Narrative:

What I heard through the ground crew was that the fueler believed we needed 8000 pounds of fuel; even though our requested fuel load was 7800 pounds. While boarding for our trip to ZZZ1; I was looking through the release; when I looked up and noticed a mist on the windscreen. This was puzzling to me; as it was not raining or any other precipitation/deice; etc. I then smelt the fuel about the same time our flight attendant told me we had a fuel spill. I looked out my window; and saw the fuel spill; as well as a gentleman walking on across the boarding ramp onto the aircraft. I then checked the fuel page; which indicated 8020 pounds of fuel. I immediately jumped up and asked him if he was ok. He appeared to be; and just showed me his glasses; which had a mist of jet fuel on them. I asked him if he got any more than that on him; as I wanted to know how much jet fuel had gotten on him. He looked himself over and it appeared to me that he had no more than gotten a mist of jet fuel from the wind blowing the fuel across the jetbridge as it was venting out of the left main wing vent. He looked to be ok; so I went outside to check the size of the spill. It was no longer coming out the vent at this point; but there was now a significant pool of jet fuel under the wing; and it was heading under the jetbridge. I would estimate the size of the initial spill to be about 5 or 6 ft across to about 10 ft long. This being over our 6 ft spill limit; I elected to deplane the aircraft so the spill could be cleaned up. While the fuel flowing under the jetbridge (this gave me some hesitation to deplaning); I determined that the passenger could deplane the aircraft on the bridge and into the terminal with no hazard to their safety. I then returned to the cockpit; notified mke ground control of the fuel spill and requested crash fire rescue equipment to be present on standby for the fuel cleanup (as volume 10 directs); notified operations that we would be deplaning. I then told the passenger of the situation; and asked them to use caution as they deplaned. A ground crew member stood at the end of the boarding bridge to ensure that no passenger walked through any of the fuel. After deplaning; the ground crew and fuelers proceeded with the cleanup. I then went inside to notify my supervisor on duty; grabbed my irregularity report; and return to the aircraft. Ramp supervisor and I agreed that it would be best to move the aircraft from spot a over to spot B before we boarded to avoid the passenger walking through what was left of the spill (pretty much cleaned up at this point). He then moved the aircraft (via tug) from spot a to spot B. Maintenance came over and inspected the aircraft and cleaned up the residual fuel on the engine nacelle from the venting; and I called dispatch to amend the release; and notified the gate we were again ready to board. The lead came out and asked me some questions about the gentleman who had been subjected to the 'mist;' and told me that he was very upset and heading to the hospital for evaluation. While I thought this to be a bit much; I gave her the information she needed; we boarded; and completed the flight without further incident. I first noticed the mist and smell; followed by flight attendant telling me we had a fuel spill. Aircraft was deplaned and moved; fuel spill was cleaned up; maintenance inspect aircraft; crash fire rescue equipment was placed on standby. It seems that all fuelers do not like to use the automatic mode function when fueling the aircraft. I do not know why this is; but it would prevent this and many other fueling problems we see from occurring.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DORNIER 328-300 FLT CREW HAS A FUEL SPILL AT MKE.

Narrative: WHAT I HEARD THROUGH THE GND CREW WAS THAT THE FUELER BELIEVED WE NEEDED 8000 LBS OF FUEL; EVEN THOUGH OUR REQUESTED FUEL LOAD WAS 7800 LBS. WHILE BOARDING FOR OUR TRIP TO ZZZ1; I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE RELEASE; WHEN I LOOKED UP AND NOTICED A MIST ON THE WINDSCREEN. THIS WAS PUZZLING TO ME; AS IT WAS NOT RAINING OR ANY OTHER PRECIP/DEICE; ETC. I THEN SMELT THE FUEL ABOUT THE SAME TIME OUR FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME WE HAD A FUEL SPILL. I LOOKED OUT MY WINDOW; AND SAW THE FUEL SPILL; AS WELL AS A GENTLEMAN WALKING ON ACROSS THE BOARDING RAMP ONTO THE ACFT. I THEN CHKED THE FUEL PAGE; WHICH INDICATED 8020 LBS OF FUEL. I IMMEDIATELY JUMPED UP AND ASKED HIM IF HE WAS OK. HE APPEARED TO BE; AND JUST SHOWED ME HIS GLASSES; WHICH HAD A MIST OF JET FUEL ON THEM. I ASKED HIM IF HE GOT ANY MORE THAN THAT ON HIM; AS I WANTED TO KNOW HOW MUCH JET FUEL HAD GOTTEN ON HIM. HE LOOKED HIMSELF OVER AND IT APPEARED TO ME THAT HE HAD NO MORE THAN GOTTEN A MIST OF JET FUEL FROM THE WIND BLOWING THE FUEL ACROSS THE JETBRIDGE AS IT WAS VENTING OUT OF THE L MAIN WING VENT. HE LOOKED TO BE OK; SO I WENT OUTSIDE TO CHK THE SIZE OF THE SPILL. IT WAS NO LONGER COMING OUT THE VENT AT THIS POINT; BUT THERE WAS NOW A SIGNIFICANT POOL OF JET FUEL UNDER THE WING; AND IT WAS HEADING UNDER THE JETBRIDGE. I WOULD ESTIMATE THE SIZE OF THE INITIAL SPILL TO BE ABOUT 5 OR 6 FT ACROSS TO ABOUT 10 FT LONG. THIS BEING OVER OUR 6 FT SPILL LIMIT; I ELECTED TO DEPLANE THE ACFT SO THE SPILL COULD BE CLEANED UP. WHILE THE FUEL FLOWING UNDER THE JETBRIDGE (THIS GAVE ME SOME HESITATION TO DEPLANING); I DETERMINED THAT THE PAX COULD DEPLANE THE ACFT ON THE BRIDGE AND INTO THE TERMINAL WITH NO HAZARD TO THEIR SAFETY. I THEN RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT; NOTIFIED MKE GND CTL OF THE FUEL SPILL AND REQUESTED CFR TO BE PRESENT ON STANDBY FOR THE FUEL CLEANUP (AS VOLUME 10 DIRECTS); NOTIFIED OPS THAT WE WOULD BE DEPLANING. I THEN TOLD THE PAX OF THE SITUATION; AND ASKED THEM TO USE CAUTION AS THEY DEPLANED. A GND CREW MEMBER STOOD AT THE END OF THE BOARDING BRIDGE TO ENSURE THAT NO PAX WALKED THROUGH ANY OF THE FUEL. AFTER DEPLANING; THE GND CREW AND FUELERS PROCEEDED WITH THE CLEANUP. I THEN WENT INSIDE TO NOTIFY MY SUPVR ON DUTY; GRABBED MY IRREGULARITY RPT; AND RETURN TO THE ACFT. RAMP SUPVR AND I AGREED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO MOVE THE ACFT FROM SPOT A OVER TO SPOT B BEFORE WE BOARDED TO AVOID THE PAX WALKING THROUGH WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE SPILL (PRETTY MUCH CLEANED UP AT THIS POINT). HE THEN MOVED THE ACFT (VIA TUG) FROM SPOT A TO SPOT B. MAINT CAME OVER AND INSPECTED THE ACFT AND CLEANED UP THE RESIDUAL FUEL ON THE ENG NACELLE FROM THE VENTING; AND I CALLED DISPATCH TO AMEND THE RELEASE; AND NOTIFIED THE GATE WE WERE AGAIN READY TO BOARD. THE LEAD CAME OUT AND ASKED ME SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GENTLEMAN WHO HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE 'MIST;' AND TOLD ME THAT HE WAS VERY UPSET AND HEADING TO THE HOSPITAL FOR EVALUATION. WHILE I THOUGHT THIS TO BE A BIT MUCH; I GAVE HER THE INFO SHE NEEDED; WE BOARDED; AND COMPLETED THE FLT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I FIRST NOTICED THE MIST AND SMELL; FOLLOWED BY FLT ATTENDANT TELLING ME WE HAD A FUEL SPILL. ACFT WAS DEPLANED AND MOVED; FUEL SPILL WAS CLEANED UP; MAINT INSPECT ACFT; CFR WAS PLACED ON STANDBY. IT SEEMS THAT ALL FUELERS DO NOT LIKE TO USE THE AUTO MODE FUNCTION WHEN FUELING THE ACFT. I DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS IS; BUT IT WOULD PREVENT THIS AND MANY OTHER FUELING PROBS WE SEE FROM OCCURRING.

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.