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When chronic fuel pump problems resurfaced enroute the flight crew of an A319 was forced to land short of their destination due to insufficient accessible fuel. A substitute aircraft was utilized to complete the scheduled flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1078170 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201303 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | A319 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Fuel Booster Pump |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 200 Flight Crew Total 13000 Flight Crew Type 10000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
The aircraft had a history of fuel system failures associated with center tank pump 2. These appeared to be sequencing failures; and thus maintenance ran and passed a sequencing test. On taxi out; a subsequent ECAM for center tank pump 1 appeared. As the resulting ECAM was followed; the ECAM disappeared; and all systems were functioning normally. This continued until after takeoff and into climbout; when the center tank pumps should begin to sequence on. The pumps failed to sequence on; with center tank pump 1 showing low pressure and center tank pump 2 showing itself stuck in the standby mode. The associated ECAM's were completed; and attempts to restore pump operation through manual mode were unsuccessful. At that point; we checked the circuit breaker panel and discovered that center tank pump 1 circuit breaker was out. We then remembered the mechanic complaining about a circuit breaker that was difficult to operate in conjunction with his test and thought that may be the reason pump 1 had low pressure. Nonetheless; we reviewed our options and considered landing enroute as useable fuel was insufficient to continue all the way to our destination. Dispatch; maintenance control and ATC were all brought into the loop and after all procedures were completed the event concluded with an uneventful landing and a replacement aircraft was obtained to complete the trip.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: When chronic fuel pump problems resurfaced enroute the flight crew of an A319 was forced to land short of their destination due to insufficient accessible fuel. A substitute aircraft was utilized to complete the scheduled flight.
Narrative: The aircraft had a history of fuel system failures associated with CTR Tank Pump 2. These appeared to be sequencing failures; and thus Maintenance ran and passed a sequencing test. On taxi out; a subsequent ECAM for CTR Tank Pump 1 appeared. As the resulting ECAM was followed; the ECAM disappeared; and all systems were functioning normally. This continued until after Takeoff and into climbout; when the CTR tank pumps should begin to sequence on. The pumps failed to sequence on; with CTR Tank Pump 1 showing low pressure and CTR Tank pump 2 showing itself stuck in the standby mode. The associated ECAM's were completed; and attempts to restore pump operation through manual mode were unsuccessful. At that point; we checked the CB panel and discovered that CTR Tank Pump 1 CB was out. We then remembered the mechanic complaining about a CB that was difficult to operate in conjunction with his test and thought that may be the reason Pump 1 had low pressure. Nonetheless; we reviewed our options and considered landing enroute as useable fuel was insufficient to continue all the way to our destination. Dispatch; Maintenance Control and ATC were all brought into the loop and after all procedures were completed the event concluded with an uneventful landing and a replacement aircraft was obtained to complete the trip.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.