Narrative:

I, serve as an air carrier first officer. There seems to be an irregularity involvement on oct/xa/00. This irregularity is currently under investigation by air carrier X and the appropriate government auths. Upon completion of a normal flight to sti, during refueling, the refueling crew informed us that the #2 engine was leaking fuel. During the postflt, I confirmed that a small amount of fuel was leaking from the #2 engine. The PIC, captain, went to sti operations office to call for guidance. Captain returned and we started the #2 engine on hotel mode (propeller not spinning). After a few mins, the captain shut down the engine. Then we went back outside to see if it was leaking fuel. It leaked, but then it stopped. The captain started the engine again, but this time with the propeller spinning. Again, we went back outside to see if it was still leaking. It leaked, but again, it stopped. The captain went back to operations to call for further guidance. When he returned, he told me that maintenance had authority/authorized him to depart as long as the engine was not leaking fuel while shut down. We rechked the engine, and in fact, it did not leak anymore. Based on maintenance's permission to depart and captain, PIC authority/authorized, experience and judgement, he decided that it was safe to return to sju and I agreed. We had no passenger, because, according to passenger service, some had been bussed to another airport and the remaining had gone home due to the cancellation of flight XXX. I told the flight attendants to feel free to speak up if they felt uncomfortable with the situation. They told me that they felt fine and we took off uneventfully. The captain was at the controls because it was his leg. During flight, while in cruise, flight attendants asked us to take a look at the #2 engine. I went to the cabin and noticed that the #2 engine was discharging a very small amount of, what it seemed to me, vapor from the same area where it had the fuel leak while on the ground. I briefed the captain on what I had seen. Once again, I told the flight attendants that if they felt uncomfortable, we could return to sti or land at maz. They told me that they felt fine to continue to sju. Fuel burn was normal on both engines as we continued to sju. During arrival, captain requested ATC priority handling and crash rescue on stand-by. We had a normal landing and shutdown procedure. I have no information as to what caused this fuel leak. I will continue to fully cooperate in any investigation to determine what caused this irregularity.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN MDT TURBOPROP FERRY FLT CONSULTED WITH COMPANY MAINT AND CONTINUED TO DEST AFTER FLT ATTENDANT NOTICED WHAT APPEARED TO BE FUEL LEAKING FROM WING AREA.

Narrative: I, SERVE AS AN ACR FO. THERE SEEMS TO BE AN IRREGULARITY INVOLVEMENT ON OCT/XA/00. THIS IRREGULARITY IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY ACR X AND THE APPROPRIATE GOV AUTHS. UPON COMPLETION OF A NORMAL FLT TO STI, DURING REFUELING, THE REFUELING CREW INFORMED US THAT THE #2 ENG WAS LEAKING FUEL. DURING THE POSTFLT, I CONFIRMED THAT A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE #2 ENG. THE PIC, CAPT, WENT TO STI OPS OFFICE TO CALL FOR GUIDANCE. CAPT RETURNED AND WE STARTED THE #2 ENG ON HOTEL MODE (PROP NOT SPINNING). AFTER A FEW MINS, THE CAPT SHUT DOWN THE ENG. THEN WE WENT BACK OUTSIDE TO SEE IF IT WAS LEAKING FUEL. IT LEAKED, BUT THEN IT STOPPED. THE CAPT STARTED THE ENG AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME WITH THE PROP SPINNING. AGAIN, WE WENT BACK OUTSIDE TO SEE IF IT WAS STILL LEAKING. IT LEAKED, BUT AGAIN, IT STOPPED. THE CAPT WENT BACK TO OPS TO CALL FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE. WHEN HE RETURNED, HE TOLD ME THAT MAINT HAD AUTH HIM TO DEPART AS LONG AS THE ENG WAS NOT LEAKING FUEL WHILE SHUT DOWN. WE RECHKED THE ENG, AND IN FACT, IT DID NOT LEAK ANYMORE. BASED ON MAINT'S PERMISSION TO DEPART AND CAPT, PIC AUTH, EXPERIENCE AND JUDGEMENT, HE DECIDED THAT IT WAS SAFE TO RETURN TO SJU AND I AGREED. WE HAD NO PAX, BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO PAX SVC, SOME HAD BEEN BUSSED TO ANOTHER ARPT AND THE REMAINING HAD GONE HOME DUE TO THE CANCELLATION OF FLT XXX. I TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO FEEL FREE TO SPEAK UP IF THEY FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SIT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY FELT FINE AND WE TOOK OFF UNEVENTFULLY. THE CAPT WAS AT THE CTLS BECAUSE IT WAS HIS LEG. DURING FLT, WHILE IN CRUISE, FLT ATTENDANTS ASKED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE #2 ENG. I WENT TO THE CABIN AND NOTICED THAT THE #2 ENG WAS DISCHARGING A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF, WHAT IT SEEMED TO ME, VAPOR FROM THE SAME AREA WHERE IT HAD THE FUEL LEAK WHILE ON THE GND. I BRIEFED THE CAPT ON WHAT I HAD SEEN. ONCE AGAIN, I TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT IF THEY FELT UNCOMFORTABLE, WE COULD RETURN TO STI OR LAND AT MAZ. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY FELT FINE TO CONTINUE TO SJU. FUEL BURN WAS NORMAL ON BOTH ENGS AS WE CONTINUED TO SJU. DURING ARR, CAPT REQUESTED ATC PRIORITY HANDLING AND CRASH RESCUE ON STAND-BY. WE HAD A NORMAL LNDG AND SHUTDOWN PROC. I HAVE NO INFO AS TO WHAT CAUSED THIS FUEL LEAK. I WILL CONTINUE TO FULLY COOPERATE IN ANY INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THIS IRREGULARITY.

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.