Narrative:

Route: kewn-bkw-fwa-bae-eau.EAU1-kmsp. Forecast was for better than 10 SM, and 8000 scattered. Actual conditions were slightly better than the forecast. Required fuel by computer flight plan=4289 pounds. Fuel onboard=4500 pounds. Planned time en route=2plus19. Takeoff weight: 19600 pounds. Bfl (wet runway) approximately 5500 ft. Runway available: 6000 ft. We climbed direct to FL430 with minimum delays. The flight was uneventful until just west of bae. Just after bae, ZAU asked us to descend to FL390. We complied, even though we were still 300 mi from landing. At krspy intersection, we were given a 360 degree heading. (An air carrier was just ahead of us, and was given the same heading. He was told by ATC that ZMP was 'saturated' and was not taking any more aircraft.) several aircraft behind us were given the 360 degree heading. We continued the 360 degree heading for 10 plus mins. Next we were asked to turn to a heading of 180 degrees, as were the other aircraft. After about 5 mins or so, the air carrier was given a 270 degree heading, as were about 4 other aircraft. We continued on the 180 degree heading until we crossed the original arrival flight path and proceeded south of course. The uns performance page showed us landing with 660 pounds of fuel at our altitude of 35000 ft, 240 KT cas. Msp was currently landing to the west. Runways 29L and right, so we knew that we were going to get vectored to overfly the airport again before actually getting cleared for an approach. 660 pounds of fuel just wasn't going to do the job. While the controller was 'checking,' we pulled the power back even further. The ZMP controller came back and gave us direct gollf, and told us to expect no delays, and descend to FL280. This shortcut gave us a little over 900 pounds showing on the uns. With a short approach, we could expect to land with VFR fuel. We changed controllers. She gave us a descent to FL140 and a heading of 330 degrees. We questioned the heading and explained that we could not take any delays and would probably be declaring 'minimum fuel' very shortly. Her reasons for the heading were to provide spacing to put another aircraft in front of us, and she informed us that we 'couldn't make' the crossing restrat ollee intersection of 11000 ft -- since we were only 15 mi from gollf. (Our VNAV was already set up for this and it showed we only needed a 2100 FPM descent rate.) we explained to her we could make it, and we would not take the vector. She allowed us to continue the present heading with a rapid descent. We declared 'minimum fuel' with this controller, and asked her to forward a request for a landing on runway 22. We were told to expect this to be set up with the next controller. We were given instructions for a 180 degree heading after the gep VOR, and asked for clarification of our fuel declaration. Were we declaring 'emergency fuel' or 'minimum fuel'? We told the controller we were only declaring minimum fuel. He asked if we needed a vector to the nearest airport. There were no airports with runways long enough to accommodate the lear 60 by our operations specifications on the west side of msp -- we had already checked. The next airport that would be usable to us was the st paul downtown airport and it was 1 or 2 mi further than msp. We told approach no, we didn't need that at this time. The tower cleared us to land and asked an air carrier on final for runway 29R if he could hold short of runway 22. He said 'no.' the tower told him to be prepared for a go around. A few seconds later the tower announced that we were going to arrive at the same time and called a go around for the air carrier, telling him there was a 'learjet with critical fuel for runway 22.' this was the first time that anyone had called us 'critical fuel.' we landed and taxied in. Ground gave us a phone number to call TRACON. Statistics: shutdown fuel: aircraft gauge 950 pounds (900 pounds in the morning). Uns, 756 pounds. Planned fuel burn: 2900 pounds and 2 hours 19 mins. Actual fuel burn: 3625 pounds and 3 hours 10 mins. Original route distance from eau to the airport was 125 NM. Distance from eau to brdie and the arrival, overflying the airport back to intercept the final, was approximately 225 NM to runway 29L, and 245 NM to runway 29R, conservatively. Msp was running 10 NM finals on runway 29L, and 25 NM finals on runway 29R. We were not told this, nor is it published. In addition to the vectoring west of bae, we were given an increased routing of at least 100 NM. Low fuel lights never came on except during the rapid descent to final for runway 22. They were not on at shutdown.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN LR60 FLC ENCOUNTERS DELAYS ENRTE DUE TO TFC AND DECLARES MINIMUM FUEL TO AN ARTCC CTLR WHILE ENRTE. THE FLC GETS A MORE DIRECT ROUTING AND LANDS WITH RESERVES ON BOARD. FLT TIME WAS ABOUT 50 MINS MORE THAN PLANNED.

Narrative: RTE: KEWN-BKW-FWA-BAE-EAU.EAU1-KMSP. FORECAST WAS FOR BETTER THAN 10 SM, AND 8000 SCATTERED. ACTUAL CONDITIONS WERE SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN THE FORECAST. REQUIRED FUEL BY COMPUTER FLT PLAN=4289 LBS. FUEL ONBOARD=4500 LBS. PLANNED TIME ENRTE=2PLUS19. TKOF WT: 19600 LBS. BFL (WET RWY) APPROX 5500 FT. RWY AVAILABLE: 6000 FT. WE CLBED DIRECT TO FL430 WITH MINIMUM DELAYS. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL JUST W OF BAE. JUST AFTER BAE, ZAU ASKED US TO DSND TO FL390. WE COMPLIED, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE STILL 300 MI FROM LNDG. AT KRSPY INTXN, WE WERE GIVEN A 360 DEG HDG. (AN ACR WAS JUST AHEAD OF US, AND WAS GIVEN THE SAME HDG. HE WAS TOLD BY ATC THAT ZMP WAS 'SATURATED' AND WAS NOT TAKING ANY MORE ACFT.) SEVERAL ACFT BEHIND US WERE GIVEN THE 360 DEG HDG. WE CONTINUED THE 360 DEG HDG FOR 10 PLUS MINS. NEXT WE WERE ASKED TO TURN TO A HDG OF 180 DEGS, AS WERE THE OTHER ACFT. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS OR SO, THE ACR WAS GIVEN A 270 DEG HDG, AS WERE ABOUT 4 OTHER ACFT. WE CONTINUED ON THE 180 DEG HDG UNTIL WE CROSSED THE ORIGINAL ARR FLT PATH AND PROCEEDED S OF COURSE. THE UNS PERFORMANCE PAGE SHOWED US LNDG WITH 660 LBS OF FUEL AT OUR ALT OF 35000 FT, 240 KT CAS. MSP WAS CURRENTLY LNDG TO THE W. RWYS 29L AND R, SO WE KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO GET VECTORED TO OVERFLY THE ARPT AGAIN BEFORE ACTUALLY GETTING CLRED FOR AN APCH. 660 LBS OF FUEL JUST WASN'T GOING TO DO THE JOB. WHILE THE CTLR WAS 'CHKING,' WE PULLED THE PWR BACK EVEN FURTHER. THE ZMP CTLR CAME BACK AND GAVE US DIRECT GOLLF, AND TOLD US TO EXPECT NO DELAYS, AND DSND TO FL280. THIS SHORTCUT GAVE US A LITTLE OVER 900 LBS SHOWING ON THE UNS. WITH A SHORT APCH, WE COULD EXPECT TO LAND WITH VFR FUEL. WE CHANGED CTLRS. SHE GAVE US A DSCNT TO FL140 AND A HDG OF 330 DEGS. WE QUESTIONED THE HDG AND EXPLAINED THAT WE COULD NOT TAKE ANY DELAYS AND WOULD PROBABLY BE DECLARING 'MINIMUM FUEL' VERY SHORTLY. HER REASONS FOR THE HDG WERE TO PROVIDE SPACING TO PUT ANOTHER ACFT IN FRONT OF US, AND SHE INFORMED US THAT WE 'COULDN'T MAKE' THE XING RESTRAT OLLEE INTXN OF 11000 FT -- SINCE WE WERE ONLY 15 MI FROM GOLLF. (OUR VNAV WAS ALREADY SET UP FOR THIS AND IT SHOWED WE ONLY NEEDED A 2100 FPM DSCNT RATE.) WE EXPLAINED TO HER WE COULD MAKE IT, AND WE WOULD NOT TAKE THE VECTOR. SHE ALLOWED US TO CONTINUE THE PRESENT HDG WITH A RAPID DSCNT. WE DECLARED 'MINIMUM FUEL' WITH THIS CTLR, AND ASKED HER TO FORWARD A REQUEST FOR A LNDG ON RWY 22. WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT THIS TO BE SET UP WITH THE NEXT CTLR. WE WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR A 180 DEG HDG AFTER THE GEP VOR, AND ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION OF OUR FUEL DECLARATION. WERE WE DECLARING 'EMER FUEL' OR 'MINIMUM FUEL'? WE TOLD THE CTLR WE WERE ONLY DECLARING MINIMUM FUEL. HE ASKED IF WE NEEDED A VECTOR TO THE NEAREST ARPT. THERE WERE NO ARPTS WITH RWYS LONG ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE THE LEAR 60 BY OUR OPS SPECS ON THE W SIDE OF MSP -- WE HAD ALREADY CHKED. THE NEXT ARPT THAT WOULD BE USABLE TO US WAS THE ST PAUL DOWNTOWN ARPT AND IT WAS 1 OR 2 MI FURTHER THAN MSP. WE TOLD APCH NO, WE DIDN'T NEED THAT AT THIS TIME. THE TWR CLRED US TO LAND AND ASKED AN ACR ON FINAL FOR RWY 29R IF HE COULD HOLD SHORT OF RWY 22. HE SAID 'NO.' THE TWR TOLD HIM TO BE PREPARED FOR A GAR. A FEW SECONDS LATER THE TWR ANNOUNCED THAT WE WERE GOING TO ARRIVE AT THE SAME TIME AND CALLED A GAR FOR THE ACR, TELLING HIM THERE WAS A 'LEARJET WITH CRITICAL FUEL FOR RWY 22.' THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT ANYONE HAD CALLED US 'CRITICAL FUEL.' WE LANDED AND TAXIED IN. GND GAVE US A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL TRACON. STATISTICS: SHUTDOWN FUEL: ACFT GAUGE 950 LBS (900 LBS IN THE MORNING). UNS, 756 LBS. PLANNED FUEL BURN: 2900 LBS AND 2 HRS 19 MINS. ACTUAL FUEL BURN: 3625 LBS AND 3 HRS 10 MINS. ORIGINAL RTE DISTANCE FROM EAU TO THE ARPT WAS 125 NM. DISTANCE FROM EAU TO BRDIE AND THE ARR, OVERFLYING THE ARPT BACK TO INTERCEPT THE FINAL, WAS APPROX 225 NM TO RWY 29L, AND 245 NM TO RWY 29R, CONSERVATIVELY. MSP WAS RUNNING 10 NM FINALS ON RWY 29L, AND 25 NM FINALS ON RWY 29R. WE WERE NOT TOLD THIS, NOR IS IT PUBLISHED. IN ADDITION TO THE VECTORING W OF BAE, WE WERE GIVEN AN INCREASED ROUTING OF AT LEAST 100 NM. LOW FUEL LIGHTS NEVER CAME ON EXCEPT DURING THE RAPID DSCNT TO FINAL FOR RWY 22. THEY WERE NOT ON AT SHUTDOWN.

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.