An atx freighter loses 1 engine while on approach to runway 27 at mem due to fuel starvation. The ta...

Narrative:

At crw I personally monitored the refueling. We fueled the forward tanks until it began pouring out the overflow valve. Its gauge then showed 2000 pounds of fuel. We fueled the aft tanks until the aft tank gauge was at 2000 pounds and equal to the forward tank's gauge. Full fuel on the SD330 is 395O pounds. En route, about 1 hour and 40 mins, the aft tank showed 400 pounds more than the forward tanks. The right engine uses the aft tanks and its fuel flow is about 20 pounds per hour more than the left engine. We selected xfeed until both fuel gauges showed 1100 pounds. During descent checks, about 50 mi from mem we noticed the aft tank's gauge showed 200 pounds less than the forward tank's gauge. We did not xfeed because both gauges showed sufficient fuel. At this time we were in moderate turbulence. We descended into good VFR conditions and were on a vector to intercept the localizer to runway 27. At about 35 mi out the xfeed light went on. We confirmed xfeed closed. There is no emergency procedure for a xfeed light on. No warning lights on the cwp (warning panel) were on. 20 seconds later the right engine began surging wildly. The right propeller was moving in and out of feather. I chose to shut down the right engine. We notified approach control and tower that we were going to make a single engine approach and that no other problems existed. We parked at an FBO at mem. The forward fuel gauge showed just over 500 pounds. The aft gauge showed about 250 pounds. After talking to our air carrier's maintenance we ran the right engine off of both the forward and aft tanks. The engine ran fine, but as it was running the aft gauge slowly increased to 500 pounds and remained there on shutdown. After dip sticking the tanks we found the forward tanks indicated correctly and the aft tanks nearly empty. Maintenance has told us they found a 100 pound discrepancy between the gauges and the tank. I believe there is more of a problem here. Furthermore, no one has any explanation for the fuel xfeed light going on. I believe that the fuel low pressure warning light did not go on because of the xfeed light being on hindering efforts to diagnose the true problem. I also believe the aft fuel gauge was altogether erroneous. When we refueled in mem we fueled the aft tank until no more fuel could be pumped in and the gauge showed pegged at 2400 pounds. This is an estimate because the gauge only goes to 2000 pounds. I apologize for the hurried nature in filling out this form, but this is the busiest week of the yr for cargo haulers. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was flying a shorts SD330 at the time. The maintenance department has been unable to discover why the fuel xfeed valve indicated open when the switch was closed. The FAA conducted an investigation and nobody was able to duplicate the situation. Maintenance did find an electrical problem with the aft tank indicating system, however, and they repaired that. This reporter flies both the shorts 330 and the 360 as well as other aircraft for this company on a part time basis.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ATX FREIGHTER LOSES 1 ENG WHILE ON APCH TO RWY 27 AT MEM DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. THE TANK GAUGES WERE IN ERROR AND ADDITIONALLY THE XFEED WAS INDICATING OPEN WHEN IT WAS CLOSED.

Narrative: AT CRW I PERSONALLY MONITORED THE REFUELING. WE FUELED THE FORWARD TANKS UNTIL IT BEGAN POURING OUT THE OVERFLOW VALVE. ITS GAUGE THEN SHOWED 2000 LBS OF FUEL. WE FUELED THE AFT TANKS UNTIL THE AFT TANK GAUGE WAS AT 2000 LBS AND EQUAL TO THE FORWARD TANK'S GAUGE. FULL FUEL ON THE SD330 IS 395O LBS. ENRTE, ABOUT 1 HR AND 40 MINS, THE AFT TANK SHOWED 400 LBS MORE THAN THE FORWARD TANKS. THE R ENG USES THE AFT TANKS AND ITS FUEL FLOW IS ABOUT 20 LBS PER HR MORE THAN THE L ENG. WE SELECTED XFEED UNTIL BOTH FUEL GAUGES SHOWED 1100 LBS. DURING DSCNT CHKS, ABOUT 50 MI FROM MEM WE NOTICED THE AFT TANK'S GAUGE SHOWED 200 LBS LESS THAN THE FORWARD TANK'S GAUGE. WE DID NOT XFEED BECAUSE BOTH GAUGES SHOWED SUFFICIENT FUEL. AT THIS TIME WE WERE IN MODERATE TURB. WE DSNDED INTO GOOD VFR CONDITIONS AND WERE ON A VECTOR TO INTERCEPT THE LOC TO RWY 27. AT ABOUT 35 MI OUT THE XFEED LIGHT WENT ON. WE CONFIRMED XFEED CLOSED. THERE IS NO EMER PROC FOR A XFEED LIGHT ON. NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE CWP (WARNING PANEL) WERE ON. 20 SECONDS LATER THE R ENG BEGAN SURGING WILDLY. THE R PROP WAS MOVING IN AND OUT OF FEATHER. I CHOSE TO SHUT DOWN THE R ENG. WE NOTIFIED APCH CTL AND TWR THAT WE WERE GOING TO MAKE A SINGLE ENG APCH AND THAT NO OTHER PROBS EXISTED. WE PARKED AT AN FBO AT MEM. THE FORWARD FUEL GAUGE SHOWED JUST OVER 500 LBS. THE AFT GAUGE SHOWED ABOUT 250 LBS. AFTER TALKING TO OUR ACR'S MAINT WE RAN THE R ENG OFF OF BOTH THE FORWARD AND AFT TANKS. THE ENG RAN FINE, BUT AS IT WAS RUNNING THE AFT GAUGE SLOWLY INCREASED TO 500 LBS AND REMAINED THERE ON SHUTDOWN. AFTER DIP STICKING THE TANKS WE FOUND THE FORWARD TANKS INDICATED CORRECTLY AND THE AFT TANKS NEARLY EMPTY. MAINT HAS TOLD US THEY FOUND A 100 LB DISCREPANCY BTWN THE GAUGES AND THE TANK. I BELIEVE THERE IS MORE OF A PROB HERE. FURTHERMORE, NO ONE HAS ANY EXPLANATION FOR THE FUEL XFEED LIGHT GOING ON. I BELIEVE THAT THE FUEL LOW PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT DID NOT GO ON BECAUSE OF THE XFEED LIGHT BEING ON HINDERING EFFORTS TO DIAGNOSE THE TRUE PROB. I ALSO BELIEVE THE AFT FUEL GAUGE WAS ALTOGETHER ERRONEOUS. WHEN WE REFUELED IN MEM WE FUELED THE AFT TANK UNTIL NO MORE FUEL COULD BE PUMPED IN AND THE GAUGE SHOWED PEGGED AT 2400 LBS. THIS IS AN ESTIMATE BECAUSE THE GAUGE ONLY GOES TO 2000 LBS. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE HURRIED NATURE IN FILLING OUT THIS FORM, BUT THIS IS THE BUSIEST WEEK OF THE YR FOR CARGO HAULERS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS FLYING A SHORTS SD330 AT THE TIME. THE MAINT DEPT HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DISCOVER WHY THE FUEL XFEED VALVE INDICATED OPEN WHEN THE SWITCH WAS CLOSED. THE FAA CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION AND NOBODY WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE SIT. MAINT DID FIND AN ELECTRICAL PROB WITH THE AFT TANK INDICATING SYS, HOWEVER, AND THEY REPAIRED THAT. THIS RPTR FLIES BOTH THE SHORTS 330 AND THE 360 AS WELL AS OTHER ACFT FOR THIS COMPANY ON A PART TIME BASIS.

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	324645
Time
Date	199512
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mem
State Reference	TN
Altitude	msl bound lower : 4000 msl bound upper : 4000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : mem artcc : zax
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Light Transport
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 65
ASRS Report	324645
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : overcame equipment problem other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

An atx freighter loses 1 engine while on approach to runway 27 at mem due to fuel starvation. The tank gauges were in error and additionally the xfeed was indicating open when it was closed.