Narrative:

I flew as captain on a series of 5 flts in which the aircraft possible had 500 pounds of fuel in an auxiliary tank that I was unaware of. I say 'possibly had' because the auxiliary tank fuel was discovered by the crew that picked up the plane from us after it had been refueled. We, the company or crew, are unsure as to when this auxiliary tank fuel was added to the aircraft. The pilot we picked up the plane from states, to the best of his knowledge, there was no fuel in either auxiliary tank at the time of his flight or when he gave the plane to us. It was not fueled at this point. If in fact the fuel was on the aircraft during the entire series of 5 flts I flew it, the following items could have occurred: 1) it is possible that all 5 flts exceeded the maximum fuel imbalance of 200 pounds. 2) it is possible that on one leg dsm-mci that gross takeoff weight was exceeded, however after reviewing the flight manifest I discovered that 3 children were counted at adult weights, one carry-on bag was counted at 24 pounds when it should not have been counted because it was already in the average passenger weight, and the estimated in- range fuel load, which was the fuel indicated on the manifest, was actually 150 pounds high, ie, we actually had less fuel onboard than was indicated on the manifest. 3) if, in fact, takeoff gross weight was exceeded in dsm it is possible that gross landing weight might have been exceeded at mci. The scenario for the fuel being on the entire series of my 5 flts plus the leg the other pilot flew to deliver the aircraft to us goes as follows: the aircraft was in maintenance overnight where fuel system work was accomplished. It is possible maintenance returned the aircraft to service with one auxiliary tank containing 500 pounds of fuel. It is possible that the pilot that ferried the plane to us at the start of our day missed the fact the auxiliary tank had 500 pounds of fuel. It is possible that my crew missed noting the 500 pounds of auxiliary fuel during our series of flts. All of the above items seem highly unlikely because checking fuel quantity before takeoff is a checklist item, and I believe maintenance also has a checklist they use before returning an aircraft to service. I believe the most likely explanation of the 500 pounds of fuel is that an error was made in fueling the aircraft after we had flown it and before the next crew's flight but nobody can figure it out for certain. At any rate I am certain it was an inadvertent mistake by someone. Now I'll list some possible items I believe would help prevent this from occurring again. 1) when an aircraft is released from maintenance it should have a notice explaining to the flight crew what type of work was done, how much and where the fuel is, and stating the fact that all maintenance return to service checklist items have been completed. (When we get an airplane from maintenance we have no idea as to the type of work that was done.) 2) the flight crew member should enter the fuel load on the manifest not the agents. This would accomplish 2 things: it would force the crew members to check fuel quantity before takeoff and it would be an actual fuel quantity not an estimated one. 3) make main fuel quantity and auxiliary fuel quantity checks separate line items on the checklist. 4) have separate fuel quantity gauges for each fuel tank instead of being required to switch gauges between tanks as is done on the B-1900.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER ACFT FLIES WITH FUEL IN AUX TANK THAT WAS NOT COMPUTED IN WT AND BAL.

Narrative: I FLEW AS CAPT ON A SERIES OF 5 FLTS IN WHICH THE ACFT POSSIBLE HAD 500 LBS OF FUEL IN AN AUX TANK THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF. I SAY 'POSSIBLY HAD' BECAUSE THE AUX TANK FUEL WAS DISCOVERED BY THE CREW THAT PICKED UP THE PLANE FROM US AFTER IT HAD BEEN REFUELED. WE, THE COMPANY OR CREW, ARE UNSURE AS TO WHEN THIS AUX TANK FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE ACFT. THE PLT WE PICKED UP THE PLANE FROM STATES, TO THE BEST OF HIS KNOWLEDGE, THERE WAS NO FUEL IN EITHER AUX TANK AT THE TIME OF HIS FLT OR WHEN HE GAVE THE PLANE TO US. IT WAS NOT FUELED AT THIS POINT. IF IN FACT THE FUEL WAS ON THE ACFT DURING THE ENTIRE SERIES OF 5 FLTS I FLEW IT, THE FOLLOWING ITEMS COULD HAVE OCCURRED: 1) IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ALL 5 FLTS EXCEEDED THE MAX FUEL IMBALANCE OF 200 LBS. 2) IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ON ONE LEG DSM-MCI THAT GROSS TKOF WT WAS EXCEEDED, HOWEVER AFTER REVIEWING THE FLT MANIFEST I DISCOVERED THAT 3 CHILDREN WERE COUNTED AT ADULT WTS, ONE CARRY-ON BAG WAS COUNTED AT 24 LBS WHEN IT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN COUNTED BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY IN THE AVERAGE PAX WT, AND THE ESTIMATED IN- RANGE FUEL LOAD, WHICH WAS THE FUEL INDICATED ON THE MANIFEST, WAS ACTUALLY 150 LBS HIGH, IE, WE ACTUALLY HAD LESS FUEL ONBOARD THAN WAS INDICATED ON THE MANIFEST. 3) IF, IN FACT, TKOF GROSS WT WAS EXCEEDED IN DSM IT IS POSSIBLE THAT GROSS LNDG WT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXCEEDED AT MCI. THE SCENARIO FOR THE FUEL BEING ON THE ENTIRE SERIES OF MY 5 FLTS PLUS THE LEG THE OTHER PLT FLEW TO DELIVER THE ACFT TO US GOES AS FOLLOWS: THE ACFT WAS IN MAINT OVERNIGHT WHERE FUEL SYS WORK WAS ACCOMPLISHED. IT IS POSSIBLE MAINT RETURNED THE ACFT TO SVC WITH ONE AUX TANK CONTAINING 500 LBS OF FUEL. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PLT THAT FERRIED THE PLANE TO US AT THE START OF OUR DAY MISSED THE FACT THE AUX TANK HAD 500 LBS OF FUEL. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT MY CREW MISSED NOTING THE 500 LBS OF AUX FUEL DURING OUR SERIES OF FLTS. ALL OF THE ABOVE ITEMS SEEM HIGHLY UNLIKELY BECAUSE CHKING FUEL QUANTITY BEFORE TKOF IS A CHKLIST ITEM, AND I BELIEVE MAINT ALSO HAS A CHKLIST THEY USE BEFORE RETURNING AN ACFT TO SVC. I BELIEVE THE MOST LIKELY EXPLANATION OF THE 500 LBS OF FUEL IS THAT AN ERROR WAS MADE IN FUELING THE ACFT AFTER WE HAD FLOWN IT AND BEFORE THE NEXT CREW'S FLT BUT NOBODY CAN FIGURE IT OUT FOR CERTAIN. AT ANY RATE I AM CERTAIN IT WAS AN INADVERTENT MISTAKE BY SOMEONE. NOW I'LL LIST SOME POSSIBLE ITEMS I BELIEVE WOULD HELP PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING AGAIN. 1) WHEN AN ACFT IS RELEASED FROM MAINT IT SHOULD HAVE A NOTICE EXPLAINING TO THE FLC WHAT TYPE OF WORK WAS DONE, HOW MUCH AND WHERE THE FUEL IS, AND STATING THE FACT THAT ALL MAINT RETURN TO SVC CHKLIST ITEMS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. (WHEN WE GET AN AIRPLANE FROM MAINT WE HAVE NO IDEA AS TO THE TYPE OF WORK THAT WAS DONE.) 2) THE FLC MEMBER SHOULD ENTER THE FUEL LOAD ON THE MANIFEST NOT THE AGENTS. THIS WOULD ACCOMPLISH 2 THINGS: IT WOULD FORCE THE CREW MEMBERS TO CHK FUEL QUANTITY BEFORE TKOF AND IT WOULD BE AN ACTUAL FUEL QUANTITY NOT AN ESTIMATED ONE. 3) MAKE MAIN FUEL QUANTITY AND AUX FUEL QUANTITY CHKS SEPARATE LINE ITEMS ON THE CHKLIST. 4) HAVE SEPARATE FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES FOR EACH FUEL TANK INSTEAD OF BEING REQUIRED TO SWITCH GAUGES BTWN TANKS AS IS DONE ON THE B-1900.

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.