Narrative:

Captain and myself arrived in houston from baltimore and proceeded to pick up aircraft. The dispatch release and the logbook showed the center tank fuel gauge to be inoperative. The aircraft was on the gate for an undetermined amount of time and we were not briefed by the arriving crew. On arrival at the aircraft and reviewing the logbook, the inbound fuel was logged as approximately 13.2. This was in approximately agreement with the operative main fuel gauge. I cannot say what the totalizer or the center tank read since I knew both to be inoperative/unreliable. Walkaround was completed and all preparations for departure normal. The fuel slip arrived and in the upper r-hand corner, I multiplied the delivered gals of somewhere around 1050 gals times 6.7 and added this approximately 7000 pounds to the amount shown on the main gauge on arrival at the aircraft of 13200 pounds to get a total of 20200 pounds. I knew this to be short of our required dispatch load of 27000 pounds. I put a question mark by this amount to point out to the captain, which was accomplished. Recomputed the amounts on the fuel slip in the computation area and arrived at the same results. We talked about the shortage, briefed that we would wait for the logbook to reconfirm the total amount that was shown on the front of the fuel slip, 27000 pounds (signed by both the fueler and the mechanic as per company procedure) to determine the actual amount of fuel on board. We were both concerned by the discrepancy and proceeded to brief that due to the center tank gauge being inoperative, that after approximately 1.5 hours of flight we should see the main tanks start to burn off. At push time the mechanic came into the cockpit to deliver the logbook and stated that there was 9000 pounds of fuel in the center tank as determined by the drip stick gauge. The logbook was checked for the sign off, and it confirmed that there was 9000 pounds of fuel in the center tank. When added to the 18600 pounds showing on the operative main tank gauge, this amounted to our required 27000 pounds of fuel required for dispatch. We were good to go. Normal takeoff and departure. The after takeoff checklist was completed and we again reviewed the fuel burn procedure, where we would look for wing tank burn to begin in approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 20 mins from the present time. On climb out, about 15 mins after takeoff, we both noticed at about the same time that wing tank burn had begun. We checked the center tank boost pumps in the on position, checked and reset the center tank boost pump circuit breakers, wing fuel continued to decrease. We determined that there were only 2 scenarios that fit the situation, we either had trapped center tank fuel or there was no fuel in the center tank. In either event our only course of action was to return to iah. A normal recovery was made to iah at a landing weight of about 123000 pounds. The wing tanks on landing showed about 7300 pounds a side. Maintenance met the aircraft and set about trying to determine the fuel status. It took about 25 mins to determine the actual fuel status of any tank on the aircraft. There were at least 3 different reports of the fuel level in the mains and the center tank, each report was different. There was much confusion among the mechanics and at least 1 supervisor who was in attendance at the aircraft before it was determined that, yes, the center tank was empty. We now had a definite reading on all tanks from which to work. The level of all tanks was now known. We refueled the aircraft, the gals matched the computed pounds required for dispatch, the supervisor used the drip sticks on all tanks and a logbook entry was made to complete the required checks for fuel status for gate departure. An uneventful flight was made to mexico city.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 ACFT WITH INOP CTR FUEL GAUGE, MECH DELIVERED LOGBOOK STATING CTR FUEL TANK WAS DRIPPED WITH 9000 LBS WHICH PUT FUEL LOAD APPROPRIATE FOR DEP. AFTER DEP FLC REALIZED THAT THE CTR TANK HAD NO FUEL AND RETURNED TO BE FUELED.

Narrative: CAPT AND MYSELF ARRIVED IN HOUSTON FROM BALTIMORE AND PROCEEDED TO PICK UP ACFT. THE DISPATCH RELEASE AND THE LOGBOOK SHOWED THE CTR TANK FUEL GAUGE TO BE INOP. THE ACFT WAS ON THE GATE FOR AN UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME AND WE WERE NOT BRIEFED BY THE ARRIVING CREW. ON ARR AT THE ACFT AND REVIEWING THE LOGBOOK, THE INBOUND FUEL WAS LOGGED AS APPROX 13.2. THIS WAS IN APPROX AGREEMENT WITH THE OPERATIVE MAIN FUEL GAUGE. I CANNOT SAY WHAT THE TOTALIZER OR THE CTR TANK READ SINCE I KNEW BOTH TO BE INOP/UNRELIABLE. WALKAROUND WAS COMPLETED AND ALL PREPARATIONS FOR DEP NORMAL. THE FUEL SLIP ARRIVED AND IN THE UPPER R-HAND CORNER, I MULTIPLIED THE DELIVERED GALS OF SOMEWHERE AROUND 1050 GALS TIMES 6.7 AND ADDED THIS APPROX 7000 LBS TO THE AMOUNT SHOWN ON THE MAIN GAUGE ON ARR AT THE ACFT OF 13200 LBS TO GET A TOTAL OF 20200 LBS. I KNEW THIS TO BE SHORT OF OUR REQUIRED DISPATCH LOAD OF 27000 LBS. I PUT A QUESTION MARK BY THIS AMOUNT TO POINT OUT TO THE CAPT, WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED. RECOMPUTED THE AMOUNTS ON THE FUEL SLIP IN THE COMPUTATION AREA AND ARRIVED AT THE SAME RESULTS. WE TALKED ABOUT THE SHORTAGE, BRIEFED THAT WE WOULD WAIT FOR THE LOGBOOK TO RECONFIRM THE TOTAL AMOUNT THAT WAS SHOWN ON THE FRONT OF THE FUEL SLIP, 27000 LBS (SIGNED BY BOTH THE FUELER AND THE MECH AS PER COMPANY PROC) TO DETERMINE THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD. WE WERE BOTH CONCERNED BY THE DISCREPANCY AND PROCEEDED TO BRIEF THAT DUE TO THE CTR TANK GAUGE BEING INOP, THAT AFTER APPROX 1.5 HRS OF FLT WE SHOULD SEE THE MAIN TANKS START TO BURN OFF. AT PUSH TIME THE MECH CAME INTO THE COCKPIT TO DELIVER THE LOGBOOK AND STATED THAT THERE WAS 9000 LBS OF FUEL IN THE CTR TANK AS DETERMINED BY THE DRIP STICK GAUGE. THE LOGBOOK WAS CHKED FOR THE SIGN OFF, AND IT CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS 9000 LBS OF FUEL IN THE CTR TANK. WHEN ADDED TO THE 18600 LBS SHOWING ON THE OPERATIVE MAIN TANK GAUGE, THIS AMOUNTED TO OUR REQUIRED 27000 LBS OF FUEL REQUIRED FOR DISPATCH. WE WERE GOOD TO GO. NORMAL TKOF AND DEP. THE AFTER TKOF CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED AND WE AGAIN REVIEWED THE FUEL BURN PROC, WHERE WE WOULD LOOK FOR WING TANK BURN TO BEGIN IN APPROX 1 HR TO 1 HR 20 MINS FROM THE PRESENT TIME. ON CLBOUT, ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER TKOF, WE BOTH NOTICED AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME THAT WING TANK BURN HAD BEGUN. WE CHKED THE CTR TANK BOOST PUMPS IN THE ON POS, CHKED AND RESET THE CTR TANK BOOST PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKERS, WING FUEL CONTINUED TO DECREASE. WE DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE ONLY 2 SCENARIOS THAT FIT THE SIT, WE EITHER HAD TRAPPED CTR TANK FUEL OR THERE WAS NO FUEL IN THE CTR TANK. IN EITHER EVENT OUR ONLY COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO RETURN TO IAH. A NORMAL RECOVERY WAS MADE TO IAH AT A LNDG WT OF ABOUT 123000 LBS. THE WING TANKS ON LNDG SHOWED ABOUT 7300 LBS A SIDE. MAINT MET THE ACFT AND SET ABOUT TRYING TO DETERMINE THE FUEL STATUS. IT TOOK ABOUT 25 MINS TO DETERMINE THE ACTUAL FUEL STATUS OF ANY TANK ON THE ACFT. THERE WERE AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT RPTS OF THE FUEL LEVEL IN THE MAINS AND THE CTR TANK, EACH RPT WAS DIFFERENT. THERE WAS MUCH CONFUSION AMONG THE MECHS AND AT LEAST 1 SUPVR WHO WAS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE ACFT BEFORE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT, YES, THE CTR TANK WAS EMPTY. WE NOW HAD A DEFINITE READING ON ALL TANKS FROM WHICH TO WORK. THE LEVEL OF ALL TANKS WAS NOW KNOWN. WE REFUELED THE ACFT, THE GALS MATCHED THE COMPUTED LBS REQUIRED FOR DISPATCH, THE SUPVR USED THE DRIP STICKS ON ALL TANKS AND A LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS MADE TO COMPLETE THE REQUIRED CHKS FOR FUEL STATUS FOR GATE DEP. AN UNEVENTFUL FLT WAS MADE TO MEXICO CITY.

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.