B737 first officer began fuel xfeed without telling the captain.

Attributes
ACN	476880
Time
Date	200006
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : clt.airport
State Reference	NC
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	476880
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : company policies other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : acft fuel gages other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Problem: fuel imbal exceeding company limits. Flight clt to dca, VFR flight conditions, WX no factor. Mid day departure and arrival, ATC no factor. At gate in clt during our turnaround, I noticed right main fuel tank exceeding left main fuel tank by several hundred pounds (200-300 pounds). I selected the xfeed valve open and positioned right main fuel pump on and left main fuel pump off. (The xfer valve need not be open to supply fuel from the left main tank.) all normal checklists were later accomplished thereafter and throughout the flight. After landing in dca, a fuel imbal of about 2800 pounds between main tanks was observed along with the xfeed valve still open and all main pumps on. Problem: 1) failure to include the unwritten items in our scan/check (these are items in our expanded checklist and items not directly addressed in our cockpit checklist). 2) due to another unrelated in-flight safety concern (door seal noise and vibration, we believe) our normal housekeeping flow was interrupted on this short leg.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 FO BEGAN FUEL XFEED WITHOUT TELLING THE CAPT.

Narrative: PROB: FUEL IMBAL EXCEEDING COMPANY LIMITS. FLT CLT TO DCA, VFR FLT CONDITIONS, WX NO FACTOR. MID DAY DEP AND ARR, ATC NO FACTOR. AT GATE IN CLT DURING OUR TURNAROUND, I NOTICED R MAIN FUEL TANK EXCEEDING L MAIN FUEL TANK BY SEVERAL HUNDRED LBS (200-300 LBS). I SELECTED THE XFEED VALVE OPEN AND POSITIONED R MAIN FUEL PUMP ON AND L MAIN FUEL PUMP OFF. (THE XFER VALVE NEED NOT BE OPEN TO SUPPLY FUEL FROM THE L MAIN TANK.) ALL NORMAL CHKLISTS WERE LATER ACCOMPLISHED THEREAFTER AND THROUGHOUT THE FLT. AFTER LNDG IN DCA, A FUEL IMBAL OF ABOUT 2800 LBS BTWN MAIN TANKS WAS OBSERVED ALONG WITH THE XFEED VALVE STILL OPEN AND ALL MAIN PUMPS ON. PROB: 1) FAILURE TO INCLUDE THE UNWRITTEN ITEMS IN OUR SCAN/CHK (THESE ARE ITEMS IN OUR EXPANDED CHKLIST AND ITEMS NOT DIRECTLY ADDRESSED IN OUR COCKPIT CHKLIST). 2) DUE TO ANOTHER UNRELATED INFLT SAFETY CONCERN (DOOR SEAL NOISE AND VIBRATION, WE BELIEVE) OUR NORMAL HOUSEKEEPING FLOW WAS INTERRUPTED ON THIS SHORT LEG.

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.