Narrative:

Dispatcher received a telephone call from operations agent advising that a fueler had just told him that an aircraft did not need to be refueled by gravity over wing -- that it had been refueled using the pressure defueling/refueling system (which was currently deferred under MEL 28-06). Operations agent also advised dispatcher that fueler had informed him the required placard adjacent the refueling panel was missing. It was then determined that the airplane was currently in-flight having departed at XA11Z. Dispatcher then sent ACARS message to captain instructing him to ensure that over wing refueling at ZZZ was accomplished and to call dispatch on arrival. In addition; a telephone call was made by the dispatcher to ZZZ operations instructing them to ensure that ZZZ fuelers understand that the airplane must be refueled by gravity using the over wing refueling procedures whether a placard was present or not adjacent the refueling panel. (At this point it was unknown that the captain had reapplied the refueling panel placard before departure but evidently after refueling at ZZZ1 had taken place -- per above statement made by fueler to operations agent.) upon contacting captain at destination it was determined that the aircraft had been refueled at origin before he arrived planeside. He advised he noted the missing placard and applied one before departure. Apparently; the method of refueling had not been determined prior to departure. Dispatcher and captain called maintenance control to clarify the deferral procedures for this MEL and to ensure the proper placard had been affixed adjacent fueling panel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EMB140 WAS IMPROPERLY FUELED DUE TO FAILURE OF MAINT TO PLACARD THE FUELING PANEL. PRESSURE FUELING WAS DEFERRED PER THE MEL. REQUIRES OVER WING FUELING.

Narrative: DISPATCHER RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL FROM OPS AGENT ADVISING THAT A FUELER HAD JUST TOLD HIM THAT AN ACFT DID NOT NEED TO BE REFUELED BY GRAVITY OVER WING -- THAT IT HAD BEEN REFUELED USING THE PRESSURE DEFUELING/REFUELING SYS (WHICH WAS CURRENTLY DEFERRED UNDER MEL 28-06). OPS AGENT ALSO ADVISED DISPATCHER THAT FUELER HAD INFORMED HIM THE REQUIRED PLACARD ADJACENT THE REFUELING PANEL WAS MISSING. IT WAS THEN DETERMINED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS CURRENTLY INFLT HAVING DEPARTED AT XA11Z. DISPATCHER THEN SENT ACARS MESSAGE TO CAPT INSTRUCTING HIM TO ENSURE THAT OVER WING REFUELING AT ZZZ WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND TO CALL DISPATCH ON ARR. IN ADDITION; A TELEPHONE CALL WAS MADE BY THE DISPATCHER TO ZZZ OPS INSTRUCTING THEM TO ENSURE THAT ZZZ FUELERS UNDERSTAND THAT THE AIRPLANE MUST BE REFUELED BY GRAVITY USING THE OVER WING REFUELING PROCS WHETHER A PLACARD WAS PRESENT OR NOT ADJACENT THE REFUELING PANEL. (AT THIS POINT IT WAS UNKNOWN THAT THE CAPT HAD REAPPLIED THE REFUELING PANEL PLACARD BEFORE DEP BUT EVIDENTLY AFTER REFUELING AT ZZZ1 HAD TAKEN PLACE -- PER ABOVE STATEMENT MADE BY FUELER TO OPS AGENT.) UPON CONTACTING CAPT AT DEST IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN REFUELED AT ORIGIN BEFORE HE ARRIVED PLANESIDE. HE ADVISED HE NOTED THE MISSING PLACARD AND APPLIED ONE BEFORE DEP. APPARENTLY; THE METHOD OF REFUELING HAD NOT BEEN DETERMINED PRIOR TO DEP. DISPATCHER AND CAPT CALLED MAINT CTL TO CLARIFY THE DEFERRAL PROCS FOR THIS MEL AND TO ENSURE THE PROPER PLACARD HAD BEEN AFFIXED ADJACENT FUELING PANEL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.