Narrative:

I deadheaded from new york to ord, arriving about 1 hour prior to the scheduled departure of my first flight out of ord. I had no experience with flying from that airport. A fellow pilot gave me a quick procedural chkout and I prepared for the first flight. The aircraft arrived 5 mins prior to scheduled departure and we were rushing to get out. Additionally, I had never met my first officer or flight attendant prior to the flight. While in the cockpit I was distracted several times including being called back to operations to call dispatch. When I returned from that call passenger had boarded and the first officer was engrossed in getting ATIS and clearance. A ramper signaled me to start the right engine. I hastily reviewed my actions prior to being called by dispatch and concluded all checks were complete. However, I did not call for the before starting engines checklist as the first officer was busy and I did not want to take a further delay. This was influenced also by the knowledge that freezing rain was moving into the area. That condition at the field would have precluded flight under our company policy. All other duties prior to taxi were done in accordance with company procedures. On initial taxi and while still in the parking area we noted insufficient fuel on board to complete the flight in a legal manner. Therefore we returned to the gate. Contributing factors: pressure imposed by late arrival of aircraft and need to get out before WX worsened, lack of familiarity with local procedures. (At home base all paperwork and closeout would have been done prior to taxi, first officer should have caught fuel discrepancy while completing manifest. At this airport manifest is completed during taxi.) not being used to working with other crew members. Additionally, I had been up over 9 hours prior to reporting and was somewhat tired. Supplemental information from acn 327003: the previous flight was late getting in and we had little time to get aircraft (SF34B) preflted. We did not run a before start checklist and therefore did not discover the fuel discrepancy. It was caught by me as I ran the checklist silently after we started taxiing. We returned to gate and received reprimand by the company.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FLC OF AN SF34B TAXIED FROM THE GATE WITHOUT ADEQUATE FUEL TO COMPLETE THE FLT LEGALLY. THE FO HAD BEEN SILENTLY RUNNING THE BEFORE START CHKLIST WHEN HE DISCOVERED THE DISCREPANCY. FLC RETURNED TO THE GATE.

Narrative: I DEADHEADED FROM NEW YORK TO ORD, ARRIVING ABOUT 1 HR PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED DEP OF MY FIRST FLT OUT OF ORD. I HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH FLYING FROM THAT ARPT. A FELLOW PLT GAVE ME A QUICK PROCEDURAL CHKOUT AND I PREPARED FOR THE FIRST FLT. THE ACFT ARRIVED 5 MINS PRIOR TO SCHEDULED DEP AND WE WERE RUSHING TO GET OUT. ADDITIONALLY, I HAD NEVER MET MY FO OR FLT ATTENDANT PRIOR TO THE FLT. WHILE IN THE COCKPIT I WAS DISTRACTED SEVERAL TIMES INCLUDING BEING CALLED BACK TO OPS TO CALL DISPATCH. WHEN I RETURNED FROM THAT CALL PAX HAD BOARDED AND THE FO WAS ENGROSSED IN GETTING ATIS AND CLRNC. A RAMPER SIGNALED ME TO START THE R ENG. I HASTILY REVIEWED MY ACTIONS PRIOR TO BEING CALLED BY DISPATCH AND CONCLUDED ALL CHKS WERE COMPLETE. HOWEVER, I DID NOT CALL FOR THE BEFORE STARTING ENGS CHKLIST AS THE FO WAS BUSY AND I DID NOT WANT TO TAKE A FURTHER DELAY. THIS WAS INFLUENCED ALSO BY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT FREEZING RAIN WAS MOVING INTO THE AREA. THAT CONDITION AT THE FIELD WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED FLT UNDER OUR COMPANY POLICY. ALL OTHER DUTIES PRIOR TO TAXI WERE DONE IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY PROCS. ON INITIAL TAXI AND WHILE STILL IN THE PARKING AREA WE NOTED INSUFFICIENT FUEL ON BOARD TO COMPLETE THE FLT IN A LEGAL MANNER. THEREFORE WE RETURNED TO THE GATE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: PRESSURE IMPOSED BY LATE ARR OF ACFT AND NEED TO GET OUT BEFORE WX WORSENED, LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH LCL PROCS. (AT HOME BASE ALL PAPERWORK AND CLOSEOUT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE PRIOR TO TAXI, FO SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT FUEL DISCREPANCY WHILE COMPLETING MANIFEST. AT THIS ARPT MANIFEST IS COMPLETED DURING TAXI.) NOT BEING USED TO WORKING WITH OTHER CREW MEMBERS. ADDITIONALLY, I HAD BEEN UP OVER 9 HRS PRIOR TO RPTING AND WAS SOMEWHAT TIRED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 327003: THE PREVIOUS FLT WAS LATE GETTING IN AND WE HAD LITTLE TIME TO GET ACFT (SF34B) PREFLTED. WE DID NOT RUN A BEFORE START CHKLIST AND THEREFORE DID NOT DISCOVER THE FUEL DISCREPANCY. IT WAS CAUGHT BY ME AS I RAN THE CHKLIST SILENTLY AFTER WE STARTED TAXIING. WE RETURNED TO GATE AND RECEIVED REPRIMAND BY THE COMPANY.

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.