Narrative:

Flight was dispatched in accordance with MEL left inner fuel tank quantity inoperative. Repetitive inspection required and completed in accordance with procedures verified in logbook; and verified with the mechanic on duty that option #2: fuel tank filled to a known quantity -- was the method used to comply with this requirement. All MEL and procedures reviewed jointly by captain and first officer and complied with in detail. Fuel slip received by crew indicated a correction to the fuel remaining in the left inner tank. Correction to fuel slip discussed and resolved as inaccurate fuel remaining from previous flight -- fueler/mechanic copied wrong number from inoperative (inaccurate) gauge and corrected the fuel slip. Uplift confirmed and no percentage discrepancy idented on ACARS initialization fuel page when entered. Weight and balance completed utilizing verified fuel on board -- the combined total of all operative fuel quantity indicators plus the left inner tank known quantity --total fuel 40.3. Flap 15/15 takeoff runway 23; accomplished (runway 29 closed) wind 270 degrees at 9 KTS gusting to 14 KTS. After liftoff; considerable right wheel deflection necessary. During climb out; 4 degrees rwd aileron trim required. Fuel imbal suspected. Out of FL180; crew consulted aom fuel xfeed in-flight (fuel imbal) checklist. Crew opted to move fuel xfeed to in-line at cruise; however; maintain an all pumps on scenario to preserve the MEL known fuel integrity should our suspicion prove false. Flight was originally planned to land with less than 16.0. Therefore; outer tanks (that were balanced) would be feeding each respective engine for landing; inner tanks would be depleted; imbal would not be an issue for landing. Corrected weight and balance plotted utilizing chart in chapter 1; limitations for possible conditions. Verified within limits throughout regime. Agreed to maintain fuel confign (xfeed in-line) until slats extended for landing if inner tanks still feeding at that time; then return xfeed to x-line to ensure tank to engine supply. Subsequent re-trim of aircraft throughout cruise progressively yielded a final yoke position of neutral by top-of-descent. Upon block-in at destination; maintenance verified 23.56 fuel remaining. This figure added to the total fuel used (as indicated by the fuel used counters -- 25.75) confirmed that the actual fuel at block-out was 49.3. Aircraft weight at takeoff was 9000 pounds heavier than indicated on the weight and balance. This additional fuel was located in the left inner tank; thus exceeding the aom limitation -- maximum allowable wing fuel imbal; takeoff; 2000 pounds between inner tanks. Fuel at destination was confirmed to be balanced; tank-to-tank. Landing was planned at the heavier weight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ERROR BY A FUELER ALLOWED AN A300 COMPLYING AN INOP FUEL GAUGE MEL TO TKOF; FLY; AND LAND 9000 LBS HEAVIER THAN THE WT AND BAL INDICATED. ACFT WAS OUT OF TRIM ON TKOF BECAUSE OF THE IMBAL BTWN WINGS.

Narrative: FLT WAS DISPATCHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MEL L INNER FUEL TANK QUANTITY INOP. REPETITIVE INSPECTION REQUIRED AND COMPLETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROCS VERIFIED IN LOGBOOK; AND VERIFIED WITH THE MECH ON DUTY THAT OPTION #2: FUEL TANK FILLED TO A KNOWN QUANTITY -- WAS THE METHOD USED TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT. ALL MEL AND PROCS REVIEWED JOINTLY BY CAPT AND FO AND COMPLIED WITH IN DETAIL. FUEL SLIP RECEIVED BY CREW INDICATED A CORRECTION TO THE FUEL REMAINING IN THE L INNER TANK. CORRECTION TO FUEL SLIP DISCUSSED AND RESOLVED AS INACCURATE FUEL REMAINING FROM PREVIOUS FLT -- FUELER/MECH COPIED WRONG NUMBER FROM INOP (INACCURATE) GAUGE AND CORRECTED THE FUEL SLIP. UPLIFT CONFIRMED AND NO PERCENTAGE DISCREPANCY IDENTED ON ACARS INITIALIZATION FUEL PAGE WHEN ENTERED. WT AND BAL COMPLETED UTILIZING VERIFIED FUEL ON BOARD -- THE COMBINED TOTAL OF ALL OPERATIVE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATORS PLUS THE L INNER TANK KNOWN QUANTITY --TOTAL FUEL 40.3. FLAP 15/15 TKOF RWY 23; ACCOMPLISHED (RWY 29 CLOSED) WIND 270 DEGS AT 9 KTS GUSTING TO 14 KTS. AFTER LIFTOFF; CONSIDERABLE R WHEEL DEFLECTION NECESSARY. DURING CLBOUT; 4 DEGS RWD AILERON TRIM REQUIRED. FUEL IMBAL SUSPECTED. OUT OF FL180; CREW CONSULTED AOM FUEL XFEED INFLT (FUEL IMBAL) CHKLIST. CREW OPTED TO MOVE FUEL XFEED TO IN-LINE AT CRUISE; HOWEVER; MAINTAIN AN ALL PUMPS ON SCENARIO TO PRESERVE THE MEL KNOWN FUEL INTEGRITY SHOULD OUR SUSPICION PROVE FALSE. FLT WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO LAND WITH LESS THAN 16.0. THEREFORE; OUTER TANKS (THAT WERE BALANCED) WOULD BE FEEDING EACH RESPECTIVE ENG FOR LNDG; INNER TANKS WOULD BE DEPLETED; IMBAL WOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE FOR LNDG. CORRECTED WT AND BAL PLOTTED UTILIZING CHART IN CHAPTER 1; LIMITATIONS FOR POSSIBLE CONDITIONS. VERIFIED WITHIN LIMITS THROUGHOUT REGIME. AGREED TO MAINTAIN FUEL CONFIGN (XFEED IN-LINE) UNTIL SLATS EXTENDED FOR LNDG IF INNER TANKS STILL FEEDING AT THAT TIME; THEN RETURN XFEED TO X-LINE TO ENSURE TANK TO ENG SUPPLY. SUBSEQUENT RE-TRIM OF ACFT THROUGHOUT CRUISE PROGRESSIVELY YIELDED A FINAL YOKE POS OF NEUTRAL BY TOP-OF-DSCNT. UPON BLOCK-IN AT DEST; MAINT VERIFIED 23.56 FUEL REMAINING. THIS FIGURE ADDED TO THE TOTAL FUEL USED (AS INDICATED BY THE FUEL USED COUNTERS -- 25.75) CONFIRMED THAT THE ACTUAL FUEL AT BLOCK-OUT WAS 49.3. ACFT WT AT TKOF WAS 9000 LBS HEAVIER THAN INDICATED ON THE WT AND BAL. THIS ADDITIONAL FUEL WAS LOCATED IN THE L INNER TANK; THUS EXCEEDING THE AOM LIMITATION -- MAX ALLOWABLE WING FUEL IMBAL; TKOF; 2000 LBS BTWN INNER TANKS. FUEL AT DEST WAS CONFIRMED TO BE BALANCED; TANK-TO-TANK. LNDG WAS PLANNED AT THE HEAVIER WT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.