Narrative:

We were repositioning our LR25 from ewr to fnt, mi. The LR25 had, previously that day, tipped on its tail due to a fueling error. The fuselage was full of fuel and the linemen were filling the wings. The captain was helping one of the fuelers when the copilot (not me) stepped off the airplane. That was enough momentum for the nose to come up slightly and, with the fuselage full and the tips and wings filling up aft first, for it to go on its tail. There was no structural damage, just a scrape on the tail, so the captain verified it was safe to fly. The first officer was hurt in the mishap when he tried to stop the nose from coming up. When he stopped off his hand got caught in the staircase and he dislocated his shoulder. This happened in the morning on oct/fri/94. So they sent me to ewr from fnt to replace this first officer and bring the plane to fnt. The captain had been up a long time and was surely fatigued. The preflight to before taxi check went normally, however, 1/2 way down taxiway right at ewr an air carrier jet told tower that a small jet in front of him was pouring fuel on the ramp out of his tail. We were really pouring in on the ramp. When we realized they were talking about us, the captain shut the #1 engine, that was operating, down. We exited the airplane and the fire trucks came for safety. The fuel eventually stopped but the firemen plugged the fuel vent on the tail with clay. What the captain later realized is that initially we had thought it had something to do with the airplane falling on its tail earlier in the day but actually we left the fuel control switch in the transfer (empty) position which was taking fuel from the fuselage and trying to put it in the wings which were already full. The system worked just like it was supposed to. The excess fuel was venting out of the fuel vent in the tail. The captain and I both overlooked the part on the before start checklist which states the confign of the fuel control panel. First officer is new to jets.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL SPILL.

Narrative: WE WERE REPOSITIONING OUR LR25 FROM EWR TO FNT, MI. THE LR25 HAD, PREVIOUSLY THAT DAY, TIPPED ON ITS TAIL DUE TO A FUELING ERROR. THE FUSELAGE WAS FULL OF FUEL AND THE LINEMEN WERE FILLING THE WINGS. THE CAPT WAS HELPING ONE OF THE FUELERS WHEN THE COPLT (NOT ME) STEPPED OFF THE AIRPLANE. THAT WAS ENOUGH MOMENTUM FOR THE NOSE TO COME UP SLIGHTLY AND, WITH THE FUSELAGE FULL AND THE TIPS AND WINGS FILLING UP AFT FIRST, FOR IT TO GO ON ITS TAIL. THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE, JUST A SCRAPE ON THE TAIL, SO THE CAPT VERIFIED IT WAS SAFE TO FLY. THE FO WAS HURT IN THE MISHAP WHEN HE TRIED TO STOP THE NOSE FROM COMING UP. WHEN HE STOPPED OFF HIS HAND GOT CAUGHT IN THE STAIRCASE AND HE DISLOCATED HIS SHOULDER. THIS HAPPENED IN THE MORNING ON OCT/FRI/94. SO THEY SENT ME TO EWR FROM FNT TO REPLACE THIS FO AND BRING THE PLANE TO FNT. THE CAPT HAD BEEN UP A LONG TIME AND WAS SURELY FATIGUED. THE PREFLT TO BEFORE TAXI CHK WENT NORMALLY, HOWEVER, 1/2 WAY DOWN TXWY R AT EWR AN ACR JET TOLD TWR THAT A SMALL JET IN FRONT OF HIM WAS POURING FUEL ON THE RAMP OUT OF HIS TAIL. WE WERE REALLY POURING IN ON THE RAMP. WHEN WE REALIZED THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT US, THE CAPT SHUT THE #1 ENG, THAT WAS OPERATING, DOWN. WE EXITED THE AIRPLANE AND THE FIRE TRUCKS CAME FOR SAFETY. THE FUEL EVENTUALLY STOPPED BUT THE FIREMEN PLUGGED THE FUEL VENT ON THE TAIL WITH CLAY. WHAT THE CAPT LATER REALIZED IS THAT INITIALLY WE HAD THOUGHT IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE AIRPLANE FALLING ON ITS TAIL EARLIER IN THE DAY BUT ACTUALLY WE LEFT THE FUEL CTL SWITCH IN THE TRANSFER (EMPTY) POS WHICH WAS TAKING FUEL FROM THE FUSELAGE AND TRYING TO PUT IT IN THE WINGS WHICH WERE ALREADY FULL. THE SYS WORKED JUST LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO. THE EXCESS FUEL WAS VENTING OUT OF THE FUEL VENT IN THE TAIL. THE CAPT AND I BOTH OVERLOOKED THE PART ON THE BEFORE START CHKLIST WHICH STATES THE CONFIGN OF THE FUEL CTL PANEL. FO IS NEW TO JETS.

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.