Narrative:

Company requires the flight engineer notify captain of any fuel xfeed or balance. Flight engineer had come off xfeed about 10 mins before I left to go to the lavatory. While gone from the flight deck the flight engineer decided to balance some fuel. During the balance the SELCAL went off the gander FSS wanted to give us a message from dispatch. While copying the message the flight engineer decided to come off xfeeding fuel and closed the #2 engine xfeed valve. However, he failed to go pumps on (fuel boost). The engines will not operate without boost pumps on so the #2 engine began to spin down. I felt a slight yaw and returned to the flight deck. Upon entering I saw the #2 EPR tape down to the bottom of the gauge. I told the flight engineer all boost pumps on and hit flight start on the ignition. The throttle was still in the cruise position. Also, the speed was bleeding off. I went to maximum continuous on the remaining 3 engines, but speed continued to bleed off. At that point we turned off track and began to descend to regain airspeed. I called for the in-flight restart checklist. The engine appeared to stabilize at about idle thrust. I advanced the throttle, which had by now been retarded to idle, and very slowly the engine began to respond. We restored power and requested direct to 53n050w and a return to FL370. Gander responded with a clearance and we continued the flight without further problem. The flight engineer admitted he got distraction from his primary function of fuel balance by the SELCAL and conversation with gander oceanic. He should have put the fuel boost pumps on before operating the xfeed valve. This is a classic example of a person not following the aviation axiom, first fly the airplane. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this reporter said that the B747-100 must have a boost pump in operation to feed fuel to the engine at high altitude. If not the engine will shut down from fuel starvation. In this case, the captain had left the cockpit and as he was getting ready to return he felt the aircraft yaw. He returned immediately and was able to get a relight before the engine completely spooled down. The flight crew has had a rather extensive debriefing from the FAA and other organizations since this incident, according to the reporter. This was the first excursion since the new 1000 ft separation program started over the north atlantic. The flight engineer has attended a special ground school and is now going through a simulator course and will be required to pass a special check ride upon completion. Supplemental information from acn 366695: gander oceanic selcalled with a message known to be involved. In order to prevent becoming involved in two operations requiring full attention, I terminated main tank balancing operation before copying the message. Tank #3 was feeding both engine #2 and engine #3 simultaneously. In haste, I failed to turn on both #2 tank boost pumps before closing the #2 xfeed valve, causing inadvertent fuel starvation of the #2 engine. Restart was accomplished by FL350. Callback conversation with reporter acn 366695 revealed the following information: so was contacted just before going into simulator training with his air carrier. He was assigned remedial training regarding the fuel system because of his error in handling the fuel system and shutting the engine down in flight inadvertently.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B747-100 FLC INADVERTENTLY SHUTS DOWN AN ENG WHEN THE FUEL XFEED VALVE IS CLOSED BEFORE THE FUEL BOOST PUMPS IN THAT TANK ARE TURNED ON. THE FLC WERE ABLE TO GET A RELIGHT BEFORE THE ENG RPM GOT TO NOMINAL. THE FLC DID HAVE TO TURN OFF THEIR NORTH ATLANTIC TRACK AND START A DSCNT BEFORE THE ENG RECOVERED, HOWEVER.

Narrative: COMPANY REQUIRES THE FE NOTIFY CAPT OF ANY FUEL XFEED OR BAL. FE HAD COME OFF XFEED ABOUT 10 MINS BEFORE I LEFT TO GO TO THE LAVATORY. WHILE GONE FROM THE FLT DECK THE FE DECIDED TO BAL SOME FUEL. DURING THE BAL THE SELCAL WENT OFF THE GANDER FSS WANTED TO GIVE US A MESSAGE FROM DISPATCH. WHILE COPYING THE MESSAGE THE FE DECIDED TO COME OFF XFEEDING FUEL AND CLOSED THE #2 ENG XFEED VALVE. HOWEVER, HE FAILED TO GO PUMPS ON (FUEL BOOST). THE ENGS WILL NOT OPERATE WITHOUT BOOST PUMPS ON SO THE #2 ENG BEGAN TO SPIN DOWN. I FELT A SLIGHT YAW AND RETURNED TO THE FLT DECK. UPON ENTERING I SAW THE #2 EPR TAPE DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE GAUGE. I TOLD THE FE ALL BOOST PUMPS ON AND HIT FLT START ON THE IGNITION. THE THROTTLE WAS STILL IN THE CRUISE POS. ALSO, THE SPD WAS BLEEDING OFF. I WENT TO MAX CONTINUOUS ON THE REMAINING 3 ENGS, BUT SPD CONTINUED TO BLEED OFF. AT THAT POINT WE TURNED OFF TRACK AND BEGAN TO DSND TO REGAIN AIRSPD. I CALLED FOR THE INFLT RESTART CHKLIST. THE ENG APPEARED TO STABILIZE AT ABOUT IDLE THRUST. I ADVANCED THE THROTTLE, WHICH HAD BY NOW BEEN RETARDED TO IDLE, AND VERY SLOWLY THE ENG BEGAN TO RESPOND. WE RESTORED PWR AND REQUESTED DIRECT TO 53N050W AND A RETURN TO FL370. GANDER RESPONDED WITH A CLRNC AND WE CONTINUED THE FLT WITHOUT FURTHER PROB. THE FE ADMITTED HE GOT DISTR FROM HIS PRIMARY FUNCTION OF FUEL BAL BY THE SELCAL AND CONVERSATION WITH GANDER OCEANIC. HE SHOULD HAVE PUT THE FUEL BOOST PUMPS ON BEFORE OPERATING THE XFEED VALVE. THIS IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A PERSON NOT FOLLOWING THE AVIATION AXIOM, FIRST FLY THE AIRPLANE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS RPTR SAID THAT THE B747-100 MUST HAVE A BOOST PUMP IN OP TO FEED FUEL TO THE ENG AT HIGH ALT. IF NOT THE ENG WILL SHUT DOWN FROM FUEL STARVATION. IN THIS CASE, THE CAPT HAD LEFT THE COCKPIT AND AS HE WAS GETTING READY TO RETURN HE FELT THE ACFT YAW. HE RETURNED IMMEDIATELY AND WAS ABLE TO GET A RELIGHT BEFORE THE ENG COMPLETELY SPOOLED DOWN. THE FLC HAS HAD A RATHER EXTENSIVE DEBRIEFING FROM THE FAA AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SINCE THIS INCIDENT, ACCORDING TO THE RPTR. THIS WAS THE FIRST EXCURSION SINCE THE NEW 1000 FT SEPARATION PROGRAM STARTED OVER THE N ATLANTIC. THE FE HAS ATTENDED A SPECIAL GND SCHOOL AND IS NOW GOING THROUGH A SIMULATOR COURSE AND WILL BE REQUIRED TO PASS A SPECIAL CHK RIDE UPON COMPLETION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 366695: GANDER OCEANIC SELCALLED WITH A MESSAGE KNOWN TO BE INVOLVED. IN ORDER TO PREVENT BECOMING INVOLVED IN TWO OPS REQUIRING FULL ATTN, I TERMINATED MAIN TANK BALANCING OP BEFORE COPYING THE MESSAGE. TANK #3 WAS FEEDING BOTH ENG #2 AND ENG #3 SIMULTANEOUSLY. IN HASTE, I FAILED TO TURN ON BOTH #2 TANK BOOST PUMPS BEFORE CLOSING THE #2 XFEED VALVE, CAUSING INADVERTENT FUEL STARVATION OF THE #2 ENG. RESTART WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY FL350. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 366695 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: SO WAS CONTACTED JUST BEFORE GOING INTO SIMULATOR TRAINING WITH HIS ACR. HE WAS ASSIGNED REMEDIAL TRAINING REGARDING THE FUEL SYS BECAUSE OF HIS ERROR IN HANDLING THE FUEL SYS AND SHUTTING THE ENG DOWN IN FLT INADVERTENTLY.

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.