B757 flight crew has fuel imbalance while en route.

Attributes
ACN	561325
Time
Date	200209
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : iad.airport
State Reference	DC
Altitude	msl single value : 7000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : iad.tracon
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	descent : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 500
ASRS Report	561325
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : fuel configuration light other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

On descent noticed yoke displacement. Looked at fuel and saw approximately 6000 pounds imbalance. Realized xfeed was on and had been left on by ground personnel and not caught on checklists. Company procedures allow for fuel confign light to be on for B767. Confusion between aircraft types contributed to ignoring caution annunciation. Company procedures that allow caution annunciation to be on are suspect. Jumping between B757 and B767 sometimes several times daily can be confusing at best. Conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the company had just issued a new checklist and the procedures for fuel management had changed. This coupled with a long day (fatigue) and the fact that they were flying a B757 vice a B767, which has a different fuel management procedure, led to the oversight of the xfeed valve and the gross fuel imbalance.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLC HAS FUEL IMBALANCE WHILE ENRTE.

Narrative: ON DSCNT NOTICED YOKE DISPLACEMENT. LOOKED AT FUEL AND SAW APPROX 6000 LBS IMBALANCE. REALIZED XFEED WAS ON AND HAD BEEN LEFT ON BY GND PERSONNEL AND NOT CAUGHT ON CHKLISTS. COMPANY PROCS ALLOW FOR FUEL CONFIGN LIGHT TO BE ON FOR B767. CONFUSION BTWN ACFT TYPES CONTRIBUTED TO IGNORING CAUTION ANNUNCIATION. COMPANY PROCS THAT ALLOW CAUTION ANNUNCIATION TO BE ON ARE SUSPECT. JUMPING BTWN B757 AND B767 SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES DAILY CAN BE CONFUSING AT BEST. CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE COMPANY HAD JUST ISSUED A NEW CHKLIST AND THE PROCS FOR FUEL MGMNT HAD CHANGED. THIS COUPLED WITH A LONG DAY (FATIGUE) AND THE FACT THAT THEY WERE FLYING A B757 VICE A B767, WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT FUEL MGMNT PROC, LED TO THE OVERSIGHT OF THE XFEED VALVE AND THE GROSS FUEL IMBALANCE.

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.