A maintenance controller reports about a crj-900 air turnback caused by fuel pouring out of the over...

Attributes
ACN	808067
Time
Date	200809
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	CRJ 900 (all) Canadair Regional Jet 900
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other
ASRS Report	808037
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical maintenance problem : improper documentation non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other other : 1
Resolutory Action	flight crew : diverted to another airport none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

I heard via dispatch that aircraft X was doing an air turn back to ZZZ due to a fuel leak from the wing. Nobody in maintenance control had talked with the aircraft at this time. After the aircraft was on the ground; the flight crew called and told me that they had had a problem with the pressure refueling earlier and that they (the crew) had told the fueler to just over-wing it. The crew said he looked at the fuel cap (obviously not close enough) because it was not closed all the way. I had him write-up the cap being loose and another entry in regards to the pressure refuel system not working earlier. I called contract maintenance. He inspected cap; etc; and properly installed it. We then deferred the pressure refuel system. Fuel was pouring out of the wing fuel cap in-flight. Inspected cap; secured cap; deferred pressure refueling system. The flight crew did not call maintenance control to report the failure of the pressure refueling system which is one issue; but the root cause is the crew not looking close enough at the overwing fuel cap to make sure it was properly installed after being overwing refueled. Call in discrepancies to maintenance control.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A MAINT CONTROLLER REPORTS ABOUT A CRJ-900 AIR TURNBACK CAUSED BY FUEL POURING OUT OF THE OVERWING FUEL CAP. FLIGHT CREW DID NOT NOTIFY MAINT CONTROL OF EARLIER PRESSURE REFUELING PROBLEM AND OPTED TO OVERWING FUEL. FUEL CAP NOT SECURED.

Narrative: I HEARD VIA DISPATCH THAT ACFT X WAS DOING AN AIR TURN BACK TO ZZZ DUE TO A FUEL LEAK FROM THE WING. NOBODY IN MAINT CTL HAD TALKED WITH THE ACFT AT THIS TIME. AFTER THE ACFT WAS ON THE GND; THE FLT CREW CALLED AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD HAD A PROB WITH THE PRESSURE REFUELING EARLIER AND THAT THEY (THE CREW) HAD TOLD THE FUELER TO JUST OVER-WING IT. THE CREW SAID HE LOOKED AT THE FUEL CAP (OBVIOUSLY NOT CLOSE ENOUGH) BECAUSE IT WAS NOT CLOSED ALL THE WAY. I HAD HIM WRITE-UP THE CAP BEING LOOSE AND ANOTHER ENTRY IN REGARDS TO THE PRESSURE REFUEL SYS NOT WORKING EARLIER. I CALLED CONTRACT MAINT. HE INSPECTED CAP; ETC; AND PROPERLY INSTALLED IT. WE THEN DEFERRED THE PRESSURE REFUEL SYS. FUEL WAS POURING OUT OF THE WING FUEL CAP INFLT. INSPECTED CAP; SECURED CAP; DEFERRED PRESSURE REFUELING SYS. THE FLT CREW DID NOT CALL MAINT CTL TO RPT THE FAILURE OF THE PRESSURE REFUELING SYS WHICH IS ONE ISSUE; BUT THE ROOT CAUSE IS THE CREW NOT LOOKING CLOSE ENOUGH AT THE OVERWING FUEL CAP TO MAKE SURE IT WAS PROPERLY INSTALLED AFTER BEING OVERWING REFUELED. CALL IN DISCREPANCIES TO MAINT CTL.

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.

A maintenance controller reports about a crj-900 air turnback caused by fuel pouring out of the overwing fuel cap. Flight crew did not notify maintenance control of earlier pressure refueling problem and opted to overwing fuel. Fuel cap not secured.