Narrative:

Location: airway A300. Departed sju. The aircraft had a previous autofuel feed problem. The corrective action was replacing the center of gravity control computer. During climb and the beginning of cruise the autofuel feed system operated normally. Later in the flight we noticed the airplane was feeding from the center tank but did not revert back to inner tank feed at 2200 or 1100 pounds of center tank fuel remaining. We continued to observe as the center tank pumps continued to run even after the center tank was empty. Fuel was then being used from the outer tanks. The airplane continued to use outer tank fuel and never reverted to the inner tanks, even though there was 11300 pounds of fuel in each inner tank. We then used manual fuel feed procedures to correct the problem for the remainder of the flight. What is important is that we never got fault lights for the center or inner pumps and never received an ECAM fault message. Had we not noticed the unusual fuel burn, the outer tanks would have fed to empty with the resultant fuel starvation leading to engine failure. The operating manual needs to be changed to highlight this possibility and other airbus operators should be notified of this hazardous situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A300 ACFT IN CRUISE. AUTOFUEL FEED FAILURE AND CTR FUEL TANK PUMPS CONTINUED TO RUN AFTER THE TANK WAS EMPTY. THERE WERE NO FAULT LIGHTS OR ECAM WARNING AND HAD THE FLC NOT NOTICED THE FUEL BURN, THE OUTER TANKS WOULD HAVE FED TO AN EMPTY TANK WITH RESULTANT FUEL STARVATION AND ENG FAILURE. FAULTY CTR OF GRAVITY CTL COMPUTER WAS THE CAUSE.

Narrative: LOCATION: AIRWAY A300. DEPARTED SJU. THE ACFT HAD A PREVIOUS AUTOFUEL FEED PROB. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS REPLACING THE CTR OF GRAVITY CTL COMPUTER. DURING CLB AND THE BEGINNING OF CRUISE THE AUTOFUEL FEED SYS OPERATED NORMALLY. LATER IN THE FLT WE NOTICED THE AIRPLANE WAS FEEDING FROM THE CTR TANK BUT DID NOT REVERT BACK TO INNER TANK FEED AT 2200 OR 1100 LBS OF CTR TANK FUEL REMAINING. WE CONTINUED TO OBSERVE AS THE CTR TANK PUMPS CONTINUED TO RUN EVEN AFTER THE CTR TANK WAS EMPTY. FUEL WAS THEN BEING USED FROM THE OUTER TANKS. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO USE OUTER TANK FUEL AND NEVER REVERTED TO THE INNER TANKS, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS 11300 LBS OF FUEL IN EACH INNER TANK. WE THEN USED MANUAL FUEL FEED PROCS TO CORRECT THE PROB FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT WE NEVER GOT FAULT LIGHTS FOR THE CTR OR INNER PUMPS AND NEVER RECEIVED AN ECAM FAULT MESSAGE. HAD WE NOT NOTICED THE UNUSUAL FUEL BURN, THE OUTER TANKS WOULD HAVE FED TO EMPTY WITH THE RESULTANT FUEL STARVATION LEADING TO ENG FAILURE. THE OPERATING MANUAL NEEDS TO BE CHANGED TO HIGHLIGHT THIS POSSIBILITY AND OTHER AIRBUS OPERATORS SHOULD BE NOTIFIED OF THIS HAZARDOUS SIT.

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.