NORMAL ON METERS; THEN LATER ENG FAILURE DUE TO FUEL FLOW FLUCTUATION CORRECTED BY SWITCH OF TANKS TO OUTBOARD TILL OUTBOARD RAN DRY FOLLOWED BY ENG STOPPAGE; CLEANUP AND FEATHER. CONTINUED FLT TO DEST ON 1 ENG FUEL EXHAUSTION FOUND TO BE CAUSED BY REFUELING AND CHK REMAINING LEFT INBOARD TANK TO MY TOTAL AMAZEMENT. COULD NOT BELIEVE TO HAVE REALLY HAPPENED TILL LATER CONSULTATION WITH MECHS REVEALED FUEL DRAINING HAD OCCURRED. I STILL SEEM TO REMEMBER CHKING THE TANK EARLIER; BUT APPARENTLY MUST HAVE SKIPPED IT FOR SOME REASON. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR CONFUSED AS TO WHY LEFT INBOARD GAUGE READ FULL WHEN INOP. ALSO DISTURBED THAT HE COULD HAVE MISSED VISUAL CHK OF LEFT INBOARD TANK. USED INBOARDS FOR TKOF AND LNDG AND OUTBOARDS FOR CRUISE AS IS USUAL PRACTICE. HAS HAD CONSULTATION WITH CHIEF PLT AND MAINT CREW TO CORRECT COMS WHEN FUEL IS DRAINED OR EQUIP LEFT INOP.