Narrative:

The captain and myself reported for our 'du' trip at about XA30 local for a XC31 departure. Our trip that day was scheduled to proceed to btv, then to bos, and finally to hpn where we would be overnighting. We were a hangar departure that day, which means we were the first to fly this aircraft. Also there were no scheduled passenger for the first leg to btv. Our release called for 2600 pounds of fuel for our departure out of plb which is standard for all departures to btv and which all aircraft are normally fueled to the preceding day. We walked out to the aircraft at about XC00. The captain did the exterior preflight and I did the interior. Upon checking the fuel gauges, the captain notified me that we would be requiring fuel. He informed me that we had 1200 pounds on board and pending approval from dispatch, would I be comfortable with topping off the outboard tanks? I informed him that I was. The fuelers at this time were busy fueling another aircraft at the gate and would be delayed in getting to us. When the fuel truck did arrive, they proceeded to fuel us via 2 hoses, one to each wing. The fueler on the left wing had some difficulty with the fuel cap and thus the right fuel tank was begun prior to the left fuel tank. Shortly thereafter the fuel truck ran out of fuel. This occurred about XC15. Due to the brevity of time remaining until our scheduled departure, we decided to proceed with the flight with a reading of 1500 pounds on the right fuel gauge and 1100 pounds on the left fuel gauge. This gave us 2600 pounds total as was on the release. I completed the weight and balance which I brought in to dispatch, went back to the aircraft and we completed the required checklists prior to our departure from plb. Meanwhile, we transferred fuel from right to left, so that at departure we were down to a 200 pound differential. I flew the 1ST and 3RD legs and the captain flew the 2ND leg. The trip proceeded normally with the fuel gauges indicating a balance on our climb out of btv. On descent into bos the right fuel low annunciator began flickering on and off intermittently and continued to do so upon landing in bos. Our operations informed us that we would have to wait for a gate space. We did so for about 10 mins, during which we discussed the MEL procedures for the right fuel low annunciator and confirmed that we had met all of the conditions specified by the MEL. We believed this annunciator to be in error because of the fuel quantity indication on the gauge and because of the aileron trim position which was in the '0' position. Moreover, we wanted to see if this annunciator would illuminate on the next leg of our trip prior to informing maintenance and carrying through with the write-up procedure. Because of our 10 min delay for available gate space, our turn around time was limited to 15 mins. This gave us just enough time to complete all of our duties in order to depart the gate on time. On taxi out we noted that the right fuel low annunciator remained illuminated. We departed bos uneventfully on a VFR flight plan to hpn at 12500 ft. At about 50 mi from hpn the right collector tank low annunciator illuminated. Referring to the checklist, we began transferring fuel from left to right. And because we were close to beginning our descent into hpn we decided to continue the flight plan as filed. Meanwhile the gauges appeared normal with 1500 pounds remaining, also the aileron trim was still set to '0.' as we were beginning our descent at about 35 mi from the airport, the captain, concerned with the approaching imbalance limit of 200 pounds and his uncertainty of the validity of the right collector tank low annunciator, decided to turn the fuel transfer off. Shortly thereafter, through about 11000 ft, the right fuel pressure low annunciator illuminated simultaneous with a slight yaw and roll to the right. The captain immediately reinstated the transfer of fuel and the engine returned to normal parameters. We proceeded in this confign until our landing in hpn with a bit over 600 pounds (35-40 mins worth) in the left fuel tank. Our actions after landing were to call maintenance for their input and to top off the outboard tanks to confirm that the right tank was indeed empty and that it wasn't a problem gettingfuel from the main tank to the collector tank. Fueling records indicated that the right tank was empty. We conveyed this to maintenance, wrote a report and called our chief pilot the following morning to inform him of the incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE02 ACR FLC NEARLY HAS AN ENG QUIT WHEN ITS FUEL TANK RUNS DRY. THE R FUEL GAUGE WAS IN ERROR AND THE FLC ASSUMED THAT THE LOW QUANTITY LIGHTS WERE INCORRECT. THEY 'SAVED' THE ENG BY TRANSFERRING FUEL FROM THE L TO THE R TANK.

Narrative: THE CAPT AND MYSELF RPTED FOR OUR 'DU' TRIP AT ABOUT XA30 LCL FOR A XC31 DEP. OUR TRIP THAT DAY WAS SCHEDULED TO PROCEED TO BTV, THEN TO BOS, AND FINALLY TO HPN WHERE WE WOULD BE OVERNIGHTING. WE WERE A HANGAR DEP THAT DAY, WHICH MEANS WE WERE THE FIRST TO FLY THIS ACFT. ALSO THERE WERE NO SCHEDULED PAX FOR THE FIRST LEG TO BTV. OUR RELEASE CALLED FOR 2600 LBS OF FUEL FOR OUR DEP OUT OF PLB WHICH IS STANDARD FOR ALL DEPS TO BTV AND WHICH ALL ACFT ARE NORMALLY FUELED TO THE PRECEDING DAY. WE WALKED OUT TO THE ACFT AT ABOUT XC00. THE CAPT DID THE EXTERIOR PREFLT AND I DID THE INTERIOR. UPON CHKING THE FUEL GAUGES, THE CAPT NOTIFIED ME THAT WE WOULD BE REQUIRING FUEL. HE INFORMED ME THAT WE HAD 1200 LBS ON BOARD AND PENDING APPROVAL FROM DISPATCH, WOULD I BE COMFORTABLE WITH TOPPING OFF THE OUTBOARD TANKS? I INFORMED HIM THAT I WAS. THE FUELERS AT THIS TIME WERE BUSY FUELING ANOTHER ACFT AT THE GATE AND WOULD BE DELAYED IN GETTING TO US. WHEN THE FUEL TRUCK DID ARRIVE, THEY PROCEEDED TO FUEL US VIA 2 HOSES, ONE TO EACH WING. THE FUELER ON THE L WING HAD SOME DIFFICULTY WITH THE FUEL CAP AND THUS THE R FUEL TANK WAS BEGUN PRIOR TO THE L FUEL TANK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE FUEL TRUCK RAN OUT OF FUEL. THIS OCCURRED ABOUT XC15. DUE TO THE BREVITY OF TIME REMAINING UNTIL OUR SCHEDULED DEP, WE DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH THE FLT WITH A READING OF 1500 LBS ON THE R FUEL GAUGE AND 1100 LBS ON THE L FUEL GAUGE. THIS GAVE US 2600 LBS TOTAL AS WAS ON THE RELEASE. I COMPLETED THE WT AND BAL WHICH I BROUGHT IN TO DISPATCH, WENT BACK TO THE ACFT AND WE COMPLETED THE REQUIRED CHKLISTS PRIOR TO OUR DEP FROM PLB. MEANWHILE, WE TRANSFERRED FUEL FROM R TO L, SO THAT AT DEP WE WERE DOWN TO A 200 LB DIFFERENTIAL. I FLEW THE 1ST AND 3RD LEGS AND THE CAPT FLEW THE 2ND LEG. THE TRIP PROCEEDED NORMALLY WITH THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATING A BAL ON OUR CLB OUT OF BTV. ON DSCNT INTO BOS THE R FUEL LOW ANNUNCIATOR BEGAN FLICKERING ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY AND CONTINUED TO DO SO UPON LNDG IN BOS. OUR OPS INFORMED US THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR A GATE SPACE. WE DID SO FOR ABOUT 10 MINS, DURING WHICH WE DISCUSSED THE MEL PROCS FOR THE R FUEL LOW ANNUNCIATOR AND CONFIRMED THAT WE HAD MET ALL OF THE CONDITIONS SPECIFIED BY THE MEL. WE BELIEVED THIS ANNUNCIATOR TO BE IN ERROR BECAUSE OF THE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION ON THE GAUGE AND BECAUSE OF THE AILERON TRIM POS WHICH WAS IN THE '0' POS. MOREOVER, WE WANTED TO SEE IF THIS ANNUNCIATOR WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE NEXT LEG OF OUR TRIP PRIOR TO INFORMING MAINT AND CARRYING THROUGH WITH THE WRITE-UP PROC. BECAUSE OF OUR 10 MIN DELAY FOR AVAILABLE GATE SPACE, OUR TURN AROUND TIME WAS LIMITED TO 15 MINS. THIS GAVE US JUST ENOUGH TIME TO COMPLETE ALL OF OUR DUTIES IN ORDER TO DEPART THE GATE ON TIME. ON TAXI OUT WE NOTED THAT THE R FUEL LOW ANNUNCIATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. WE DEPARTED BOS UNEVENTFULLY ON A VFR FLT PLAN TO HPN AT 12500 FT. AT ABOUT 50 MI FROM HPN THE R COLLECTOR TANK LOW ANNUNCIATOR ILLUMINATED. REFERRING TO THE CHKLIST, WE BEGAN TRANSFERRING FUEL FROM L TO R. AND BECAUSE WE WERE CLOSE TO BEGINNING OUR DSCNT INTO HPN WE DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE FLT PLAN AS FILED. MEANWHILE THE GAUGES APPEARED NORMAL WITH 1500 LBS REMAINING, ALSO THE AILERON TRIM WAS STILL SET TO '0.' AS WE WERE BEGINNING OUR DSCNT AT ABOUT 35 MI FROM THE ARPT, THE CAPT, CONCERNED WITH THE APCHING IMBALANCE LIMIT OF 200 LBS AND HIS UNCERTAINTY OF THE VALIDITY OF THE R COLLECTOR TANK LOW ANNUNCIATOR, DECIDED TO TURN THE FUEL TRANSFER OFF. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THROUGH ABOUT 11000 FT, THE R FUEL PRESSURE LOW ANNUNCIATOR ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUS WITH A SLIGHT YAW AND ROLL TO THE R. THE CAPT IMMEDIATELY REINSTATED THE TRANSFER OF FUEL AND THE ENG RETURNED TO NORMAL PARAMETERS. WE PROCEEDED IN THIS CONFIGN UNTIL OUR LNDG IN HPN WITH A BIT OVER 600 LBS (35-40 MINS WORTH) IN THE L FUEL TANK. OUR ACTIONS AFTER LNDG WERE TO CALL MAINT FOR THEIR INPUT AND TO TOP OFF THE OUTBOARD TANKS TO CONFIRM THAT THE R TANK WAS INDEED EMPTY AND THAT IT WASN'T A PROB GETTINGFUEL FROM THE MAIN TANK TO THE COLLECTOR TANK. FUELING RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE R TANK WAS EMPTY. WE CONVEYED THIS TO MAINT, WROTE A RPT AND CALLED OUR CHIEF PLT THE FOLLOWING MORNING TO INFORM HIM OF THE INCIDENT.

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.