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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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B767 aircraft on oceanic flight followed the air carrier SOP and turned off center tank pumps at 1500 pounds, but fuel continued to decrease to 0. Callback revealed that a recent air carrier bulletin advises the flcs that the fuel continues to feed into other tanks via scavenge pumps on later model (er) B767's and will go to 0 if the flight is long enough.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 383415 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199710 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : eggx |
| State Reference | FO |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 36000 msl bound upper : 36000 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B767-200 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Route In Use | enroute : atlantic enroute : other oceanic enroute airway : eggx |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| ASRS Report | 383415 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| ASRS Report | 383346 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
Flight departed jfk with 6000 pounds of fuel in center tank. After leveloff, burned center tank fuel to 1500 pounds. Center tank pumps were turned off. Center tank fuel quantity continued to decrease for the remainder of flight until reaching 0 pounds upon landing at lhy. Callback conversation with reporter on acn 383416 revealed the following information: the reporter first officer revealed the aircraft type as B767-200ER. Reporter states that a company bulletin was issued very recently advising flcs that the fuel decreasing to 0 in the center tank is normal. And, reporter says that the procedure to turn the tank pumps off at 1500 pounds was a result of a catastrophic accident in which the center tank blew up. The reasoning being that the air carrier would not let the center tank become empty because of the unknown hazards. Reporter believes that the er model B767's are the aircraft with the automatic scavenging of the center tank. The SOP to turn off the tank at 1500 pounds was started with the air carrier bulletin prior to the recent bulletin.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B767 ACFT ON OCEANIC FLT FOLLOWED THE ACR SOP AND TURNED OFF CTR TANK PUMPS AT 1500 LBS, BUT FUEL CONTINUED TO DECREASE TO 0. CALLBACK REVEALED THAT A RECENT ACR BULLETIN ADVISES THE FLCS THAT THE FUEL CONTINUES TO FEED INTO OTHER TANKS VIA SCAVENGE PUMPS ON LATER MODEL (ER) B767'S AND WILL GO TO 0 IF THE FLT IS LONG ENOUGH.
Narrative: FLT DEPARTED JFK WITH 6000 LBS OF FUEL IN CTR TANK. AFTER LEVELOFF, BURNED CTR TANK FUEL TO 1500 LBS. CTR TANK PUMPS WERE TURNED OFF. CTR TANK FUEL QUANTITY CONTINUED TO DECREASE FOR THE REMAINDER OF FLT UNTIL REACHING 0 LBS UPON LNDG AT LHY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ON ACN 383416 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FO REVEALED THE ACFT TYPE AS B767-200ER. RPTR STATES THAT A COMPANY BULLETIN WAS ISSUED VERY RECENTLY ADVISING FLCS THAT THE FUEL DECREASING TO 0 IN THE CTR TANK IS NORMAL. AND, RPTR SAYS THAT THE PROC TO TURN THE TANK PUMPS OFF AT 1500 LBS WAS A RESULT OF A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT IN WHICH THE CTR TANK BLEW UP. THE REASONING BEING THAT THE ACR WOULD NOT LET THE CTR TANK BECOME EMPTY BECAUSE OF THE UNKNOWN HAZARDS. RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE ER MODEL B767'S ARE THE ACFT WITH THE AUTOMATIC SCAVENGING OF THE CTR TANK. THE SOP TO TURN OFF THE TANK AT 1500 LBS WAS STARTED WITH THE ACR BULLETIN PRIOR TO THE RECENT BULLETIN.
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.