Narrative:

I was flight attendant #2. 2 hours into flight a passenger notified me that there was something leaking off the right wing. I immediately went to investigate. There was indeed a liquid leaking from the center booster pump and it was pooling up around the flaps. I went up into the cockpit and notified them. The captain and I went to go look at the leak (which was fuel). The captain said, 'this is not good.' he went back up to the cockpit and I stayed in the back of the plane. Within mins the plane had done a turn and we were headed for ZZZ. Passenger in xx then notified me that a second booster pump was now leaking. I notified the captain and he said that we would be on the ground in 15 mins. The captain wanted me to monitor the amount of fuel that was coming out of the pumps. The captain had said that as we descend the amount of fuel may increase. As we landed, the fire trucks were all over the ground. A mechanic came to look at the problem. We were on the ground for over 1 hour. I was the only flight attendant that stayed in the back of the plane for the entire hour trying to reassure passenger and taking care of their needs. As the mechanic was on the wing, a majority of the passenger were watching exactly what the mechanic was doing. The captain made an announcement that the mechanic was going to tighten the 2 booster pumps, we would be refueled and be on our way to ZZZ1. As I mentioned, I was the only flight attendant in the back of the airplane and I was being asked many, many questions. Why are 2 booster pumps screws loose? Why did the mechanic not even tighten the third booster pump on the right wing? What am I to say? As the mechanic was signing the logbook, I asked him if he tightened the third booster pump. He said 'no.' I said, 'I can't believe you didn't tighten the third pump.' if 2 are coincidentally loose, couldn't the third pump be loose? The mechanic said that he would go and tighten the third one if I wanted him to. He tightened the third pump and we were on our way. Before takeoff, I had told the passenger by the wing that they would see some residual and not to be alarmed. After takeoff, there was some fuel but in a different area of the wing. Passenger in xx notified me of this too. It seemed to be getting worse as time went on, but not as bad as the amount of fuel that was leaking before we landed. The passenger in xx said that he thought the mechanic just did minimal to get us out of ZZZ. The mechanic did not fix the problem, he only put a band-aid on it. The first officer said that the amount of leaking at this point is acceptable because our fuel gauges are not showing that fuel is being lost. The captain said that no amount of leakage is acceptable but air carrier just wants us to monitor the situation and press on to ZZZ1. We need to be sure that we are not losing considerable fuel, that the wings are in balance, that fuel doesn't go into the right engine and that fumes don't come into the cabin. At that point had no idea what I was going to say to the passenger. It did appear that the leakage had stopped or slowed down and then it got dark outside so we couldn't see the wing. As we were approaching ZZZ1 we then had to go into a holding pattern. We finally landed in ZZZ1 at XA29. We were all on that airplane for 8 1/2 hours with nothing but the breakfast bistro bag.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 DIVERTED DUE TO PAX RPT OF R WING BOOST PUMP ACCESS DOORS LEAKING FUEL. DOOR FASTENERS TIGHTENED. ENRTE, HAD SLIGHT SEEPAGE.

Narrative: I WAS FLT ATTENDANT #2. 2 HRS INTO FLT A PAX NOTIFIED ME THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING LEAKING OFF THE R WING. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO INVESTIGATE. THERE WAS INDEED A LIQUID LEAKING FROM THE CTR BOOSTER PUMP AND IT WAS POOLING UP AROUND THE FLAPS. I WENT UP INTO THE COCKPIT AND NOTIFIED THEM. THE CAPT AND I WENT TO GO LOOK AT THE LEAK (WHICH WAS FUEL). THE CAPT SAID, 'THIS IS NOT GOOD.' HE WENT BACK UP TO THE COCKPIT AND I STAYED IN THE BACK OF THE PLANE. WITHIN MINS THE PLANE HAD DONE A TURN AND WE WERE HEADED FOR ZZZ. PAX IN XX THEN NOTIFIED ME THAT A SECOND BOOSTER PUMP WAS NOW LEAKING. I NOTIFIED THE CAPT AND HE SAID THAT WE WOULD BE ON THE GND IN 15 MINS. THE CAPT WANTED ME TO MONITOR THE AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT WAS COMING OUT OF THE PUMPS. THE CAPT HAD SAID THAT AS WE DSND THE AMOUNT OF FUEL MAY INCREASE. AS WE LANDED, THE FIRE TRUCKS WERE ALL OVER THE GND. A MECH CAME TO LOOK AT THE PROB. WE WERE ON THE GND FOR OVER 1 HR. I WAS THE ONLY FLT ATTENDANT THAT STAYED IN THE BACK OF THE PLANE FOR THE ENTIRE HR TRYING TO REASSURE PAX AND TAKING CARE OF THEIR NEEDS. AS THE MECH WAS ON THE WING, A MAJORITY OF THE PAX WERE WATCHING EXACTLY WHAT THE MECH WAS DOING. THE CAPT MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE MECH WAS GOING TO TIGHTEN THE 2 BOOSTER PUMPS, WE WOULD BE REFUELED AND BE ON OUR WAY TO ZZZ1. AS I MENTIONED, I WAS THE ONLY FLT ATTENDANT IN THE BACK OF THE AIRPLANE AND I WAS BEING ASKED MANY, MANY QUESTIONS. WHY ARE 2 BOOSTER PUMPS SCREWS LOOSE? WHY DID THE MECH NOT EVEN TIGHTEN THE THIRD BOOSTER PUMP ON THE R WING? WHAT AM I TO SAY? AS THE MECH WAS SIGNING THE LOGBOOK, I ASKED HIM IF HE TIGHTENED THE THIRD BOOSTER PUMP. HE SAID 'NO.' I SAID, 'I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TIGHTEN THE THIRD PUMP.' IF 2 ARE COINCIDENTALLY LOOSE, COULDN'T THE THIRD PUMP BE LOOSE? THE MECH SAID THAT HE WOULD GO AND TIGHTEN THE THIRD ONE IF I WANTED HIM TO. HE TIGHTENED THE THIRD PUMP AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY. BEFORE TKOF, I HAD TOLD THE PAX BY THE WING THAT THEY WOULD SEE SOME RESIDUAL AND NOT TO BE ALARMED. AFTER TKOF, THERE WAS SOME FUEL BUT IN A DIFFERENT AREA OF THE WING. PAX IN XX NOTIFIED ME OF THIS TOO. IT SEEMED TO BE GETTING WORSE AS TIME WENT ON, BUT NOT AS BAD AS THE AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT WAS LEAKING BEFORE WE LANDED. THE PAX IN XX SAID THAT HE THOUGHT THE MECH JUST DID MINIMAL TO GET US OUT OF ZZZ. THE MECH DID NOT FIX THE PROB, HE ONLY PUT A BAND-AID ON IT. THE FO SAID THAT THE AMOUNT OF LEAKING AT THIS POINT IS ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE OUR FUEL GAUGES ARE NOT SHOWING THAT FUEL IS BEING LOST. THE CAPT SAID THAT NO AMOUNT OF LEAKAGE IS ACCEPTABLE BUT ACR JUST WANTS US TO MONITOR THE SIT AND PRESS ON TO ZZZ1. WE NEED TO BE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT LOSING CONSIDERABLE FUEL, THAT THE WINGS ARE IN BAL, THAT FUEL DOESN'T GO INTO THE R ENG AND THAT FUMES DON'T COME INTO THE CABIN. AT THAT POINT HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY TO THE PAX. IT DID APPEAR THAT THE LEAKAGE HAD STOPPED OR SLOWED DOWN AND THEN IT GOT DARK OUTSIDE SO WE COULDN'T SEE THE WING. AS WE WERE APCHING ZZZ1 WE THEN HAD TO GO INTO A HOLDING PATTERN. WE FINALLY LANDED IN ZZZ1 AT XA29. WE WERE ALL ON THAT AIRPLANE FOR 8 1/2 HRS WITH NOTHING BUT THE BREAKFAST BISTRO BAG.

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.