Narrative:

My airline decided a few months ago to require maintenance personnel to do the alternate fueling procedure specified in the MEL 28-07-01 for an inoperative fuel gauge on the DC9-30 aircraft until additional crew member training could be accomplished. This was done because of an incident where an alleged untrained crew member had accomplished the MEL procedure using the dripless sticks to determine the amount of fuel in an aircraft with an inoperative fuel gauge. All crew members were notified that they must attend a training class on the alternate fueling procedures for the DC9-30 to become qualified. I not only attended the class but as a captain, check airman, and instructor on the aircraft, I was asked by the classroom instructor to assist him by demonstrating and checking the proficiency of half the class on a parked aircraft. The instructor also stated upon completion of the class the participants having attended the class and demonstrated proficiency were qualified to use the dripless sticks. Possible violation: I was assigned as captain to fly trip bxb, ZZZ, rsw and bxa rsw-ZZZ, with aircraft xyz on sep/tue/00. I found maintenance working a write-up on the right main fuel tank quantity when I arrived at the aircraft. I called my dispatcher in system operations control and discussed the aircraft MEL's, WX, as well as, the maintenance work that was causing a departure delay. Maintenance corrected the right tank problem and the aircraft was dispatched with MEL 28-07-01 'left fuel quantity high.' I departed and had a normal trip to rsw. At the gate at rsw, I went outside and conducted the postflt inspection and then met the fueler. I gave him the fuel load for bxa rsw-ZZZ as 19000 pounds and discussed the MEL item. I instructed him on the procedure to follow in fueling the aircraft with a known quantity of fuel. I checked the gals placed in the left tank and then used the dripless sticks to confirm the required fuel. The other tanks were filled normally. The trip to ZZZ was normal in all respects. Later during the sequence of trips I flew, I was asked a question by a captain who had just completed his annual recurrent DC9 training. In the discussion that followed, he told me that he was surprised to learn in recurrent that we, as crew members, were still not allowed to use the dripless sticks to determine fuel quantity. After that discussion, I call my DC9 fleet manager to determine the legality issue. He call the director of training who stated that all the paperwork with the FAA had not been completed. He also stated that maintenance should perform the dripless stick method until a bulletin was issued. I have coordinated with the director of system operations control, the DC9 fleet manager, and the chief pilot to stop aircraft from being dispatched with inoperative fuel gauges unless maintenance will be available at each destination to confirm fuel loads. I have also discussed with each of the above the need to have clrer communications with check and balances to see that this cannot occur in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC9-30 CAPT RPTS ACCOMPLISHING A NEW COMPANY DIPSTICK FUELING PROC FOR AN INOP INDICATOR, BUT NOT CURRENTLY FAA APPROVED.

Narrative: MY AIRLINE DECIDED A FEW MONTHS AGO TO REQUIRE MAINT PERSONNEL TO DO THE ALTERNATE FUELING PROC SPECIFIED IN THE MEL 28-07-01 FOR AN INOP FUEL GAUGE ON THE DC9-30 ACFT UNTIL ADDITIONAL CREW MEMBER TRAINING COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED. THIS WAS DONE BECAUSE OF AN INCIDENT WHERE AN ALLEGED UNTRAINED CREW MEMBER HAD ACCOMPLISHED THE MEL PROC USING THE DRIPLESS STICKS TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN AN ACFT WITH AN INOP FUEL GAUGE. ALL CREW MEMBERS WERE NOTIFIED THAT THEY MUST ATTEND A TRAINING CLASS ON THE ALTERNATE FUELING PROCS FOR THE DC9-30 TO BECOME QUALIFIED. I NOT ONLY ATTENDED THE CLASS BUT AS A CAPT, CHK AIRMAN, AND INSTRUCTOR ON THE ACFT, I WAS ASKED BY THE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTOR TO ASSIST HIM BY DEMONSTRATING AND CHKING THE PROFICIENCY OF HALF THE CLASS ON A PARKED ACFT. THE INSTRUCTOR ALSO STATED UPON COMPLETION OF THE CLASS THE PARTICIPANTS HAVING ATTENDED THE CLASS AND DEMONSTRATED PROFICIENCY WERE QUALIFIED TO USE THE DRIPLESS STICKS. POSSIBLE VIOLATION: I WAS ASSIGNED AS CAPT TO FLY TRIP BXB, ZZZ, RSW AND BXA RSW-ZZZ, WITH ACFT XYZ ON SEP/TUE/00. I FOUND MAINT WORKING A WRITE-UP ON THE R MAIN FUEL TANK QUANTITY WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT. I CALLED MY DISPATCHER IN SYS OPS CTL AND DISCUSSED THE ACFT MEL'S, WX, AS WELL AS, THE MAINT WORK THAT WAS CAUSING A DEP DELAY. MAINT CORRECTED THE R TANK PROB AND THE ACFT WAS DISPATCHED WITH MEL 28-07-01 'L FUEL QUANTITY HIGH.' I DEPARTED AND HAD A NORMAL TRIP TO RSW. AT THE GATE AT RSW, I WENT OUTSIDE AND CONDUCTED THE POSTFLT INSPECTION AND THEN MET THE FUELER. I GAVE HIM THE FUEL LOAD FOR BXA RSW-ZZZ AS 19000 LBS AND DISCUSSED THE MEL ITEM. I INSTRUCTED HIM ON THE PROC TO FOLLOW IN FUELING THE ACFT WITH A KNOWN QUANTITY OF FUEL. I CHKED THE GALS PLACED IN THE L TANK AND THEN USED THE DRIPLESS STICKS TO CONFIRM THE REQUIRED FUEL. THE OTHER TANKS WERE FILLED NORMALLY. THE TRIP TO ZZZ WAS NORMAL IN ALL RESPECTS. LATER DURING THE SEQUENCE OF TRIPS I FLEW, I WAS ASKED A QUESTION BY A CAPT WHO HAD JUST COMPLETED HIS ANNUAL RECURRENT DC9 TRAINING. IN THE DISCUSSION THAT FOLLOWED, HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN IN RECURRENT THAT WE, AS CREW MEMBERS, WERE STILL NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE DRIPLESS STICKS TO DETERMINE FUEL QUANTITY. AFTER THAT DISCUSSION, I CALL MY DC9 FLEET MGR TO DETERMINE THE LEGALITY ISSUE. HE CALL THE DIRECTOR OF TRAINING WHO STATED THAT ALL THE PAPERWORK WITH THE FAA HAD NOT BEEN COMPLETED. HE ALSO STATED THAT MAINT SHOULD PERFORM THE DRIPLESS STICK METHOD UNTIL A BULLETIN WAS ISSUED. I HAVE COORDINATED WITH THE DIRECTOR OF SYS OPS CTL, THE DC9 FLEET MGR, AND THE CHIEF PLT TO STOP ACFT FROM BEING DISPATCHED WITH INOP FUEL GAUGES UNLESS MAINT WILL BE AVAILABLE AT EACH DEST TO CONFIRM FUEL LOADS. I HAVE ALSO DISCUSSED WITH EACH OF THE ABOVE THE NEED TO HAVE CLRER COMS WITH CHK AND BALS TO SEE THAT THIS CANNOT OCCUR IN THE FUTURE.

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.