Narrative:

I arrived at the aircraft approximately 35 mins prior to push. The aircraft had overnighted at tpa. I recall that an 'sc' check was done on the plane. The fueler came to the cockpit and said that an imbal of fuel was present on the aircraft. #1 tank showed 9300 pounds onboard and #2 tank showed 3500 pounds and the center tank 40 pounds. He asked what we wanted done to balance the fuel load. Add fuel in #2 tank to equal the amount in tank #1 or xfer some of the #1 tank fuel to the #2 tank. I told him to xfer some of the #1 tank fuel to the #2 tank, then add fuel to meet fuel requirements for dispatching of the flight. Fuel was balanced at approximately 7800 pounds per tank. I then finished cockpit setup/tests. We pushed and were airborne. Immediately as the aircraft became airborne, it wanted to roll to the right. I corrected this roll using all available flight controls. Any reduction of flight control inputs, the aircraft would wan to resume its rolling tendency to the right. I displaced the yoke more than 45 degrees (left aileron) and more than 4 units of left rudder to control the aircraft. My eyes went to look at the engine instrument panel for engine readings. I caught, south I glanced, that #1 fuel tank now read 350 pounds and #2 tank was reading 7000 pounds. I opened the fuel xfeed valve and told the first officer to advise tpa tower that we needed to return to the airport immediately for landing. We were instructed to level off at 1600 ft MSL and enter a right downwind to runway 36R. First officer notified the flight attendants about our return T the airport for landing. Also, he called tpa operations to tell them we were returning. The dispatcher talked to us on the downwind, he was informed that we had a fuel imbal problem and would be on the ground shortly. An emergency was not declared, just that we needed to return because of a fuel imbal. Asymmetrical thrust was used to keep the workload of the flight controls to a minimum once the downwind was entered. Flaps were never retracted from the takeoff position of 5 degrees. We landed with flaps 15 degrees because I didn't want to increase thrust requirements on approach with the use of a flaps 30/40 degree landing. First officer agreed with this assessment for our flaps 15 degree landing. The aircraft was relatively easy to control using this flap position on approach. We completed a descent approach checklist prior to the base turn. Landing was normal and uneventful. Approximately landing weight was 88300 pounds. Total flight time was 8 mins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 FLT CREW HAS A FUEL IMBAL AFTER TKOF AND RETURNS FOR LNDG AT TPA.

Narrative: I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT APPROX 35 MINS PRIOR TO PUSH. THE ACFT HAD OVERNIGHTED AT TPA. I RECALL THAT AN 'SC' CHK WAS DONE ON THE PLANE. THE FUELER CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND SAID THAT AN IMBAL OF FUEL WAS PRESENT ON THE ACFT. #1 TANK SHOWED 9300 LBS ONBOARD AND #2 TANK SHOWED 3500 LBS AND THE CTR TANK 40 LBS. HE ASKED WHAT WE WANTED DONE TO BAL THE FUEL LOAD. ADD FUEL IN #2 TANK TO EQUAL THE AMOUNT IN TANK #1 OR XFER SOME OF THE #1 TANK FUEL TO THE #2 TANK. I TOLD HIM TO XFER SOME OF THE #1 TANK FUEL TO THE #2 TANK, THEN ADD FUEL TO MEET FUEL REQUIREMENTS FOR DISPATCHING OF THE FLT. FUEL WAS BALANCED AT APPROX 7800 LBS PER TANK. I THEN FINISHED COCKPIT SETUP/TESTS. WE PUSHED AND WERE AIRBORNE. IMMEDIATELY AS THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE, IT WANTED TO ROLL TO THE R. I CORRECTED THIS ROLL USING ALL AVAILABLE FLT CTLS. ANY REDUCTION OF FLT CTL INPUTS, THE ACFT WOULD WAN TO RESUME ITS ROLLING TENDENCY TO THE R. I DISPLACED THE YOKE MORE THAN 45 DEGS (L AILERON) AND MORE THAN 4 UNITS OF L RUDDER TO CTL THE ACFT. MY EYES WENT TO LOOK AT THE ENG INST PANEL FOR ENG READINGS. I CAUGHT, S I GLANCED, THAT #1 FUEL TANK NOW READ 350 LBS AND #2 TANK WAS READING 7000 LBS. I OPENED THE FUEL XFEED VALVE AND TOLD THE FO TO ADVISE TPA TWR THAT WE NEEDED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT IMMEDIATELY FOR LNDG. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO LEVEL OFF AT 1600 FT MSL AND ENTER A R DOWNWIND TO RWY 36R. FO NOTIFIED THE FLT ATTENDANTS ABOUT OUR RETURN T THE ARPT FOR LNDG. ALSO, HE CALLED TPA OPS TO TELL THEM WE WERE RETURNING. THE DISPATCHER TALKED TO US ON THE DOWNWIND, HE WAS INFORMED THAT WE HAD A FUEL IMBAL PROB AND WOULD BE ON THE GND SHORTLY. AN EMER WAS NOT DECLARED, JUST THAT WE NEEDED TO RETURN BECAUSE OF A FUEL IMBAL. ASYMMETRICAL THRUST WAS USED TO KEEP THE WORKLOAD OF THE FLT CTLS TO A MINIMUM ONCE THE DOWNWIND WAS ENTERED. FLAPS WERE NEVER RETRACTED FROM THE TKOF POS OF 5 DEGS. WE LANDED WITH FLAPS 15 DEGS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO INCREASE THRUST REQUIREMENTS ON APCH WITH THE USE OF A FLAPS 30/40 DEG LNDG. FO AGREED WITH THIS ASSESSMENT FOR OUR FLAPS 15 DEG LNDG. THE ACFT WAS RELATIVELY EASY TO CTL USING THIS FLAP POS ON APCH. WE COMPLETED A DSCNT APCH CHKLIST PRIOR TO THE BASE TURN. LNDG WAS NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL. APPROX LNDG WT WAS 88300 LBS. TOTAL FLT TIME WAS 8 MINS.

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.