Narrative:

This flight was our first flight of an overnight. Aircraft was approximately 45 mins late and arrived with maintenance items including the first officer's altimeter. This took approximately 50 mins. Aircraft still had not been fueled. Fuel truck pulled up at XA30. Passenger were efficiently boarded with bags loaded and at XA45 we passed paperwork out. The ramper put his head set on and asked me to release the brakes. This is normally the start of the pushback and usually rampers will not pull the aircraft onto the tug with a fuel truck hooked up. We passed the paperwork out and the flight attendant closed the door. By then, the guy on the tug had moved out of sight. He came back into view without his headset, and gave me unreadable hand signals. I pointed to my headset and he finally put his back on. He said, 'captain, it is not safe or legal to have the door closed while fueling.' I immediately asked the flight attendant to open the door. In reality, the fueler had been there long enough to fuel us twice. When the ramper put his headset on the first time I thought fueling was complete and we started the before start checklist then. When we got to 'fuel' on the checklist, the ramper was signaling me with his hands to open the door. I found out the truck was broken and he had not pumped any fuel yet. I was aware several times before this that the fuel truck was still out there and, because of this, delayed running the before start checklist. They traded trucks, pumped the fuel, and we ran the before start checklist. We pushed back at XB00. Many times in the past I have prevented this type of incident through normal vigilance, and will continue to do so in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER A SERIES OF DELAYS, THE ACFT IS CLOSED UP ONLY TO FIND THAT THE FUELER IS STILL CONNECTED AND FUEL IS NOT LOADED EVEN THOUGH BRAKE RELEASE HAS BEEN CALLED FOR.

Narrative: THIS FLT WAS OUR FIRST FLT OF AN OVERNIGHT. ACFT WAS APPROX 45 MINS LATE AND ARRIVED WITH MAINT ITEMS INCLUDING THE FO'S ALTIMETER. THIS TOOK APPROX 50 MINS. ACFT STILL HAD NOT BEEN FUELED. FUEL TRUCK PULLED UP AT XA30. PAX WERE EFFICIENTLY BOARDED WITH BAGS LOADED AND AT XA45 WE PASSED PAPERWORK OUT. THE RAMPER PUT HIS HEAD SET ON AND ASKED ME TO RELEASE THE BRAKES. THIS IS NORMALLY THE START OF THE PUSHBACK AND USUALLY RAMPERS WILL NOT PULL THE ACFT ONTO THE TUG WITH A FUEL TRUCK HOOKED UP. WE PASSED THE PAPERWORK OUT AND THE FLT ATTENDANT CLOSED THE DOOR. BY THEN, THE GUY ON THE TUG HAD MOVED OUT OF SIGHT. HE CAME BACK INTO VIEW WITHOUT HIS HEADSET, AND GAVE ME UNREADABLE HAND SIGNALS. I POINTED TO MY HEADSET AND HE FINALLY PUT HIS BACK ON. HE SAID, 'CAPT, IT IS NOT SAFE OR LEGAL TO HAVE THE DOOR CLOSED WHILE FUELING.' I IMMEDIATELY ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO OPEN THE DOOR. IN REALITY, THE FUELER HAD BEEN THERE LONG ENOUGH TO FUEL US TWICE. WHEN THE RAMPER PUT HIS HEADSET ON THE FIRST TIME I THOUGHT FUELING WAS COMPLETE AND WE STARTED THE BEFORE START CHKLIST THEN. WHEN WE GOT TO 'FUEL' ON THE CHKLIST, THE RAMPER WAS SIGNALING ME WITH HIS HANDS TO OPEN THE DOOR. I FOUND OUT THE TRUCK WAS BROKEN AND HE HAD NOT PUMPED ANY FUEL YET. I WAS AWARE SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THIS THAT THE FUEL TRUCK WAS STILL OUT THERE AND, BECAUSE OF THIS, DELAYED RUNNING THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. THEY TRADED TRUCKS, PUMPED THE FUEL, AND WE RAN THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. WE PUSHED BACK AT XB00. MANY TIMES IN THE PAST I HAVE PREVENTED THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT THROUGH NORMAL VIGILANCE, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THE FUTURE.

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.