Narrative:

After viewing flight paperwork in operations, I determined minimum fuel would be sufficient for the flight. I told the fueler that minimum was good (32.3). He said something to the effect that there was little more. I thought he had said he had 34.0 on board. I said that was fine and I asked operations to note the extra fuel and when I got on the aircraft, I would tell her how much we had in case we needed more weight for our release. When I got on the aircraft, I asked the first officer if he would call in the amount of fuel to operations. He said that he did and we received an amended release for increase takeoff weight. It turns out that operations called in the fuel load that I said that the fueler said he had put on, but she didn't call in the fuel load that the first officer said we had on. I think there were a lot of mistakes made and confusion of numbers. I wouldn't normally expect a fueler to tell me he had 100 more pounds on board than required because that is so minimal. It turns out that he must have said 32.4 and not 34.0 like I thought I heard. What bothers me is that I did not get the transposition of numbers even on the fuel check part of the checklist. I knew we had enough, and I knew we had an amendment to reflect the increase of what it was supposed to be. The actual amendment and load closeout for the flight came to us on ACARS during taxi out. I was no longer concerned about the fuel because I knew we had enough, but it turns out it did not match what dispatch thought we had on board. We had minimum release fuel of 32.4 (minimum 32.3) and dispatch thought we had 34.2. That's a 1900 pounds discrepancy, and I realized this while tracking fuel burn en route. We thought about calling dispatch en route to advise them of the difference in the event something happened (ie, fog and divert) but we decided that we had the minimum fuel required on board and the amendment only reflected a change in maximum takeoff weight not fuel load. I talked to the dispatcher after we landed and told him what had happened. He said there could possibly have been a center of gravity problem with that much discrepancy in fuel load which we had not thought of, and after discussing this with him, my first officer and I decided we had better report our mistakes and take our lessons learned. Reflecting back on the sequence of events and conversations, it's amazing how a flaw can keep slipping through the cracks throughout all our checks. We needed to slow down and didn't even know it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 FLT CREW DEPARTS IAD WITH 1900 LB DISCREPANCY BTWN ACTUAL AND MANIFESTED FUEL WT.

Narrative: AFTER VIEWING FLT PAPERWORK IN OPS, I DETERMINED MINIMUM FUEL WOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE FLT. I TOLD THE FUELER THAT MINIMUM WAS GOOD (32.3). HE SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT THERE WAS LITTLE MORE. I THOUGHT HE HAD SAID HE HAD 34.0 ON BOARD. I SAID THAT WAS FINE AND I ASKED OPS TO NOTE THE EXTRA FUEL AND WHEN I GOT ON THE ACFT, I WOULD TELL HER HOW MUCH WE HAD IN CASE WE NEEDED MORE WT FOR OUR RELEASE. WHEN I GOT ON THE ACFT, I ASKED THE FO IF HE WOULD CALL IN THE AMOUNT OF FUEL TO OPS. HE SAID THAT HE DID AND WE RECEIVED AN AMENDED RELEASE FOR INCREASE TKOF WT. IT TURNS OUT THAT OPS CALLED IN THE FUEL LOAD THAT I SAID THAT THE FUELER SAID HE HAD PUT ON, BUT SHE DIDN'T CALL IN THE FUEL LOAD THAT THE FO SAID WE HAD ON. I THINK THERE WERE A LOT OF MISTAKES MADE AND CONFUSION OF NUMBERS. I WOULDN'T NORMALLY EXPECT A FUELER TO TELL ME HE HAD 100 MORE LBS ON BOARD THAN REQUIRED BECAUSE THAT IS SO MINIMAL. IT TURNS OUT THAT HE MUST HAVE SAID 32.4 AND NOT 34.0 LIKE I THOUGHT I HEARD. WHAT BOTHERS ME IS THAT I DID NOT GET THE TRANSPOSITION OF NUMBERS EVEN ON THE FUEL CHK PART OF THE CHKLIST. I KNEW WE HAD ENOUGH, AND I KNEW WE HAD AN AMENDMENT TO REFLECT THE INCREASE OF WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. THE ACTUAL AMENDMENT AND LOAD CLOSEOUT FOR THE FLT CAME TO US ON ACARS DURING TAXI OUT. I WAS NO LONGER CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUEL BECAUSE I KNEW WE HAD ENOUGH, BUT IT TURNS OUT IT DID NOT MATCH WHAT DISPATCH THOUGHT WE HAD ON BOARD. WE HAD MINIMUM RELEASE FUEL OF 32.4 (MINIMUM 32.3) AND DISPATCH THOUGHT WE HAD 34.2. THAT'S A 1900 LBS DISCREPANCY, AND I REALIZED THIS WHILE TRACKING FUEL BURN ENRTE. WE THOUGHT ABOUT CALLING DISPATCH ENRTE TO ADVISE THEM OF THE DIFFERENCE IN THE EVENT SOMETHING HAPPENED (IE, FOG AND DIVERT) BUT WE DECIDED THAT WE HAD THE MINIMUM FUEL REQUIRED ON BOARD AND THE AMENDMENT ONLY REFLECTED A CHANGE IN MAX TKOF WT NOT FUEL LOAD. I TALKED TO THE DISPATCHER AFTER WE LANDED AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE SAID THERE COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN A CTR OF GRAVITY PROB WITH THAT MUCH DISCREPANCY IN FUEL LOAD WHICH WE HAD NOT THOUGHT OF, AND AFTER DISCUSSING THIS WITH HIM, MY FO AND I DECIDED WE HAD BETTER RPT OUR MISTAKES AND TAKE OUR LESSONS LEARNED. REFLECTING BACK ON THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AND CONVERSATIONS, IT'S AMAZING HOW A FLAW CAN KEEP SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS THROUGHOUT ALL OUR CHKS. WE NEEDED TO SLOW DOWN AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT.

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.