Narrative:

Unknown to us, the center forward boost pump circuit breaker popped causing fuel to now be taken only from the main tanks instead of the center tank. We had been ground-stopped to baltimore and had 3 different route changes. We were busy trying to straighten out a very zig-zagged route. This route at one time took us away from our destination. Our attention was diverted from all other items including our fuel situation. Our flight plan was no help as it did not even come close to approximately our new route. When we finally saw the increased burnout of the main tanks, I thought we might have either a fuel leak on failed fuel pumps. I immediately called for a checklist and declared an emergency. I wanted to at least be pointed towards an airport if we could not get the problem rectified. I clicked off the autoplt -- why I don't know! I descended about 400-500 ft while talking to ATC and getting a vector. My copilot ran the checklist and we found a circuit breaker popped and reset it. I canceled the emergency and proceeded to baltimore. We should not have neglected to monitor our fuel flow. We allowed our rertes to dominate our attention. We felt also that resetting the circuit breaker was the most prudent course of action. Supplemental information from acn 516810: failure of 1 center tank fuel pump due to tripped circuit breaker resulted in improper fuel feed from wing tanks prior to depletion of center tank fuel. Crew was distraction due to circumnaving numerous thunderstorms and several ATC rertes. In addition, ATC rerte was several hundred mi off original fpr resulting in no valid chkpoints for fuel burn monitoring. Aircraft has no annunciator for failure of fuel pumps. Fuel annunciators are only for low pressure to an engine and low quantity. When problem was first observed, there was approximately 45 mins of fuel remaining in the wing tanks with an additional 90 mins in the center tank at normal cruise. Captain assumed that center tank fuel was inaccessible and immediately declared an emergency without conferring with the first officer or accomplishing the abnormal checklist. As the first officer, I accomplished the appropriate abnormal checklist on my own while the captain was occupied with coordinating the emergency with ATC. Following the checklist procedures, I was able to quickly restore proper fuel feed from the center tank. At this point, the captain chose to rescind the emergency and continue to the destination, bwi. Continuing to the destination is within the parameters of the checklist when center tank fuel feed is restored. In my judgement, the captain jumped the gun by declaring the emergency prior to accomplishing the checklist. However, had it not been possible to restore center tank fuel feed, it would have been a situation that required immediate deviation to the nearest suitable airport. The case could be made that the captain gained 2 or 3 mins that could have been critical had the abnormal checklist not resolved the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 CREW HAD CTR TANK FUEL BOOST PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIP. THIS LEFT THE POSSIBILITY OF UNUSABLE FUEL IN THE CTR TANK.

Narrative: UNKNOWN TO US, THE CTR FORWARD BOOST PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED CAUSING FUEL TO NOW BE TAKEN ONLY FROM THE MAIN TANKS INSTEAD OF THE CTR TANK. WE HAD BEEN GND-STOPPED TO BALTIMORE AND HAD 3 DIFFERENT RTE CHANGES. WE WERE BUSY TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN OUT A VERY ZIG-ZAGGED RTE. THIS RTE AT ONE TIME TOOK US AWAY FROM OUR DEST. OUR ATTN WAS DIVERTED FROM ALL OTHER ITEMS INCLUDING OUR FUEL SIT. OUR FLT PLAN WAS NO HELP AS IT DID NOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO APPROX OUR NEW RTE. WHEN WE FINALLY SAW THE INCREASED BURNOUT OF THE MAIN TANKS, I THOUGHT WE MIGHT HAVE EITHER A FUEL LEAK ON FAILED FUEL PUMPS. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR A CHKLIST AND DECLARED AN EMER. I WANTED TO AT LEAST BE POINTED TOWARDS AN ARPT IF WE COULD NOT GET THE PROB RECTIFIED. I CLICKED OFF THE AUTOPLT -- WHY I DON'T KNOW! I DSNDED ABOUT 400-500 FT WHILE TALKING TO ATC AND GETTING A VECTOR. MY COPLT RAN THE CHKLIST AND WE FOUND A CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED AND RESET IT. I CANCELED THE EMER AND PROCEEDED TO BALTIMORE. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE NEGLECTED TO MONITOR OUR FUEL FLOW. WE ALLOWED OUR RERTES TO DOMINATE OUR ATTN. WE FELT ALSO THAT RESETTING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS THE MOST PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 516810: FAILURE OF 1 CTR TANK FUEL PUMP DUE TO TRIPPED CIRCUIT BREAKER RESULTED IN IMPROPER FUEL FEED FROM WING TANKS PRIOR TO DEPLETION OF CTR TANK FUEL. CREW WAS DISTR DUE TO CIRCUMNAVING NUMEROUS TSTMS AND SEVERAL ATC RERTES. IN ADDITION, ATC RERTE WAS SEVERAL HUNDRED MI OFF ORIGINAL FPR RESULTING IN NO VALID CHKPOINTS FOR FUEL BURN MONITORING. ACFT HAS NO ANNUNCIATOR FOR FAILURE OF FUEL PUMPS. FUEL ANNUNCIATORS ARE ONLY FOR LOW PRESSURE TO AN ENG AND LOW QUANTITY. WHEN PROB WAS FIRST OBSERVED, THERE WAS APPROX 45 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE WING TANKS WITH AN ADDITIONAL 90 MINS IN THE CTR TANK AT NORMAL CRUISE. CAPT ASSUMED THAT CTR TANK FUEL WAS INACCESSIBLE AND IMMEDIATELY DECLARED AN EMER WITHOUT CONFERRING WITH THE FO OR ACCOMPLISHING THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST. AS THE FO, I ACCOMPLISHED THE APPROPRIATE ABNORMAL CHKLIST ON MY OWN WHILE THE CAPT WAS OCCUPIED WITH COORDINATING THE EMER WITH ATC. FOLLOWING THE CHKLIST PROCS, I WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY RESTORE PROPER FUEL FEED FROM THE CTR TANK. AT THIS POINT, THE CAPT CHOSE TO RESCIND THE EMER AND CONTINUE TO THE DEST, BWI. CONTINUING TO THE DEST IS WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE CHKLIST WHEN CTR TANK FUEL FEED IS RESTORED. IN MY JUDGEMENT, THE CAPT JUMPED THE GUN BY DECLARING THE EMER PRIOR TO ACCOMPLISHING THE CHKLIST. HOWEVER, HAD IT NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO RESTORE CTR TANK FUEL FEED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A SIT THAT REQUIRED IMMEDIATE DEV TO THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT. THE CASE COULD BE MADE THAT THE CAPT GAINED 2 OR 3 MINS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CRITICAL HAD THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST NOT RESOLVED THE PROB.

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.