A fokker 100, prior to departure, incurred a fuel spill caused by the wing tanks over fueled.

Attributes
ACN	396189
Time
Date	199803
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ord
State Reference	IL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Fokker 100
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight ground : parked other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
ASRS Report	396189
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

While at gate X just prior to departure a mechanic was finishing up installing a taxi light. We had just turned on the fuel pumps when the mechanic called on the ground interphone and told us that there was fuel venting overboard. I turned off the fuel pumps and checked the fuel quantity. The main tanks were indicating 9100 pounds. The maximum capacity of the main tanks is 8500 pounds. The venting stopped as soon as the pumps were turned off. The mechanic called the aircraft fuelers to come back and redistribute the fuel load. I went down and talked to the fueler and he told me that the aircraft had been fueled in the manual mode, thus, bypassing the automatic shutoff when the tanks are full. I referenced all the manual onboard and found no information on the fueling panel.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FOKKER 100, PRIOR TO DEP, INCURRED A FUEL SPILL CAUSED BY THE WING TANKS OVER FUELED.

Narrative: WHILE AT GATE X JUST PRIOR TO DEP A MECH WAS FINISHING UP INSTALLING A TAXI LIGHT. WE HAD JUST TURNED ON THE FUEL PUMPS WHEN THE MECH CALLED ON THE GND INTERPHONE AND TOLD US THAT THERE WAS FUEL VENTING OVERBOARD. I TURNED OFF THE FUEL PUMPS AND CHKED THE FUEL QUANTITY. THE MAIN TANKS WERE INDICATING 9100 LBS. THE MAX CAPACITY OF THE MAIN TANKS IS 8500 LBS. THE VENTING STOPPED AS SOON AS THE PUMPS WERE TURNED OFF. THE MECH CALLED THE ACFT FUELERS TO COME BACK AND REDISTRIBUTE THE FUEL LOAD. I WENT DOWN AND TALKED TO THE FUELER AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN FUELED IN THE MANUAL MODE, THUS, BYPASSING THE AUTO SHUTOFF WHEN THE TANKS ARE FULL. I REFED ALL THE MANUAL ONBOARD AND FOUND NO INFO ON THE FUELING PANEL.

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.