Narrative:

My captain and I were assigned aircraft which had an MEL for an inoperative #1 fuel tank gauge. It was my first day of IOE after completing training. On the fourth leg of the day, the captain noticed he had to maintain approximately 20 degrees left aileron to maintain wings level. There was no indication of a flight control malfunction and all flaps and slats were retracted. We determined that the possibility exists that the fuel tanks were out of balance, and since the #1 gauge was inoperative, we had no idea of how much we were out of balance. The captain decided to return to msp. Upon arrival at msp, mechanics dipped the wings and discovered an approximately 3000 pound imbal between tanks #1 and #2. At no time was there a danger of insufficient fuel for the flight. The aircraft was fueled to fly from msp to mdw and back, plus contingency fuel. Prior to departure, the captain had requested full wing tanks, stressing a known quantity be in the left tank. It was later discovered that the fuelers were not familiar with the company procedures on fueling with an inoperative fuel gauge. They had filled the tanks to the automatic shutoff. The captain had asked if the tanks were full and he was told yes. Aircraft's left tank fuel gauge had been inoperative for some time. Attempts to correct the problem had failed. Long standing fuel gauge problems need to be corrected for the efficient use of the aircraft. Putting the burden on the crew is not satisfactory. The company procedures on fueling with an inoperative fuel gauge need to be stressed. It has to be emphasized that it's the crew's responsibility to ensure a known quantity of fuel is put into the tank with the inoperative gauge, not the fueler's. It also needs to be stressed that filling the tank to the automatic shutoff is not an acceptable procedure for determining a known quantity in a tank with an inoperative fuel gauge.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG WITH INOP #1 TANK GAUGE IS IMPROPERLY FUELED. CAPT, WHO WAS GIVING FO IOE, TOLD THE FUELERS HOW TO DO IT AND HE WAS WRONG. WITH A FUEL GAUGE INOP, THE AUTO SHUTOFF SYS THINKS THE TANK IS FULL WHEN IT ISN'T. THIS CAUSED A 3000 LB IMBAL BTWN WINGS WHICH REQUIRED CONSIDERABLE AILERON INPUT WHEN INFLT. THEY ELECTED TO RETURN LAND MSP.

Narrative: MY CAPT AND I WERE ASSIGNED ACFT WHICH HAD AN MEL FOR AN INOP #1 FUEL TANK GAUGE. IT WAS MY FIRST DAY OF IOE AFTER COMPLETING TRAINING. ON THE FOURTH LEG OF THE DAY, THE CAPT NOTICED HE HAD TO MAINTAIN APPROX 20 DEGS L AILERON TO MAINTAIN WINGS LEVEL. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A FLT CTL MALFUNCTION AND ALL FLAPS AND SLATS WERE RETRACTED. WE DETERMINED THAT THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT THE FUEL TANKS WERE OUT OF BAL, AND SINCE THE #1 GAUGE WAS INOP, WE HAD NO IDEA OF HOW MUCH WE WERE OUT OF BAL. THE CAPT DECIDED TO RETURN TO MSP. UPON ARR AT MSP, MECHS DIPPED THE WINGS AND DISCOVERED AN APPROX 3000 LB IMBAL BTWN TANKS #1 AND #2. AT NO TIME WAS THERE A DANGER OF INSUFFICIENT FUEL FOR THE FLT. THE ACFT WAS FUELED TO FLY FROM MSP TO MDW AND BACK, PLUS CONTINGENCY FUEL. PRIOR TO DEP, THE CAPT HAD REQUESTED FULL WING TANKS, STRESSING A KNOWN QUANTITY BE IN THE L TANK. IT WAS LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE FUELERS WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE COMPANY PROCS ON FUELING WITH AN INOP FUEL GAUGE. THEY HAD FILLED THE TANKS TO THE AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF. THE CAPT HAD ASKED IF THE TANKS WERE FULL AND HE WAS TOLD YES. ACFT'S L TANK FUEL GAUGE HAD BEEN INOP FOR SOME TIME. ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROB HAD FAILED. LONG STANDING FUEL GAUGE PROBS NEED TO BE CORRECTED FOR THE EFFICIENT USE OF THE ACFT. PUTTING THE BURDEN ON THE CREW IS NOT SATISFACTORY. THE COMPANY PROCS ON FUELING WITH AN INOP FUEL GAUGE NEED TO BE STRESSED. IT HAS TO BE EMPHASIZED THAT IT'S THE CREW'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE A KNOWN QUANTITY OF FUEL IS PUT INTO THE TANK WITH THE INOP GAUGE, NOT THE FUELER'S. IT ALSO NEEDS TO BE STRESSED THAT FILLING THE TANK TO THE AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE PROC FOR DETERMINING A KNOWN QUANTITY IN A TANK WITH AN INOP FUEL GAUGE.

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.