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Dc-10 crew diverted to a nearby airport because of a fuel malfunction that trapped 5;800 pounds of fuel in the tip tank making it unusable.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1290286 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201508 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | McDonnell Douglas Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Fuel System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | First Officer Pilot Not Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
Just prior to descent; got a level 1 alert: 'tank 1 tip fuel trapped; 5;800 lbs. Of fuel is unusable'; and shortly thereafter; 'tank 1 pumps off' and then 'tank 1 fuel qty low'. One of the first things I did was select 'closest airports'. After consulting the QRH; the first officer and I discussed the situation. I called a captain jumpseater to the front to assist us. We noticed that the fuel system (in auto) was transferring fuel and was over 2;000 pounds out of balance and still transferring (2;900 the limit). I subtracted 5.8 from the ETA fuel of 19 and pointed out we'd land with about 13 - 'if all goes well'. But we both agreed that we couldn't see how to manually run the fuel keeping an extra 5.8 in tank 1 and not go either out of balance limits or get dangerously low in a tank or risk flaming out an engine. We agreed to 'figure this out on the ground (at the nearest suitable airport)'. I advised center that 'we have a fuel system problem and would like to go direct'. Which we did. Landed uneventfully.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: DC-10 crew diverted to a nearby airport because of a fuel malfunction that trapped 5;800 pounds of fuel in the tip tank making it unusable.
Narrative: Just prior to descent; got a Level 1 alert: 'Tank 1 Tip Fuel Trapped; 5;800 lbs. of fuel is unusable'; and shortly thereafter; 'Tank 1 Pumps off' and then 'Tank 1 Fuel Qty Low'. One of the first things I did was select 'Closest Airports'. After consulting the QRH; the First Officer and I discussed the situation. I called a captain jumpseater to the front to assist us. We noticed that the fuel system (in Auto) was transferring fuel and was over 2;000 pounds out of balance and still transferring (2;900 the limit). I subtracted 5.8 from the ETA fuel of 19 and pointed out we'd land with about 13 - 'if all goes well'. But we both agreed that we couldn't see how to manually run the fuel keeping an extra 5.8 in tank 1 and not go either out of balance limits or get dangerously low in a tank or risk flaming out an engine. We agreed to 'figure this out on the ground (at the nearest suitable airport)'. I advised Center that 'We have a fuel system problem and would like to go direct'. Which we did. Landed uneventfully.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.