Narrative:

We were climbing out of phx. On our departure when the first flight attendant came to the cockpit, she said passenger on the right side of the aircraft were seeing fuel coming from the right wing. I sent the first officer back to the cabin to confirm the sighting. He stated that fuel indeed was coming from the right wing. We declared an emergency and proceeded back to phx. The flight attendants were briefed, dispatch and maintenance were notified and all appropriate checklists were performed. An uneventful overweight landing was accomplished. The fire trucks inspected the aircraft and we taxied to the gate. Background: we received the aircraft that morning with 3 MEL's on it. The first was a flight control status message. The second was that the fuel automatic feed was inoperative, and the third was an inoperative APU. We read the MEL book for compliance on all three and briefed the operational irregularities for each as well. The fuel MEL stated that the center tank pumps had to remain off until after slat retraction (after takeoff). The MEL did not state that the automatic feed switch had to be placarded. Since there was no APU, we pulled the QRH and briefed the procedure for a 'start with external power' and a 'xbleed start.' after that, all flows and checklists were completed. One of the captain's flows is 'fuel pumps on,' and due to complacency or habit, the center tank pumps were inadvertently turned on. In hindsight, this scenario caused the following situation to occur. The center fuel now cooled the idg and returned to the wings. But the wings were full and therefore flowed to a 50 gal vent tank in the outer wing. When that filled up it vented overboard, and that is what the passenger saw. It was an unfortunate situation that could possibly have been avoided by the following: 1) after reading the MEL I should have configured the fuel panel then instead of during my flow. 2) placard the fuel panel as a reminder of an abnormal situation. Since this incident occurred, our company's forthcoming new MEL for the aircraft states that the fuel panel will be placarded for an abnormal operation. Supplemental information from acn 401070: after getting situated in the cockpit, the captain said that we had 3 mels on the aircraft. One was a flight control status message, requiring no action. The second one stated that the APU was inoperative -- we talked about calling for an air cart and the procedures for an external start and a crossbleed start after taxi. The third MEL said that the automatic fuel system was inoperative. The captain said that, because of this, we would need the center tank fuel pumps off for takeoff. We then reviewed the checklists for external air start and crossbleed start, did our flows, and completed the 'before start' checklist. Apparently, with everything else going on, when the captain did his flow he looked at the fuel qty and positioned all six pumps on (which is the normal position). On the 'before start' checklist I called, 'fuel,' and the captain called, '30.6, six pumps on,' which is the response I am used to hearing. We both missed that the center fuel tank pumps should have been off, as we had talked about before. After departure, we were told by the flight attendants that we had something leaking from the right wing. I went back and confirmed this. The captain declared an emergency, due to the overweight landing, while I talked to maintenance, operations, and the flight attendants. Maintenance had no explanation of what might be causing this. We reviewed the overweight landing checklist and returned to phx. After clearing the runway we had the fire trucks inspect us for leaks and they cleared us to the gate. It was not until after we shut down at the gate that we realized we had overlooked the need for the center tank pumps to be off during takeoff. This is what caused the fuel venting in flight and the return to phx.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 ACFT WITH DEFERRED FUEL AUTO FEED INOP, PROC CALLS FOR CTR TANK PUMPS TO REMAIN OFF UNTIL SLAT RETRACTION. FLC INADVERTENTLY TURNED ON ALL PUMPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH NORMAL PROC CHKLIST. DURING CLB FUEL XFERRED TO VENT TANK AND THEN OVERBOARD WHERE IT WAS SIGHTED BY PAX. EMER DECLARED AND FLT RETURNED TO DEP ARPT.

Narrative: WE WERE CLBING OUT OF PHX. ON OUR DEP WHEN THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT, SHE SAID PAX ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT WERE SEEING FUEL COMING FROM THE R WING. I SENT THE FO BACK TO THE CABIN TO CONFIRM THE SIGHTING. HE STATED THAT FUEL INDEED WAS COMING FROM THE R WING. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND PROCEEDED BACK TO PHX. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE BRIEFED, DISPATCH AND MAINT WERE NOTIFIED AND ALL APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS WERE PERFORMED. AN UNEVENTFUL OVERWT LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE FIRE TRUCKS INSPECTED THE ACFT AND WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. BACKGROUND: WE RECEIVED THE ACFT THAT MORNING WITH 3 MEL'S ON IT. THE FIRST WAS A FLT CTL STATUS MESSAGE. THE SECOND WAS THAT THE FUEL AUTO FEED WAS INOP, AND THE THIRD WAS AN INOP APU. WE READ THE MEL BOOK FOR COMPLIANCE ON ALL THREE AND BRIEFED THE OPERATIONAL IRREGULARITIES FOR EACH AS WELL. THE FUEL MEL STATED THAT THE CTR TANK PUMPS HAD TO REMAIN OFF UNTIL AFTER SLAT RETRACTION (AFTER TKOF). THE MEL DID NOT STATE THAT THE AUTO FEED SWITCH HAD TO BE PLACARDED. SINCE THERE WAS NO APU, WE PULLED THE QRH AND BRIEFED THE PROC FOR A 'START WITH EXTERNAL PWR' AND A 'XBLEED START.' AFTER THAT, ALL FLOWS AND CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED. ONE OF THE CAPT'S FLOWS IS 'FUEL PUMPS ON,' AND DUE TO COMPLACENCY OR HABIT, THE CTR TANK PUMPS WERE INADVERTENTLY TURNED ON. IN HINDSIGHT, THIS SCENARIO CAUSED THE FOLLOWING SIT TO OCCUR. THE CTR FUEL NOW COOLED THE IDG AND RETURNED TO THE WINGS. BUT THE WINGS WERE FULL AND THEREFORE FLOWED TO A 50 GAL VENT TANK IN THE OUTER WING. WHEN THAT FILLED UP IT VENTED OVERBOARD, AND THAT IS WHAT THE PAX SAW. IT WAS AN UNFORTUNATE SIT THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY THE FOLLOWING: 1) AFTER READING THE MEL I SHOULD HAVE CONFIGURED THE FUEL PANEL THEN INSTEAD OF DURING MY FLOW. 2) PLACARD THE FUEL PANEL AS A REMINDER OF AN ABNORMAL SIT. SINCE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED, OUR COMPANY'S FORTHCOMING NEW MEL FOR THE ACFT STATES THAT THE FUEL PANEL WILL BE PLACARDED FOR AN ABNORMAL OP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 401070: AFTER GETTING SITUATED IN THE COCKPIT, THE CAPT SAID THAT WE HAD 3 MELS ON THE ACFT. ONE WAS A FLT CTL STATUS MESSAGE, REQUIRING NO ACTION. THE SECOND ONE STATED THAT THE APU WAS INOP -- WE TALKED ABOUT CALLING FOR AN AIR CART AND THE PROCS FOR AN EXTERNAL START AND A CROSSBLEED START AFTER TAXI. THE THIRD MEL SAID THAT THE AUTOMATIC FUEL SYS WAS INOP. THE CAPT SAID THAT, BECAUSE OF THIS, WE WOULD NEED THE CTR TANK FUEL PUMPS OFF FOR TKOF. WE THEN REVIEWED THE CHKLISTS FOR EXTERNAL AIR START AND CROSSBLEED START, DID OUR FLOWS, AND COMPLETED THE 'BEFORE START' CHKLIST. APPARENTLY, WITH EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON, WHEN THE CAPT DID HIS FLOW HE LOOKED AT THE FUEL QTY AND POSITIONED ALL SIX PUMPS ON (WHICH IS THE NORMAL POSITION). ON THE 'BEFORE START' CHKLIST I CALLED, 'FUEL,' AND THE CAPT CALLED, '30.6, SIX PUMPS ON,' WHICH IS THE RESPONSE I AM USED TO HEARING. WE BOTH MISSED THAT THE CTR FUEL TANK PUMPS SHOULD HAVE BEEN OFF, AS WE HAD TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. AFTER DEP, WE WERE TOLD BY THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT WE HAD SOMETHING LEAKING FROM THE R WING. I WENT BACK AND CONFIRMED THIS. THE CAPT DECLARED AN EMER, DUE TO THE OVERWEIGHT LNDG, WHILE I TALKED TO MAINT, OPS, AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS. MAINT HAD NO EXPLANATION OF WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THIS. WE REVIEWED THE OVERWEIGHT LNDG CHKLIST AND RETURNED TO PHX. AFTER CLRING THE RWY WE HAD THE FIRE TRUCKS INSPECT US FOR LEAKS AND THEY CLRED US TO THE GATE. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER WE SHUT DOWN AT THE GATE THAT WE REALIZED WE HAD OVERLOOKED THE NEED FOR THE CTR TANK PUMPS TO BE OFF DURING TKOF. THIS IS WHAT CAUSED THE FUEL VENTING IN FLT AND THE RETURN TO PHX.

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.