Flight crew of a B757 declared critical low fuel because of WX and heavy traffic delays. Landing was...

Attributes
ACN	402986
Time
Date	199805
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lga
State Reference	NY
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : lga tower : lga tower : buf
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	landing other other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	other other : other pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 217 flight time total : 20210 flight time type : 471
ASRS Report	402986
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical inflight encounter : weather other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Weather
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Air carrier flight from stl to lga was released with a jfk alternate. The flight was held at miget intersection west of keating VOR by ZOB. Lga airport was not taking arriving aircraft due to a severe WX avoidance program and airport aircraft saturation. After talking to air carrier dispatch the second time the flight destination was changed to jfk to get fuel. The WX at both jfk and lga was VFR. Jfk was taking aircraft. The FMC indicated the flight would land at jfk with minimum FAA reserve fuel. In the area of lendy intersection was an isolated cell. The flight ahead of us wasn't able to continue and ZNY wouldn't allow deviations. The flight was vectored to the northwest. ATC wanted flight air carrier X to hold at lendy. I told the center we didn't have fuel to hold and had to land. ATC asked if I had a fuel emergency or a fuel critical situation. I told them it was a fuel critical situation. ATC asked the amount of our endurance. I told them we had about 50 mins. The fuel totalizer showed about 5000 pounds. By this time we had been vectored and made 2 360 degree turns. As both jfk and lga were open, you could see the ground. I asked to be vectored to lga. While being vectored on the downwind northwest of lga, we lost communications with approach control and changed to lga tower. The tower vectored us to the airport and we landed on runway 22. The aircraft landed with 3100 pounds of fuel and the FAA reserve is 4800 pounds of fuel. The flight was not planned to land with less than minimum reserves. While taxiing into the gate, we were asked to call TRACON on the phone. They wanted to know about the communications breakdown. We didn't know why it happened. They mentioned that another aircraft had had the same problem earlier. I realize new york has 3 very busy airports close together. It would be nice if: 1) some method could be found to give the controllers more flexibility with swap sits so the airports don't become clogged with aircraft. 2) a more accurate and real time method to give the reason for delays would help pilots plan during airport disruptions.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A B757 DECLARED CRITICAL LOW FUEL BECAUSE OF WX AND HVY TFC DELAYS. LNDG WAS MADE WITH LESS THAN MINIMUM REQUIRED FUEL.

Narrative: ACR FLT FROM STL TO LGA WAS RELEASED WITH A JFK ALTERNATE. THE FLT WAS HELD AT MIGET INTXN W OF KEATING VOR BY ZOB. LGA ARPT WAS NOT TAKING ARRIVING ACFT DUE TO A SEVERE WX AVOIDANCE PROGRAM AND ARPT ACFT SATURATION. AFTER TALKING TO ACR DISPATCH THE SECOND TIME THE FLT DEST WAS CHANGED TO JFK TO GET FUEL. THE WX AT BOTH JFK AND LGA WAS VFR. JFK WAS TAKING ACFT. THE FMC INDICATED THE FLT WOULD LAND AT JFK WITH MINIMUM FAA RESERVE FUEL. IN THE AREA OF LENDY INTXN WAS AN ISOLATED CELL. THE FLT AHEAD OF US WASN'T ABLE TO CONTINUE AND ZNY WOULDN'T ALLOW DEVS. THE FLT WAS VECTORED TO THE NW. ATC WANTED FLT ACR X TO HOLD AT LENDY. I TOLD THE CTR WE DIDN'T HAVE FUEL TO HOLD AND HAD TO LAND. ATC ASKED IF I HAD A FUEL EMER OR A FUEL CRITICAL SIT. I TOLD THEM IT WAS A FUEL CRITICAL SIT. ATC ASKED THE AMOUNT OF OUR ENDURANCE. I TOLD THEM WE HAD ABOUT 50 MINS. THE FUEL TOTALIZER SHOWED ABOUT 5000 LBS. BY THIS TIME WE HAD BEEN VECTORED AND MADE 2 360 DEG TURNS. AS BOTH JFK AND LGA WERE OPEN, YOU COULD SEE THE GND. I ASKED TO BE VECTORED TO LGA. WHILE BEING VECTORED ON THE DOWNWIND NW OF LGA, WE LOST COMS WITH APCH CTL AND CHANGED TO LGA TWR. THE TWR VECTORED US TO THE ARPT AND WE LANDED ON RWY 22. THE ACFT LANDED WITH 3100 LBS OF FUEL AND THE FAA RESERVE IS 4800 LBS OF FUEL. THE FLT WAS NOT PLANNED TO LAND WITH LESS THAN MINIMUM RESERVES. WHILE TAXIING INTO THE GATE, WE WERE ASKED TO CALL TRACON ON THE PHONE. THEY WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COMS BREAKDOWN. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHY IT HAPPENED. THEY MENTIONED THAT ANOTHER ACFT HAD HAD THE SAME PROB EARLIER. I REALIZE NEW YORK HAS 3 VERY BUSY ARPTS CLOSE TOGETHER. IT WOULD BE NICE IF: 1) SOME METHOD COULD BE FOUND TO GIVE THE CTLRS MORE FLEXIBILITY WITH SWAP SITS SO THE ARPTS DON'T BECOME CLOGGED WITH ACFT. 2) A MORE ACCURATE AND REAL TIME METHOD TO GIVE THE REASON FOR DELAYS WOULD HELP PLTS PLAN DURING ARPT DISRUPTIONS.

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.

Flight crew of a B757 declared critical low fuel because of WX and heavy traffic delays. Landing was made with less than minimum required fuel.