Narrative:

Occurrence took place during pushback from gate at ZZZ. Company instituted new procedure for pushbacks. Due to several instances of a gear pin being left in nosewheel after pushing back from gate, company required that ground personnel only use gear pin that belongs to set that is stowed on aircraft. Ground crew no longer uses their own set of gear pins. This is relevant because the first item on our before start checklist requires us to verify gear pins stowed. In past, we could do before start checklist during push because we could verify our gear pins stowed since we pushed with ground personnel pins, not aircraft pins. This is relevant because subsequent before start check items require us to check fuel. On day of feb/fri/02 at ZZZ, since we did not start before start checklist until after the push, we did not notice that we had not been fueled until the tug was disconnected. Therefore, we had to return to the gate to be fueled. Although fueling an aircraft during a turn is significant enough that one usually does not need a checklist to think about it. Certainly during the busy time of preparing a cockpit for a turn it is possible to be overlooked, especially since the new procedures which were implemented on feb/fri/02 took the fuel check out of the order that we normally looked at it for the past 1 1/2 yrs. We never taxied away from gate, however, we did complete a pushback with insufficient fuel for the flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER PUSHBACK FROM THE GATE AND PRIOR TO ENG START, THE CREW DISCOVERED THE ACFT HAD INSUFFICIENT FUEL FOR THE FLT.

Narrative: OCCURRENCE TOOK PLACE DURING PUSHBACK FROM GATE AT ZZZ. COMPANY INSTITUTED NEW PROC FOR PUSHBACKS. DUE TO SEVERAL INSTANCES OF A GEAR PIN BEING LEFT IN NOSEWHEEL AFTER PUSHING BACK FROM GATE, COMPANY REQUIRED THAT GND PERSONNEL ONLY USE GEAR PIN THAT BELONGS TO SET THAT IS STOWED ON ACFT. GND CREW NO LONGER USES THEIR OWN SET OF GEAR PINS. THIS IS RELEVANT BECAUSE THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR BEFORE START CHKLIST REQUIRES US TO VERIFY GEAR PINS STOWED. IN PAST, WE COULD DO BEFORE START CHKLIST DURING PUSH BECAUSE WE COULD VERIFY OUR GEAR PINS STOWED SINCE WE PUSHED WITH GND PERSONNEL PINS, NOT ACFT PINS. THIS IS RELEVANT BECAUSE SUBSEQUENT BEFORE START CHK ITEMS REQUIRE US TO CHK FUEL. ON DAY OF FEB/FRI/02 AT ZZZ, SINCE WE DID NOT START BEFORE START CHKLIST UNTIL AFTER THE PUSH, WE DID NOT NOTICE THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN FUELED UNTIL THE TUG WAS DISCONNECTED. THEREFORE, WE HAD TO RETURN TO THE GATE TO BE FUELED. ALTHOUGH FUELING AN ACFT DURING A TURN IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH THAT ONE USUALLY DOES NOT NEED A CHKLIST TO THINK ABOUT IT. CERTAINLY DURING THE BUSY TIME OF PREPARING A COCKPIT FOR A TURN IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE OVERLOOKED, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE NEW PROCS WHICH WERE IMPLEMENTED ON FEB/FRI/02 TOOK THE FUEL CHK OUT OF THE ORDER THAT WE NORMALLY LOOKED AT IT FOR THE PAST 1 1/2 YRS. WE NEVER TAXIED AWAY FROM GATE, HOWEVER, WE DID COMPLETE A PUSHBACK WITH INSUFFICIENT FUEL FOR THE FLT.

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.