Narrative:

10 mins before schedule push time, bos load planning called to inform me that the fueler had overfueled the aircraft. He had put 1600 pounds of extra fuel on board that had gone into the auxiliary tank. (Air carrier has 2 aircraft with auxiliary tanks. To 'standardize' the fleet, these auxiliary tanks were not to be used and wired closed.) I had seen a memorandum from the company letting us know the auxiliary tanks were wired closed. The load planner was questioning whether or not the flight would be okay because I had a maximum payload restriction on the flight. She said the captain had told her he did not have a procedure to burn off the fuel in the auxiliary tank, so she was showing it as ballast fuel on her paperwork. I added her actual payload and the 'ballast fuel' together and it was still under my maximum payload of 27200 pounds. So I told her she would be fine. I then called maintenance control to see if they knew of any procedures to burn the fuel out of the auxiliary tank. They were unaware of the fact we do not use the auxiliary tank, and they weren't sure whether or not this tank had been complied with by wiring it shut. I told maintenance that when the aircraft got to den it would have to be defueled in the auxiliary tank. When engineering came in I went back to their office to tell them about the aircraft and see if they knew of any procedures to burn the fuel. He then became quite upset, he asked who did the load planning and called to bos. He pulled the spin card out to show me the fuel in the auxiliary tank cannot be accounted for. Since we only have 2 aircraft with the auxiliary tank and they are not to be used, we don't have anywhere on the spin card to show that fuel. The ballast fuel the load planner was using is for the center tank. The aircraft was to be grounded in den when it landed to have the auxiliary tank wired shut. While talking to bos again, it turns out the fueler had gotten his pounds and gallons mixed up, and there was only 39000 pounds of fuel on board, not the extra 1600 pounds. So either way, the plane took off with the wrong center of gravity and numbers. Once the aircraft got to den, maintenance checked it and the fueler could not put fuel in the auxiliary tank, it was wired shut! Since I do not work the weight and balance on any of my flts, I felt very naive in this situation. This aircraft should never have left bos, but I thought the load planner knew what she was doing. We now are starting a new system of 'accu-load' with our computer. I don't know if it will be better or worse, but the computer could not 'make the numbers' work in this situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUELER BELIEVES HE FUELED AUX TANKS WHICH SHOULD BE WIRED SHUT FOR FLEET CONSISTENCY. ACFT DEPARTS WITH WRONG WT AND BAL AND MAX WT NUMBERS.

Narrative: 10 MINS BEFORE SCHEDULE PUSH TIME, BOS LOAD PLANNING CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT THE FUELER HAD OVERFUELED THE ACFT. HE HAD PUT 1600 POUNDS OF EXTRA FUEL ON BOARD THAT HAD GONE INTO THE AUX TANK. (ACR HAS 2 ACFT WITH AUX TANKS. TO 'STANDARDIZE' THE FLEET, THESE AUX TANKS WERE NOT TO BE USED AND WIRED CLOSED.) I HAD SEEN A MEMORANDUM FROM THE COMPANY LETTING US KNOW THE AUX TANKS WERE WIRED CLOSED. THE LOAD PLANNER WAS QUESTIONING WHETHER OR NOT THE FLT WOULD BE OKAY BECAUSE I HAD A MAX PAYLOAD RESTRICTION ON THE FLT. SHE SAID THE CAPT HAD TOLD HER HE DID NOT HAVE A PROC TO BURN OFF THE FUEL IN THE AUX TANK, SO SHE WAS SHOWING IT AS BALLAST FUEL ON HER PAPERWORK. I ADDED HER ACTUAL PAYLOAD AND THE 'BALLAST FUEL' TOGETHER AND IT WAS STILL UNDER MY MAX PAYLOAD OF 27200 POUNDS. SO I TOLD HER SHE WOULD BE FINE. I THEN CALLED MAINT CTL TO SEE IF THEY KNEW OF ANY PROCS TO BURN THE FUEL OUT OF THE AUX TANK. THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THE FACT WE DO NOT USE THE AUX TANK, AND THEY WEREN'T SURE WHETHER OR NOT THIS TANK HAD BEEN COMPLIED WITH BY WIRING IT SHUT. I TOLD MAINT THAT WHEN THE ACFT GOT TO DEN IT WOULD HAVE TO BE DEFUELED IN THE AUX TANK. WHEN ENGINEERING CAME IN I WENT BACK TO THEIR OFFICE TO TELL THEM ABOUT THE ACFT AND SEE IF THEY KNEW OF ANY PROCS TO BURN THE FUEL. HE THEN BECAME QUITE UPSET, HE ASKED WHO DID THE LOAD PLANNING AND CALLED TO BOS. HE PULLED THE SPIN CARD OUT TO SHOW ME THE FUEL IN THE AUX TANK CANNOT BE ACCOUNTED FOR. SINCE WE ONLY HAVE 2 ACFT WITH THE AUX TANK AND THEY ARE NOT TO BE USED, WE DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE ON THE SPIN CARD TO SHOW THAT FUEL. THE BALLAST FUEL THE LOAD PLANNER WAS USING IS FOR THE CENTER TANK. THE ACFT WAS TO BE GNDED IN DEN WHEN IT LANDED TO HAVE THE AUX TANK WIRED SHUT. WHILE TALKING TO BOS AGAIN, IT TURNS OUT THE FUELER HAD GOTTEN HIS POUNDS AND GALLONS MIXED UP, AND THERE WAS ONLY 39000 POUNDS OF FUEL ON BOARD, NOT THE EXTRA 1600 POUNDS. SO EITHER WAY, THE PLANE TOOK OFF WITH THE WRONG CENTER OF GRAVITY AND NUMBERS. ONCE THE ACFT GOT TO DEN, MAINT CHKED IT AND THE FUELER COULD NOT PUT FUEL IN THE AUX TANK, IT WAS WIRED SHUT! SINCE I DO NOT WORK THE WT AND BAL ON ANY OF MY FLTS, I FELT VERY NAIVE IN THIS SITUATION. THIS ACFT SHOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT BOS, BUT I THOUGHT THE LOAD PLANNER KNEW WHAT SHE WAS DOING. WE NOW ARE STARTING A NEW SYS OF 'ACCU-LOAD' WITH OUR COMPUTER. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL BE BETTER OR WORSE, BUT THE COMPUTER COULD NOT 'MAKE THE NUMBERS' WORK IN THIS SITUATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.