Narrative:

On 3/thu/88, flight departed toronto for syr. I was the first officer. We cleared customs and prepared for our continuation of the flight to alb, ny. Two FAA inspectors did a ramp check on our flight. One of the FAA officials checked both of our certificates (captain's and mine), and the maintenance logs while the other inspector checked the outside of the aircraft. As departure time arose, captain asked the fed if he needed him for any further assistance or if anything looked irregular. The fed's answer was 'no.' captain then exited the plane and returned inside the terminal to complete his weight and balance. The inspector doing the walkaround said to the other fed that he found what he thought was a fuel leak under the left nacelle tank. Both the feds turned to me and told me of the fuel leak and asked what I was going to do about it. My answer was that it was up to the captain and that I would inform the captain. The 2 FAA officials then went inside the terminal to the gate where the captain was and I could see some discussion between them, but I don't know what they said to each other. As the captain came outside, I informed the captain that 1 of the feds said that there was a fuel leak under the left nacelle fuel tank. Captain inspected the left nacelle fuel tank and saw no drippage, but only a small damp area on the bottom side of the left wing, something which is not totally uncommon due to the epa kit aboard the small transport which returns fuel back to the fuel tank after you shut down the engines from fuel left in the engines and has not burned. Occasionally, there is a little bit of fuel which is not able to make it back up to the engine leaving a small damp area of fuel under the left wing. Captain made the decision that the flight could be conducted safely and that there really was no fuel leak at all, but just a normal procedure of the epa kit which the fed was probably not aware of. Flight to alb went normal and landed in altitude on time with approximately 1400 pounds of fuel remaining in the tanks. Two FAA officials ramp checked us in alb after the other feds in syr called them. Captain did make an entry in the maintenance logs in alb about the syr fed's claim as an extended safety measure for maintenance personnel in alb to at least look at and make a written documentation of the fed's claim. Supplemental information from acn 84106: I should have gone back to the departure gate at syr and clarified the fuel leak rumor with the inspectors even though it had no basis. I should have written the remarks in the logbook much more carefully. The log entry was made as a record of the inspectors remark and my entry to please check was to have my determination substantiated for the record. (The absence of a fuel leak was confirmed by the operator's mechanics and the local GADO.) the FAA should not have talked to the copilot, but to the captain. My attitude has been that with the FAA policing the system, it is ensuring a safer plane and airspace for me to work in. I now feel the FAA was trying to trap me or set me up in a sting operation. These FAA men, had they honestly thought there was a fuel leak, a problem of such a critical nature, morally and legally should have grounded that airplane.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR INSPECTOR ALLEGES A FUEL LEAK WAS NOT PROPERLY DOCUMENTED AND REPAIRED BEFORE DEP OF CPR SMT ON A CONTINUING FLT THROUGH SYR.

Narrative: ON 3/THU/88, FLT DEPARTED TORONTO FOR SYR. I WAS THE F/O. WE CLRED CUSTOMS AND PREPARED FOR OUR CONTINUATION OF THE FLT TO ALB, NY. TWO FAA INSPECTORS DID A RAMP CHK ON OUR FLT. ONE OF THE FAA OFFICIALS CHKED BOTH OF OUR CERTIFICATES (CAPT'S AND MINE), AND THE MAINT LOGS WHILE THE OTHER INSPECTOR CHKED THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. AS DEP TIME AROSE, CAPT ASKED THE FED IF HE NEEDED HIM FOR ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE OR IF ANYTHING LOOKED IRREGULAR. THE FED'S ANSWER WAS 'NO.' CAPT THEN EXITED THE PLANE AND RETURNED INSIDE THE TERMINAL TO COMPLETE HIS WT AND BALANCE. THE INSPECTOR DOING THE WALKAROUND SAID TO THE OTHER FED THAT HE FOUND WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A FUEL LEAK UNDER THE LEFT NACELLE TANK. BOTH THE FEDS TURNED TO ME AND TOLD ME OF THE FUEL LEAK AND ASKED WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. MY ANSWER WAS THAT IT WAS UP TO THE CAPT AND THAT I WOULD INFORM THE CAPT. THE 2 FAA OFFICIALS THEN WENT INSIDE THE TERMINAL TO THE GATE WHERE THE CAPT WAS AND I COULD SEE SOME DISCUSSION BTWN THEM, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY SAID TO EACH OTHER. AS THE CAPT CAME OUTSIDE, I INFORMED THE CAPT THAT 1 OF THE FEDS SAID THAT THERE WAS A FUEL LEAK UNDER THE LEFT NACELLE FUEL TANK. CAPT INSPECTED THE LEFT NACELLE FUEL TANK AND SAW NO DRIPPAGE, BUT ONLY A SMALL DAMP AREA ON THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE LEFT WING, SOMETHING WHICH IS NOT TOTALLY UNCOMMON DUE TO THE EPA KIT ABOARD THE SMT WHICH RETURNS FUEL BACK TO THE FUEL TANK AFTER YOU SHUT DOWN THE ENGS FROM FUEL LEFT IN THE ENGS AND HAS NOT BURNED. OCCASIONALLY, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF FUEL WHICH IS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT BACK UP TO THE ENG LEAVING A SMALL DAMP AREA OF FUEL UNDER THE LEFT WING. CAPT MADE THE DECISION THAT THE FLT COULD BE CONDUCTED SAFELY AND THAT THERE REALLY WAS NO FUEL LEAK AT ALL, BUT JUST A NORMAL PROC OF THE EPA KIT WHICH THE FED WAS PROBABLY NOT AWARE OF. FLT TO ALB WENT NORMAL AND LANDED IN ALT ON TIME WITH APPROX 1400 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE TANKS. TWO FAA OFFICIALS RAMP CHKED US IN ALB AFTER THE OTHER FEDS IN SYR CALLED THEM. CAPT DID MAKE AN ENTRY IN THE MAINT LOGS IN ALB ABOUT THE SYR FED'S CLAIM AS AN EXTENDED SAFETY MEASURE FOR MAINT PERSONNEL IN ALB TO AT LEAST LOOK AT AND MAKE A WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION OF THE FED'S CLAIM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 84106: I SHOULD HAVE GONE BACK TO THE DEP GATE AT SYR AND CLARIFIED THE FUEL LEAK RUMOR WITH THE INSPECTORS EVEN THOUGH IT HAD NO BASIS. I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN THE REMARKS IN THE LOGBOOK MUCH MORE CAREFULLY. THE LOG ENTRY WAS MADE AS A RECORD OF THE INSPECTORS REMARK AND MY ENTRY TO PLEASE CHK WAS TO HAVE MY DETERMINATION SUBSTANTIATED FOR THE RECORD. (THE ABSENCE OF A FUEL LEAK WAS CONFIRMED BY THE OPERATOR'S MECHS AND THE LCL GADO.) THE FAA SHOULD NOT HAVE TALKED TO THE COPLT, BUT TO THE CAPT. MY ATTITUDE HAS BEEN THAT WITH THE FAA POLICING THE SYS, IT IS ENSURING A SAFER PLANE AND AIRSPACE FOR ME TO WORK IN. I NOW FEEL THE FAA WAS TRYING TO TRAP ME OR SET ME UP IN A STING OPERATION. THESE FAA MEN, HAD THEY HONESTLY THOUGHT THERE WAS A FUEL LEAK, A PROB OF SUCH A CRITICAL NATURE, MORALLY AND LEGALLY SHOULD HAVE GNDED THAT AIRPLANE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.