Air carrier with inoperative fuel gauge checked quantity with dip stick, then transferred fuel as cr...

Narrative:

Received aircraft with inoperative #3 fuel quantity gauge. Maintenance and flight crew defueled #3 tank via tank to tank transfer procedure into #1 and 2 tanks. Fueler then uploaded 1642 gals into the $3 tank, verified by second officer looking at truck gauge. Began fueling tanks #1 and 2 while crew went back to cockpit. Fuel spill occurred out of right wing vent. Fueling stopped. A discussion ensued with maintenance and flight as to where spilled fuel came from. Thought it may have come from #1 tank overfull, but gauge showed 8500 pounds. That meant possibility of #2 inoperative fuel quantity gauges. No certainty by maintenance as to where fuel came from. #1 tank drip stick #2 pulled and fuel flowed at 8500 pounds depth. Confirming that #1 fuel quantity gauge reading reliable. At that point assumed #3 tank overfull and causing fuel spill. #3 tank transferred back to #2 tank. #2 tank start reading 10.4 end 22.8, showing 12400# of fuel in #3 tank, completely full. Maintenance said spill then had to have come from #3 tank. With the #3 tank empty, 11000 pounds was now metered back into #3 tank from #2 tank by tank to tank transfer. #2 tank fuel pumps shut off at tank reading of 11.8 in a 2 tank fueler, then uploaded #1 tank to bring it up to 11000 pounds. Aircraft departed gate, taxied to runway and takeoff was initiated. At approximately 85 KTS, second officer called 2 boost pump low pressurization lights on in tank #3, engine fail light illuminated and second officer and first officer called engine failure. Captain aborted takeoff at 100 KTS. Aircraft brought back to gate and maintenance consulted. Tank #3 thought to be empty and confirmed by maintenance pulling drip stick in #3 tank. Tank empty. After discussion with flight crew and maintenance it was thought that when 11000 pounds of fuel was transferred from #2 tank to #3 tank, the fuel went into truck instead of into #3 tank. Fuel truck was tested on another aircraft and fuel did in fact go into truck instead of aircraft tank #3. Second truck tested and fuel did not go into truck. 1650 gals of fuel was then uplifted into tank #3 by fueler and verified by second officer. Flight departed uneventfully. To preclude this from happening again, truck fill hose should be disconnected from aircraft anytime tank to tank transfer is being done. Fuel drip sticks should be pulled on tank with inoperative gauge to confirm fuel is in tank. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states failure was in truck. Crew report to chief pilot and met with company reps next morning. Company has changed entire fueling procedure and mandates no truck hooked up to aircraft when any internal tank transfer is occurring. Drip sticks will be used after any such transfer to confirm fuel amount. Entire airline has been notified and procedures imposed for all aircraft, not just large transport. Reporter is participating in rewrite of large transport operations manual. Reporter was a mechanic for another airline prior to becoming a pilot and had never experienced such a problem. A great surprise to him!!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR WITH INOPERATIVE FUEL GAUGE CHECKED QUANTITY WITH DIP STICK, THEN TRANSFERRED FUEL AS CROSS-CHECK. ON TKOF HAD LOW PRESSURIZATION LIGHTS AND ENGINE FAIL LIGHT ILLUMINATE. ABORTED, DISCOVERED EMPTY TANK.

Narrative: RECEIVED ACFT WITH INOP #3 FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE. MAINT AND FLT CREW DEFUELED #3 TANK VIA TANK TO TANK TRANSFER PROCEDURE INTO #1 AND 2 TANKS. FUELER THEN UPLOADED 1642 GALS INTO THE $3 TANK, VERIFIED BY S/O LOOKING AT TRUCK GAUGE. BEGAN FUELING TANKS #1 AND 2 WHILE CREW WENT BACK TO COCKPIT. FUEL SPILL OCCURRED OUT OF RIGHT WING VENT. FUELING STOPPED. A DISCUSSION ENSUED WITH MAINT AND FLT AS TO WHERE SPILLED FUEL CAME FROM. THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE COME FROM #1 TANK OVERFULL, BUT GAUGE SHOWED 8500 LBS. THAT MEANT POSSIBILITY OF #2 INOP FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES. NO CERTAINTY BY MAINT AS TO WHERE FUEL CAME FROM. #1 TANK DRIP STICK #2 PULLED AND FUEL FLOWED AT 8500 LBS DEPTH. CONFIRMING THAT #1 FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE READING RELIABLE. AT THAT POINT ASSUMED #3 TANK OVERFULL AND CAUSING FUEL SPILL. #3 TANK TRANSFERRED BACK TO #2 TANK. #2 TANK START READING 10.4 END 22.8, SHOWING 12400# OF FUEL IN #3 TANK, COMPLETELY FULL. MAINT SAID SPILL THEN HAD TO HAVE COME FROM #3 TANK. WITH THE #3 TANK EMPTY, 11000 LBS WAS NOW METERED BACK INTO #3 TANK FROM #2 TANK BY TANK TO TANK TRANSFER. #2 TANK FUEL PUMPS SHUT OFF AT TANK READING OF 11.8 IN A 2 TANK FUELER, THEN UPLOADED #1 TANK TO BRING IT UP TO 11000 LBS. ACFT DEPARTED GATE, TAXIED TO RWY AND TKOF WAS INITIATED. AT APPROX 85 KTS, S/O CALLED 2 BOOST PUMP LOW PRESSURIZATION LIGHTS ON IN TANK #3, ENG FAIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND S/O AND F/O CALLED ENG FAILURE. CAPT ABORTED TKOF AT 100 KTS. ACFT BROUGHT BACK TO GATE AND MAINT CONSULTED. TANK #3 THOUGHT TO BE EMPTY AND CONFIRMED BY MAINT PULLING DRIP STICK IN #3 TANK. TANK EMPTY. AFTER DISCUSSION WITH FLT CREW AND MAINT IT WAS THOUGHT THAT WHEN 11000 LBS OF FUEL WAS TRANSFERRED FROM #2 TANK TO #3 TANK, THE FUEL WENT INTO TRUCK INSTEAD OF INTO #3 TANK. FUEL TRUCK WAS TESTED ON ANOTHER ACFT AND FUEL DID IN FACT GO INTO TRUCK INSTEAD OF ACFT TANK #3. SECOND TRUCK TESTED AND FUEL DID NOT GO INTO TRUCK. 1650 GALS OF FUEL WAS THEN UPLIFTED INTO TANK #3 BY FUELER AND VERIFIED BY S/O. FLT DEPARTED UNEVENTFULLY. TO PRECLUDE THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, TRUCK FILL HOSE SHOULD BE DISCONNECTED FROM ACFT ANYTIME TANK TO TANK TRANSFER IS BEING DONE. FUEL DRIP STICKS SHOULD BE PULLED ON TANK WITH INOP GAUGE TO CONFIRM FUEL IS IN TANK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STATES FAILURE WAS IN TRUCK. CREW RPT TO CHIEF PLT AND MET WITH COMPANY REPS NEXT MORNING. COMPANY HAS CHANGED ENTIRE FUELING PROC AND MANDATES NO TRUCK HOOKED UP TO ACFT WHEN ANY INTERNAL TANK TRANSFER IS OCCURRING. DRIP STICKS WILL BE USED AFTER ANY SUCH TRANSFER TO CONFIRM FUEL AMOUNT. ENTIRE AIRLINE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED AND PROCS IMPOSED FOR ALL ACFT, NOT JUST LGT. REPORTER IS PARTICIPATING IN REWRITE OF LGT OPS MANUAL. RPTR WAS A MECH FOR ANOTHER AIRLINE PRIOR TO BECOMING A PLT AND HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH A PROB. A GREAT SURPRISE TO HIM!!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	138228
Time
Date	199002
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lga
State Reference	NY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground : preflight other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 6200 flight time type : 5
ASRS Report	138228
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 1380 flight time type : 300
ASRS Report	138079
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : overcame equipment problem
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Ambiguous
Air Traffic Incident	other other

Air carrier with inoperative fuel gauge checked quantity with dip stick, then transferred fuel as cross-check. On takeoff had low pressurization lights and engine fail light illuminate. Aborted, discovered empty tank.