LGT TKOF WITH LESS FUEL THAN PLANNED.

Narrative

WE DEPARTED ATL. THE #2 FUEL TANK GAUGE WAS INOP AND ON A CI. THE #2 TANK WAS PUMPED DRY AND A KNOWN QUANTITY OF 2830 GALS/APPROX 19000# WAS ADDED TO #2 FOR A TOTAL FUEL LOAD OF 41900# REQUESTED. ACTUAL FUEL LOAD WAS 42400#. FUEL BURN OFF TO CHICAGO WAS 13700#; ACCORDING TO COMPUTER FLT PLAN. UPON ARR AT CHICAGO FUEL WAS OBSERVED TO BE 28000#; PLUS OR MINUS BECAUSE #2 COULD NOT READ ACCURATELY. SINCE WE OPERATED TANK TO ENG AFTER A CALCULATED CENTER TANK BURN DOWN; #2 FUEL WAS APPROX THAT WHICH WAS OBSERVED IN #1 AND #3. ACFT OVERNIGHTED AND WE PICKED UP THE SAME ACFT FOR FLT FROM CHICAGO TO ATL; ON 12/WED/88. MINIMUM FUEL ON FLT ACCORDING TO FLT PLAN WAS 26300'. CAPT REQUESTED 29000# AND ASKED THE FUELER TO CHK THE QTY IN #2 TANK BY PULLING THE DRIP STICKS; WHICH THE S/O OBSERVED HIM TO DO. APPROX 45 MINS AFTER TKOF THE LOW PRESSURE LIGHTS ON THE FORWARD BOOST PUMPS IN THE #2 TANK STARTED FLICKERING AND THEN CAME ON STEADY. WE THEN CHKED WITH OUR COMPANY TECH SVC AND DISPATCH AND ALL CONCURRED THAT WE HAD MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FUEL TO CONTINUE TO ATL; BUT THAT THERE MIGHT BE A POSSIBILITY OF A STRUCTURAL PROB DUE TO OUT OF BALANCE FUEL. SEVERAL MINS LATER THE AFT RIGHT BOOST PUMP LOW PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ALL TANKS WERE BY NOW PARALLELED WITH ALL XFEEDS OPEN. CENTER WAS INFORMED THAT WE HAD A FUEL DISCREPANCY AND WE WERE GIVEN PRIORITY HANDLING. WE SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED IN ATL WITH NO FURTHER PROBS WHEN #2 FUEL TANK WAS CHKED ON THE GND AND WAS FOUND TO BE EMPTY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: IN ORDER TO WORK ON THE FUEL GAUGE; MAINT HAD TO PUMP THE #2 TANK DRY. THEY FAILED TO MAKE ANY ENTRY ABOUT THIS IN THE LOGBOOK AND THEIR ATTEMPT AT REPAIR WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE S/O SAW THAT A DRIP STICK HAD BEEN LOWERED AND FUEL WAS RUNNING FROM IT. HE DID NOT ACTUALLY READ THE DRIP STICK AS REQUIRED BY COMPANY PROCS. THE CAPT TOLD THE FUELER TO READ THE DRIP STICK AND THEN ADD 2000# TO THE TANK.