37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 730793 |
Time | |
Date | 200703 |
Local Time Of Day | 0001 To 0600 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | airport : zzzz.airport |
State Reference | FO |
Altitude | msl single value : 2000 |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | VMC VMC |
Light | Night |
Aircraft 1 | |
Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
Make Model Name | A300 |
Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
Flight Phase | climbout : initial |
Flight Plan | IFR |
Person 1 | |
Affiliation | company : air carrier |
Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
ASRS Report | 730793 |
Events | |
Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical |
Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb |
Resolutory Action | flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : landed in emergency condition other |
Consequence | other |
Supplementary | |
Problem Areas | Aircraft |
Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
After takeoff climbing through approximately 2000 ft with slats just retracted; the trim tank system fault message came on. We tried cycling the slats and cycling the left and right inner fuel tank pumps for the automatic fuel feed logic; neither worked. We followed the ECAM message to turn off the trim tank pump switches and the trim tank mode forward. The next problem while we were continuing our climb was; we lost all fuel indications and quantities. Fuel page went to all XXX's on quantities; pumps went amber and all fuel lines to every tank was also amber. The left screen center of gravity xx's gross weight xx's and the fuel total went XXXX's. The overhead fuel quantity indicators went black/blank. We had no indication of which tanks/tank was feeding the engines. I immediately went fuel xfeed. We were still climbing so I requested to level at FL250; we were climbing through it and now descending back down to FL250. There is no procedure for loss of fuel quantity indication. We now could only assume we had wing tank fuel gravity feeding. I also checked our fuel burn on the engine gauges which was 11000 pounds per hour. We were airborne 25 mins. That gave us approximately 1 hour of flight time. I was using the 16000 pounds we had in our wings as all the fuel we had. We asked to return to ZZZ for a landing and declared an emergency/pan to ATC. This was declared because I knew we were going to be overweight for landing; our takeoff weight was 375000 pounds. We also asked crash fire rescue equipment to roll out for possible hot brakes. The descent and approach was completed along with telling the flight attendants and passenger of our situation. The touchdown was very smooth with a descent rate of 200 ft or less; airspeed 153 KTS and found out later the weight was approximately 365000 pounds. Brakes were set to medium and the temperatures reached a maximum of 355 degrees. Our flight attendant #1 did an excellent job of reviewing her procedures if an evacuate/evacuation were necessary and informed the other flight attendant. The landing taxi back was uneventful with the crash fire rescue equipment following. The flight attendants helped the passenger deplane at a hard stand and the crew get back into the country. Maintenance found the fuel quantity computer bad and needed replaced.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A300-600 SUFFERS LOSS OF FUEL COMPUTER; THUS NEGATING FUEL MANAGEMENT. FLT CREW DECLARES EMERGENCY AND RETURNS TO LAND OVERWT AT DEP ARPT.
Narrative: AFTER TKOF CLBING THROUGH APPROX 2000 FT WITH SLATS JUST RETRACTED; THE TRIM TANK SYS FAULT MESSAGE CAME ON. WE TRIED CYCLING THE SLATS AND CYCLING THE L AND R INNER FUEL TANK PUMPS FOR THE AUTO FUEL FEED LOGIC; NEITHER WORKED. WE FOLLOWED THE ECAM MESSAGE TO TURN OFF THE TRIM TANK PUMP SWITCHES AND THE TRIM TANK MODE FORWARD. THE NEXT PROB WHILE WE WERE CONTINUING OUR CLB WAS; WE LOST ALL FUEL INDICATIONS AND QUANTITIES. FUEL PAGE WENT TO ALL XXX'S ON QUANTITIES; PUMPS WENT AMBER AND ALL FUEL LINES TO EVERY TANK WAS ALSO AMBER. THE L SCREEN CTR OF GRAVITY XX'S GROSS WT XX'S AND THE FUEL TOTAL WENT XXXX'S. THE OVERHEAD FUEL QUANTITY INDICATORS WENT BLACK/BLANK. WE HAD NO INDICATION OF WHICH TANKS/TANK WAS FEEDING THE ENGS. I IMMEDIATELY WENT FUEL XFEED. WE WERE STILL CLBING SO I REQUESTED TO LEVEL AT FL250; WE WERE CLBING THROUGH IT AND NOW DSNDING BACK DOWN TO FL250. THERE IS NO PROC FOR LOSS OF FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION. WE NOW COULD ONLY ASSUME WE HAD WING TANK FUEL GRAVITY FEEDING. I ALSO CHKED OUR FUEL BURN ON THE ENG GAUGES WHICH WAS 11000 LBS PER HR. WE WERE AIRBORNE 25 MINS. THAT GAVE US APPROX 1 HR OF FLT TIME. I WAS USING THE 16000 LBS WE HAD IN OUR WINGS AS ALL THE FUEL WE HAD. WE ASKED TO RETURN TO ZZZ FOR A LNDG AND DECLARED AN EMER/PAN TO ATC. THIS WAS DECLARED BECAUSE I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO BE OVERWT FOR LNDG; OUR TKOF WT WAS 375000 LBS. WE ALSO ASKED CFR TO ROLL OUT FOR POSSIBLE HOT BRAKES. THE DSCNT AND APCH WAS COMPLETED ALONG WITH TELLING THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX OF OUR SITUATION. THE TOUCHDOWN WAS VERY SMOOTH WITH A DSCNT RATE OF 200 FT OR LESS; AIRSPD 153 KTS AND FOUND OUT LATER THE WT WAS APPROX 365000 LBS. BRAKES WERE SET TO MEDIUM AND THE TEMPS REACHED A MAX OF 355 DEGS. OUR FLT ATTENDANT #1 DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF REVIEWING HER PROCS IF AN EVAC WERE NECESSARY AND INFORMED THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT. THE LNDG TAXI BACK WAS UNEVENTFUL WITH THE CFR FOLLOWING. THE FLT ATTENDANTS HELPED THE PAX DEPLANE AT A HARD STAND AND THE CREW GET BACK INTO THE COUNTRY. MAINT FOUND THE FUEL QUANTITY COMPUTER BAD AND NEEDED REPLACED.
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.