Narrative:

On a relatively short 2 hour flight to a busy metroplex airport, required fuel was uplifted. Last leg and short flight to VMC, captain did not make fuel checks. Many vectors were received during flight. On descent, workload was high, arranging crew change, customs clearing, assigned gate etc, when flight engineer noticed fuel was very minimal. Captain was not concerned, I expressed I was not that concerned, thinking of our usual arrival route to home airport. Vectors continued with speed assignments. Upon reaching fix where approach type was assigned and not what I expected, captain accepted vector for approach with no mention to ATC of low fuel. I now anxiously expressed my concern to captain with flight engineer agreeing. Approach frequency very busy. Captain finally advised of low fuel status, required priority handling, ATC acknowledged telling us to expect new runway which was closer and handed us off to next controller. We're now flying over the airport heading away, ATC gives us sequence, I told captain I was very uncomfortable and this wasn't going to work. We were not receiving priority. Knowing that we didn't inform this controller of situation, I told captain. Captain said ATC knew. I thought first controller failed to inform second controller. I mentioned this to captain as we continued flying away from airport, we're not receiving priority and I'm getting very anxious. Break in frequency finally allows captain again to state low fuel requesting vector directly to airport. ATC complies with heading, clearing us for visual, rerouting aircraft we cut in front of a 360 degree turn and aircraft we're following a go around because we were too close in trail. I made a normal landing with no further incident except my shaky legs. Fuel was lowest I've ever landed with, well below my personal minimums. First officer's, with crew members I fly with, are discouraged from straining his neck to look at panel as captain and flight engineer are capable. However, this incident proves that wrong and I will now look!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT FLC ON INITIAL DSCNT DISCOVERS LOW FUEL CONDITION. FAILS TO INFORM ATC IN A TIMELY MANNER.

Narrative: ON A RELATIVELY SHORT 2 HR FLT TO A BUSY METROPLEX ARPT, REQUIRED FUEL WAS UPLIFTED. LAST LEG AND SHORT FLT TO VMC, CAPT DID NOT MAKE FUEL CHKS. MANY VECTORS WERE RECEIVED DURING FLT. ON DSCNT, WORKLOAD WAS HIGH, ARRANGING CREW CHANGE, CUSTOMS CLRING, ASSIGNED GATE ETC, WHEN FE NOTICED FUEL WAS VERY MINIMAL. CAPT WAS NOT CONCERNED, I EXPRESSED I WAS NOT THAT CONCERNED, THINKING OF OUR USUAL ARR RTE TO HOME ARPT. VECTORS CONTINUED WITH SPD ASSIGNMENTS. UPON REACHING FIX WHERE APCH TYPE WAS ASSIGNED AND NOT WHAT I EXPECTED, CAPT ACCEPTED VECTOR FOR APCH WITH NO MENTION TO ATC OF LOW FUEL. I NOW ANXIOUSLY EXPRESSED MY CONCERN TO CAPT WITH FE AGREEING. APCH FREQ VERY BUSY. CAPT FINALLY ADVISED OF LOW FUEL STATUS, REQUIRED PRIORITY HANDLING, ATC ACKNOWLEDGED TELLING US TO EXPECT NEW RWY WHICH WAS CLOSER AND HANDED US OFF TO NEXT CTLR. WE'RE NOW FLYING OVER THE ARPT HDG AWAY, ATC GIVES US SEQUENCE, I TOLD CAPT I WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND THIS WASN'T GOING TO WORK. WE WERE NOT RECEIVING PRIORITY. KNOWING THAT WE DIDN'T INFORM THIS CTLR OF SIT, I TOLD CAPT. CAPT SAID ATC KNEW. I THOUGHT FIRST CTLR FAILED TO INFORM SECOND CTLR. I MENTIONED THIS TO CAPT AS WE CONTINUED FLYING AWAY FROM ARPT, WE'RE NOT RECEIVING PRIORITY AND I'M GETTING VERY ANXIOUS. BREAK IN FREQ FINALLY ALLOWS CAPT AGAIN TO STATE LOW FUEL REQUESTING VECTOR DIRECTLY TO ARPT. ATC COMPLIES WITH HDG, CLRING US FOR VISUAL, REROUTING ACFT WE CUT IN FRONT OF A 360 DEG TURN AND ACFT WE'RE FOLLOWING A GAR BECAUSE WE WERE TOO CLOSE IN TRAIL. I MADE A NORMAL LNDG WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT EXCEPT MY SHAKY LEGS. FUEL WAS LOWEST I'VE EVER LANDED WITH, WELL BELOW MY PERSONAL MINIMUMS. FO'S, WITH CREW MEMBERS I FLY WITH, ARE DISCOURAGED FROM STRAINING HIS NECK TO LOOK AT PANEL AS CAPT AND FE ARE CAPABLE. HOWEVER, THIS INCIDENT PROVES THAT WRONG AND I WILL NOW LOOK!

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.