A B727 captain reports the company fueling policy is cutting fuel loads much too close for safety.

Attributes
ACN	376408
Time
Date	199708
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : boi
State Reference	ID
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dawn
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : las
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 9500 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	376408
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Company is cutting fuel too close again. Scheduled with arrival fuel of 10900 pounds going from boi-slc, no alternate required. Minimum fuel is 6500 pounds. However, there have rptedly been 6 flameouts due to fuel starvation with 3000 pounds indicated (for a total of 9000 pounds on board). Asked and received more fuel citing slc delays as the reason. We did encounter a delay with a resulting 1500 pounds overburn. The company is not that capable of accurately predicting fuel burns to cut fuel that close.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 CAPT RPTS THE COMPANY FUELING POLICY IS CUTTING FUEL LOADS MUCH TOO CLOSE FOR SAFETY.

Narrative: COMPANY IS CUTTING FUEL TOO CLOSE AGAIN. SCHEDULED WITH ARR FUEL OF 10900 LBS GOING FROM BOI-SLC, NO ALTERNATE REQUIRED. MINIMUM FUEL IS 6500 LBS. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE RPTEDLY BEEN 6 FLAMEOUTS DUE TO FUEL STARVATION WITH 3000 LBS INDICATED (FOR A TOTAL OF 9000 LBS ON BOARD). ASKED AND RECEIVED MORE FUEL CITING SLC DELAYS AS THE REASON. WE DID ENCOUNTER A DELAY WITH A RESULTING 1500 LBS OVERBURN. THE COMPANY IS NOT THAT CAPABLE OF ACCURATELY PREDICTING FUEL BURNS TO CUT FUEL THAT CLOSE.

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.