Narrative:

On a walkaround preflight the first officer and I found a fairly large puddle of liquid under the left engine. After observing the drain mast under the engine; we noticed that 2 different color fluids were dripping. The first officer wrote up the leak while I called the local maintenance to advise them of the write-up. The decision was made to run the left engine to determine how much and where the leak was coming from. After about 2 mins of engine run; the mechanic on the headset advised us to shutdown the engine and said that they counted 60 drops per min fuel leak. When we inquired what the limit was; he told us that he had to go inside and pull up the limitations on the computer. After about 10 mins of waiting; a different mechanic came out with a piece of paper showing that the limit of fuel leak according to maintenance standards was 60 drops and informed us that our engine was leaking 50 drops and that we were good to go. I informed him that we were advised earlier that our count was in fact 60 drops per min. After a small exchange of words about the actual count I asked to speak to the original mechanic that was on the headset and was told that that mechanic had left work and was no longer available. The first officer and I were very uncomfortable with the inconsistency in information and the sequence of events with which it was delivered to us and I decided to call the dispatcher and get more guidance. The dispatcher and I came to a course of action to have the engine checked by a mechanic supervisor. The dispatcher called ZZZ to set up the second check. A mechanic supervisor came to the cockpit about 30 mins after the call. There was a heated exchange about how many times we had run the engine. He insisted that the engine was run twice and they counted the drips twice. We tried to inform him that we ran the engine only once. We informed him of our conversation with the dispatcher and that all we wanted was another engine check by the supervisor. He agreed and left the airplane. We started the engine and after a 5 min run shut down the engine. The first officer and I were surprised when the second mechanic that told us that we had a leak of 50 drops per min walked into the cockpit again and said that he counted 52 drops this count. He informed us that we were legal to go. After further discussion between the first officer and I; we decided to accept the airplane and go to ZZZ1. Upon arrival in ZZZ1; the outbound captain asked us about the 2+ hour delay and we informed him that we had had a problem with the left engine leaking fuel but that the mechanics in ZZZ said it was ok to continue for 25 hours. We checked into our hotel when I received a phone call from the outbound captain to let me know that they also found a fairly large puddle of liquid under the left engine and had the local mechanics take a look. He informed me that the mechanics here in ZZZ1 found the engine leaking 78 drops per min and that the aircraft was grounded.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 FLT CREW RPTS FUEL PUDDLE UNDER THE L ENG DURING PREFLT. MAINT DETERMINES THE LEAK TO BE WITHIN LIMITS AND FLT DEPARTS. AT NEXT STATION LEAK IS FOUND TO EXCEED LIMITS AND ACFT IS TAKEN OTS.

Narrative: ON A WALKAROUND PREFLT THE FO AND I FOUND A FAIRLY LARGE PUDDLE OF LIQUID UNDER THE L ENG. AFTER OBSERVING THE DRAIN MAST UNDER THE ENG; WE NOTICED THAT 2 DIFFERENT COLOR FLUIDS WERE DRIPPING. THE FO WROTE UP THE LEAK WHILE I CALLED THE LCL MAINT TO ADVISE THEM OF THE WRITE-UP. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO RUN THE L ENG TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH AND WHERE THE LEAK WAS COMING FROM. AFTER ABOUT 2 MINS OF ENG RUN; THE MECH ON THE HEADSET ADVISED US TO SHUTDOWN THE ENG AND SAID THAT THEY COUNTED 60 DROPS PER MIN FUEL LEAK. WHEN WE INQUIRED WHAT THE LIMIT WAS; HE TOLD US THAT HE HAD TO GO INSIDE AND PULL UP THE LIMITATIONS ON THE COMPUTER. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS OF WAITING; A DIFFERENT MECH CAME OUT WITH A PIECE OF PAPER SHOWING THAT THE LIMIT OF FUEL LEAK ACCORDING TO MAINT STANDARDS WAS 60 DROPS AND INFORMED US THAT OUR ENG WAS LEAKING 50 DROPS AND THAT WE WERE GOOD TO GO. I INFORMED HIM THAT WE WERE ADVISED EARLIER THAT OUR COUNT WAS IN FACT 60 DROPS PER MIN. AFTER A SMALL EXCHANGE OF WORDS ABOUT THE ACTUAL COUNT I ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE ORIGINAL MECH THAT WAS ON THE HEADSET AND WAS TOLD THAT THAT MECH HAD LEFT WORK AND WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. THE FO AND I WERE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE INCONSISTENCY IN INFO AND THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WITH WHICH IT WAS DELIVERED TO US AND I DECIDED TO CALL THE DISPATCHER AND GET MORE GUIDANCE. THE DISPATCHER AND I CAME TO A COURSE OF ACTION TO HAVE THE ENG CHKED BY A MECH SUPVR. THE DISPATCHER CALLED ZZZ TO SET UP THE SECOND CHK. A MECH SUPVR CAME TO THE COCKPIT ABOUT 30 MINS AFTER THE CALL. THERE WAS A HEATED EXCHANGE ABOUT HOW MANY TIMES WE HAD RUN THE ENG. HE INSISTED THAT THE ENG WAS RUN TWICE AND THEY COUNTED THE DRIPS TWICE. WE TRIED TO INFORM HIM THAT WE RAN THE ENG ONLY ONCE. WE INFORMED HIM OF OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE DISPATCHER AND THAT ALL WE WANTED WAS ANOTHER ENG CHK BY THE SUPVR. HE AGREED AND LEFT THE AIRPLANE. WE STARTED THE ENG AND AFTER A 5 MIN RUN SHUT DOWN THE ENG. THE FO AND I WERE SURPRISED WHEN THE SECOND MECH THAT TOLD US THAT WE HAD A LEAK OF 50 DROPS PER MIN WALKED INTO THE COCKPIT AGAIN AND SAID THAT HE COUNTED 52 DROPS THIS COUNT. HE INFORMED US THAT WE WERE LEGAL TO GO. AFTER FURTHER DISCUSSION BTWN THE FO AND I; WE DECIDED TO ACCEPT THE AIRPLANE AND GO TO ZZZ1. UPON ARR IN ZZZ1; THE OUTBOUND CAPT ASKED US ABOUT THE 2+ HR DELAY AND WE INFORMED HIM THAT WE HAD HAD A PROB WITH THE L ENG LEAKING FUEL BUT THAT THE MECHS IN ZZZ SAID IT WAS OK TO CONTINUE FOR 25 HRS. WE CHKED INTO OUR HOTEL WHEN I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE OUTBOUND CAPT TO LET ME KNOW THAT THEY ALSO FOUND A FAIRLY LARGE PUDDLE OF LIQUID UNDER THE L ENG AND HAD THE LCL MECHS TAKE A LOOK. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE MECHS HERE IN ZZZ1 FOUND THE ENG LEAKING 78 DROPS PER MIN AND THAT THE ACFT WAS GNDED.

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.