Narrative:

Departed sea to sna at XA45. The airplane was fueled before the crew arrived at the airplane. The required fuel for the trip was 17500 pounds. Before fueling the #1 fuel tank, reading was 5600 pounds, while, the #2 fuel tank reading was 8800 pounds for a total of 14400 pounds. Upon xchking and verification after fueling, the #1 fuel tank read 8700 pounds and 8800 pounds was recorded for the #2 fuel tank, for a total fuel load of 17500 pounds. This corresponds to 'fuel added' of 463 gals or 3100 pounds. Preflight fuel gauges tested normal. 'Before-start,' checklist was accomplished and fuel on board was verified at 17500 pounds. Takeoff was normal during initial flight rotation, however, the airplane began rolling to the left and was manually corrected by the first officer with opposite ailerons. The first officer, looked at the fuel gauges, the #1 fuel gauge was dropping rapidly and then stabilized at 3800 pounds. At which time, the captain started to xfeed the fuel system from the #2 fuel tank. The captain took manual control of the aircraft to verify that the airplane was indeed rolling to the left. Then he gave control of the aircraft back to the first officer and contacted 'flight control (dispatch)' and 'maintenance control' to advise them of the situation. We then calculated that we had 12500 pounds of fuel remaining on board. Because we flew the same airplane the previous night for 2 legs with no fueling errors, we looked up the 'block in fuel' in the aircraft logbook to check it. The 'block in fuel' was recorded at 9600 pounds. We then added it to the gals received on the fuel ticket of 463 gals or 3100 pounds. Thus, we estimated we had only 12700 pounds of fuel on board, which was not enough to fly to sna, since, the fuel burn was 10700 pounds. Flight control in conjunction with the captain, decided to divert the flight to sacramento, ca. The WX there was reported as VFR conditions, where we landed with 5000 pounds of fuel. Maintenance met the airplane and checked the fuel system and 'drip sticked' the fuel tanks, the readings matched the flight deck and the external fueling panel gauges. Later on in the afternoon of the same day, the captain and the first officer were told by the flight manager that the fueler had called both his supervisor and flight operations that morning to tell them that the airplane had unbalanced fuel tanks. However, the flight crew was not informed of this very important information.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A COMMERCIAL FIXED WING MLG ACFT PRIOR TO FUELING HAD AN UNBALANCED FUEL LOAD WITH NO DIPSTICK VERIFICATION AND AFTER DEP DIVERTED DUE TO A SHORTAGE OF FUEL.

Narrative: DEPARTED SEA TO SNA AT XA45. THE AIRPLANE WAS FUELED BEFORE THE CREW ARRIVED AT THE AIRPLANE. THE REQUIRED FUEL FOR THE TRIP WAS 17500 LBS. BEFORE FUELING THE #1 FUEL TANK, READING WAS 5600 LBS, WHILE, THE #2 FUEL TANK READING WAS 8800 LBS FOR A TOTAL OF 14400 LBS. UPON XCHKING AND VERIFICATION AFTER FUELING, THE #1 FUEL TANK READ 8700 LBS AND 8800 LBS WAS RECORDED FOR THE #2 FUEL TANK, FOR A TOTAL FUEL LOAD OF 17500 LBS. THIS CORRESPONDS TO 'FUEL ADDED' OF 463 GALS OR 3100 LBS. PREFLT FUEL GAUGES TESTED NORMAL. 'BEFORE-START,' CHKLIST WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND FUEL ON BOARD WAS VERIFIED AT 17500 LBS. TKOF WAS NORMAL DURING INITIAL FLT ROTATION, HOWEVER, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN ROLLING TO THE L AND WAS MANUALLY CORRECTED BY THE FO WITH OPPOSITE AILERONS. THE FO, LOOKED AT THE FUEL GAUGES, THE #1 FUEL GAUGE WAS DROPPING RAPIDLY AND THEN STABILIZED AT 3800 LBS. AT WHICH TIME, THE CAPT STARTED TO XFEED THE FUEL SYS FROM THE #2 FUEL TANK. THE CAPT TOOK MANUAL CTL OF THE ACFT TO VERIFY THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS INDEED ROLLING TO THE L. THEN HE GAVE CTL OF THE ACFT BACK TO THE FO AND CONTACTED 'FLT CTL (DISPATCH)' AND 'MAINT CTL' TO ADVISE THEM OF THE SIT. WE THEN CALCULATED THAT WE HAD 12500 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING ON BOARD. BECAUSE WE FLEW THE SAME AIRPLANE THE PREVIOUS NIGHT FOR 2 LEGS WITH NO FUELING ERRORS, WE LOOKED UP THE 'BLOCK IN FUEL' IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK TO CHK IT. THE 'BLOCK IN FUEL' WAS RECORDED AT 9600 LBS. WE THEN ADDED IT TO THE GALS RECEIVED ON THE FUEL TICKET OF 463 GALS OR 3100 LBS. THUS, WE ESTIMATED WE HAD ONLY 12700 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD, WHICH WAS NOT ENOUGH TO FLY TO SNA, SINCE, THE FUEL BURN WAS 10700 LBS. FLT CTL IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CAPT, DECIDED TO DIVERT THE FLT TO SACRAMENTO, CA. THE WX THERE WAS RPTED AS VFR CONDITIONS, WHERE WE LANDED WITH 5000 LBS OF FUEL. MAINT MET THE AIRPLANE AND CHKED THE FUEL SYS AND 'DRIP STICKED' THE FUEL TANKS, THE READINGS MATCHED THE FLT DECK AND THE EXTERNAL FUELING PANEL GAUGES. LATER ON IN THE AFTERNOON OF THE SAME DAY, THE CAPT AND THE FO WERE TOLD BY THE FLT MGR THAT THE FUELER HAD CALLED BOTH HIS SUPVR AND FLT OPS THAT MORNING TO TELL THEM THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD UNBALANCED FUEL TANKS. HOWEVER, THE FLC WAS NOT INFORMED OF THIS VERY IMPORTANT INFO.

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.