Narrative:

We boarded the flight and took off without incident. About 20 mins into the flight, the purser came into the business class galley and told us not to begin the meal service because we had a mechanical and would have to land. A few mins later, the purser returned and told us that we were going back to dfw and would land in approximately 20 mins. She said that the hydraulic fluid indicator in the cockpit was showing that we only had 1/2 the amount of fluid we needed and the cockpit wasn't sure if we had a hydraulic leak or if the gauge was malfunctioning. I discussed pushback with the flight attendants in business class and asked them if they remembered hearing a loud noise in the mid cabin area during taxi out. (I had flown another trip on the B767-300 with a hydraulic pump mechanical, and we had discovered the problem during pushback when we heard a loud wrenching, or grinding noise just aft of the business class galley, near the emergency overwing exits in coach). No one remembered hearing anything unusual during pushback. The captain made a PA and told the passenger that we had a mechanical and were going back to dfw. At no time did he advise us, or the passenger, that we would be making an overweight landing. The flight attendants received no special instructions from the purser. We accomplished our safety checks for landing, took our jump seats, and landed without incident in dfw. Maintenance came on and checked the hydraulic fluid and said there was not a leak, then they checked the indicator since the malfunction seemed to be with the indicator. After about 2 hours the captain made a PA that the problem was fixed and we took off again. About 15 mins after takeoff, the purser came back to the business class galley and informed us that the problem had recurred and that we were going back to dfw. The captain made a PA informing the passenger, we accomplished our safety checks in the cabin, took our jump seats, and landed without incident in dfw. Maintenance came on board again. After about 1 hour, passenger service made an announcement that the crew was now illegal to take the flight to manchester and that a new crew was coming to continue the trip. We waited for the reserve flight attendants to arrive and replace us, and then we went home. The passenger were on the airplane a total of 7 hours before they were allowed to deplane and when I left the airplane at XA45, the passenger had still not had anything to eat.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767 CREW RETURNED TO DEP STATION WITH LOW HYD FLUID QUANTITY, TWICE.

Narrative: WE BOARDED THE FLT AND TOOK OFF WITHOUT INCIDENT. ABOUT 20 MINS INTO THE FLT, THE PURSER CAME INTO THE BUSINESS CLASS GALLEY AND TOLD US NOT TO BEGIN THE MEAL SVC BECAUSE WE HAD A MECHANICAL AND WOULD HAVE TO LAND. A FEW MINS LATER, THE PURSER RETURNED AND TOLD US THAT WE WERE GOING BACK TO DFW AND WOULD LAND IN APPROX 20 MINS. SHE SAID THAT THE HYD FLUID INDICATOR IN THE COCKPIT WAS SHOWING THAT WE ONLY HAD 1/2 THE AMOUNT OF FLUID WE NEEDED AND THE COCKPIT WASN'T SURE IF WE HAD A HYD LEAK OR IF THE GAUGE WAS MALFUNCTIONING. I DISCUSSED PUSHBACK WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN BUSINESS CLASS AND ASKED THEM IF THEY REMEMBERED HEARING A LOUD NOISE IN THE MID CABIN AREA DURING TAXI OUT. (I HAD FLOWN ANOTHER TRIP ON THE B767-300 WITH A HYD PUMP MECHANICAL, AND WE HAD DISCOVERED THE PROB DURING PUSHBACK WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD WRENCHING, OR GRINDING NOISE JUST AFT OF THE BUSINESS CLASS GALLEY, NEAR THE EMER OVERWING EXITS IN COACH). NO ONE REMEMBERED HEARING ANYTHING UNUSUAL DURING PUSHBACK. THE CAPT MADE A PA AND TOLD THE PAX THAT WE HAD A MECHANICAL AND WERE GOING BACK TO DFW. AT NO TIME DID HE ADVISE US, OR THE PAX, THAT WE WOULD BE MAKING AN OVERWT LNDG. THE FLT ATTENDANTS RECEIVED NO SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PURSER. WE ACCOMPLISHED OUR SAFETY CHKS FOR LNDG, TOOK OUR JUMP SEATS, AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT IN DFW. MAINT CAME ON AND CHKED THE HYD FLUID AND SAID THERE WAS NOT A LEAK, THEN THEY CHKED THE INDICATOR SINCE THE MALFUNCTION SEEMED TO BE WITH THE INDICATOR. AFTER ABOUT 2 HRS THE CAPT MADE A PA THAT THE PROB WAS FIXED AND WE TOOK OFF AGAIN. ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER TKOF, THE PURSER CAME BACK TO THE BUSINESS CLASS GALLEY AND INFORMED US THAT THE PROB HAD RECURRED AND THAT WE WERE GOING BACK TO DFW. THE CAPT MADE A PA INFORMING THE PAX, WE ACCOMPLISHED OUR SAFETY CHKS IN THE CABIN, TOOK OUR JUMP SEATS, AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT IN DFW. MAINT CAME ON BOARD AGAIN. AFTER ABOUT 1 HR, PAX SVC MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE CREW WAS NOW ILLEGAL TO TAKE THE FLT TO MANCHESTER AND THAT A NEW CREW WAS COMING TO CONTINUE THE TRIP. WE WAITED FOR THE RESERVE FLT ATTENDANTS TO ARRIVE AND REPLACE US, AND THEN WE WENT HOME. THE PAX WERE ON THE AIRPLANE A TOTAL OF 7 HRS BEFORE THEY WERE ALLOWED TO DEPLANE AND WHEN I LEFT THE AIRPLANE AT XA45, THE PAX HAD STILL NOT HAD ANYTHING TO EAT.

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.