Narrative:

ZZZ operations preflight. Spoke with dispatch and agreed to change fuel from 18100 pounds to 15400 pounds. No ZZZ operations personnel were present, as was obvious with the 15 ft of paperwork streaming from the printer. The fueler was present during my conversation with dispatch. I told the fueler we had lowered fuel to 15400 pounds. He said he would fuel that amount and get the fuel sheet later when someone showed up in operations. As he (fueler) later explained to me, he was finished fueling and unplugged, when maintenance controller (ZZZ operations employee) came out and handed him the old fuel sheet with 18100 pounds on it. The fueler questioned that amount and told him he had spoken with the captain who lowered it to 15400 pounds. Maintenance controller insisted he put in the 18100 pounds. When the increase was evident and the fueler was in the cockpit, I asked the gate agent to have maintenance controller come up. Again, no one in operations could be reached from the cockpit. When maintenance controller called me from operations, I questioned what had taken place. He placed blame on dispatch saying they requested it. I explained again to him that dispatch and I had lowered the fuel to 15400 pounds. He refused to accept that. I then called dispatcher again and asked for him to call maintenance controller. He did and he, too, explained that we had lowered the fuel, which was more than obvious to maintenance controller who was looking at my signed release with a fuel load of 15400 pounds. In the meantime, I had told the fueler we needed to defuel. He mentioned that would take between 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I then called maintenance controller again and he still refused to acknowledge the correct fuel load, which was holding up the defueling process. What I can't understand is, after several conversations with both me, the captain, and the dispatcher, this operations employee (maintenance controller) continued to usurp the authority/authorized of the only two people responsible for that fuel load. There was no station manager on duty at that time. I also made a call to the flight operations duty manager explaining the current situation. I decided to depart after 45 mins concerned about the potential misconnects. From this day forward, I will not leave a gate until the correct fuel is on the aircraft. Considering the state company is in and fuel prices, this situation should never occur.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 WAS FUELED PER CAPT AND DISPATCHER AGREEMENT. STATION OPS PERSON OVERRODE THE CAPT AND DISPATCHER AND RAISED FUEL LOAD.

Narrative: ZZZ OPS PREFLT. SPOKE WITH DISPATCH AND AGREED TO CHANGE FUEL FROM 18100 LBS TO 15400 LBS. NO ZZZ OPS PERSONNEL WERE PRESENT, AS WAS OBVIOUS WITH THE 15 FT OF PAPERWORK STREAMING FROM THE PRINTER. THE FUELER WAS PRESENT DURING MY CONVERSATION WITH DISPATCH. I TOLD THE FUELER WE HAD LOWERED FUEL TO 15400 LBS. HE SAID HE WOULD FUEL THAT AMOUNT AND GET THE FUEL SHEET LATER WHEN SOMEONE SHOWED UP IN OPS. AS HE (FUELER) LATER EXPLAINED TO ME, HE WAS FINISHED FUELING AND UNPLUGGED, WHEN MAINT CTLR (ZZZ OPS EMPLOYEE) CAME OUT AND HANDED HIM THE OLD FUEL SHEET WITH 18100 LBS ON IT. THE FUELER QUESTIONED THAT AMOUNT AND TOLD HIM HE HAD SPOKEN WITH THE CAPT WHO LOWERED IT TO 15400 LBS. MAINT CTLR INSISTED HE PUT IN THE 18100 LBS. WHEN THE INCREASE WAS EVIDENT AND THE FUELER WAS IN THE COCKPIT, I ASKED THE GATE AGENT TO HAVE MAINT CTLR COME UP. AGAIN, NO ONE IN OPS COULD BE REACHED FROM THE COCKPIT. WHEN MAINT CTLR CALLED ME FROM OPS, I QUESTIONED WHAT HAD TAKEN PLACE. HE PLACED BLAME ON DISPATCH SAYING THEY REQUESTED IT. I EXPLAINED AGAIN TO HIM THAT DISPATCH AND I HAD LOWERED THE FUEL TO 15400 LBS. HE REFUSED TO ACCEPT THAT. I THEN CALLED DISPATCHER AGAIN AND ASKED FOR HIM TO CALL MAINT CTLR. HE DID AND HE, TOO, EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD LOWERED THE FUEL, WHICH WAS MORE THAN OBVIOUS TO MAINT CTLR WHO WAS LOOKING AT MY SIGNED RELEASE WITH A FUEL LOAD OF 15400 LBS. IN THE MEANTIME, I HAD TOLD THE FUELER WE NEEDED TO DEFUEL. HE MENTIONED THAT WOULD TAKE BTWN 2 1/2 - 3 HRS. I THEN CALLED MAINT CTLR AGAIN AND HE STILL REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CORRECT FUEL LOAD, WHICH WAS HOLDING UP THE DEFUELING PROCESS. WHAT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND IS, AFTER SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH BOTH ME, THE CAPT, AND THE DISPATCHER, THIS OPS EMPLOYEE (MAINT CTLR) CONTINUED TO USURP THE AUTH OF THE ONLY TWO PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT FUEL LOAD. THERE WAS NO STATION MGR ON DUTY AT THAT TIME. I ALSO MADE A CALL TO THE FLT OPS DUTY MGR EXPLAINING THE CURRENT SIT. I DECIDED TO DEPART AFTER 45 MINS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL MISCONNECTS. FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, I WILL NOT LEAVE A GATE UNTIL THE CORRECT FUEL IS ON THE ACFT. CONSIDERING THE STATE COMPANY IS IN AND FUEL PRICES, THIS SIT SHOULD NEVER OCCUR.

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.