Narrative:

Fuel load was 21182 pounds. Left tank was fueled to 13770 pounds; right tank had 7700 pounds. I went to fueler who was already back in his truck getting ready to drop off fuel slip and tried to convey to him the improper fuel balance. He spoke only broken english and obviously could not understand the severity of the problem. We had already called for a fuel supervisor; whose english wasn't any better! With help from maintenance we were able to xfer/balance the fuel. The fueler had pre-filled out the fuel slip. It showed 10600 pounds in each tank even though the fuel was only loaded into the right tank and not any uploaded into the left tank. He was fully prepared to deliver this slip to the flight deck as is! After we xferred the fuel into balance; it took over 30 mins to complete the new fuel slip. I was handed the fueler's truck log ticket which shows the meter start and finish numbers; ie; the uploaded fuel from the truck itself; instead of an actual accurate fuel slip. A whole new fuel slip had been requested from operations and from the fueler supervisor but this wasn't what we received until another face to face discussion with the fueler had taken place on the jetway. Even the gate agent remarked about the lack of comprehension on the fueler's part! Operations did have a medical return of an aircraft to contend with; but the fueler; instead of getting a new slip; simply read the tank values (for the first time I think) and then told me the corrected values. I tried to tell him we needed a whole new slip with accurate readings from the gauges; and properly filled in with the actual amount of fuel in each tank; not a pre-filled amount in the 'gauge reading after fueling' block! I actually pointed out to the fueler the warning about the 1000 pounds maximum imbal allowance; but he either could not read english or didn't understand what I was saying.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR PILOT DISCOVERS A CONTRACT FUELER COULD NOT UNDERSTAND OR READ ENGLISH AFTER A FUELING ERROR UNBALANCED WING TANKS BY 6000 LBS AND THE PAPER WORK WAS IN ERROR.

Narrative: FUEL LOAD WAS 21182 LBS. L TANK WAS FUELED TO 13770 LBS; R TANK HAD 7700 LBS. I WENT TO FUELER WHO WAS ALREADY BACK IN HIS TRUCK GETTING READY TO DROP OFF FUEL SLIP AND TRIED TO CONVEY TO HIM THE IMPROPER FUEL BAL. HE SPOKE ONLY BROKEN ENGLISH AND OBVIOUSLY COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OF THE PROB. WE HAD ALREADY CALLED FOR A FUEL SUPVR; WHOSE ENGLISH WASN'T ANY BETTER! WITH HELP FROM MAINT WE WERE ABLE TO XFER/BAL THE FUEL. THE FUELER HAD PRE-FILLED OUT THE FUEL SLIP. IT SHOWED 10600 LBS IN EACH TANK EVEN THOUGH THE FUEL WAS ONLY LOADED INTO THE R TANK AND NOT ANY UPLOADED INTO THE L TANK. HE WAS FULLY PREPARED TO DELIVER THIS SLIP TO THE FLT DECK AS IS! AFTER WE XFERRED THE FUEL INTO BAL; IT TOOK OVER 30 MINS TO COMPLETE THE NEW FUEL SLIP. I WAS HANDED THE FUELER'S TRUCK LOG TICKET WHICH SHOWS THE METER START AND FINISH NUMBERS; IE; THE UPLOADED FUEL FROM THE TRUCK ITSELF; INSTEAD OF AN ACTUAL ACCURATE FUEL SLIP. A WHOLE NEW FUEL SLIP HAD BEEN REQUESTED FROM OPS AND FROM THE FUELER SUPVR BUT THIS WASN'T WHAT WE RECEIVED UNTIL ANOTHER FACE TO FACE DISCUSSION WITH THE FUELER HAD TAKEN PLACE ON THE JETWAY. EVEN THE GATE AGENT REMARKED ABOUT THE LACK OF COMPREHENSION ON THE FUELER'S PART! OPS DID HAVE A MEDICAL RETURN OF AN ACFT TO CONTEND WITH; BUT THE FUELER; INSTEAD OF GETTING A NEW SLIP; SIMPLY READ THE TANK VALUES (FOR THE FIRST TIME I THINK) AND THEN TOLD ME THE CORRECTED VALUES. I TRIED TO TELL HIM WE NEEDED A WHOLE NEW SLIP WITH ACCURATE READINGS FROM THE GAUGES; AND PROPERLY FILLED IN WITH THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF FUEL IN EACH TANK; NOT A PRE-FILLED AMOUNT IN THE 'GAUGE READING AFTER FUELING' BLOCK! I ACTUALLY POINTED OUT TO THE FUELER THE WARNING ABOUT THE 1000 LBS MAX IMBAL ALLOWANCE; BUT HE EITHER COULD NOT READ ENGLISH OR DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS SAYING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.