Fuel - In-Flight Management Abnormal Operations

Description
As stated in the article entitled  Fuel - In-Flight Management (Normal
Operations)  fuel management encompasses pilot responsibilities for
veri cation, utilization, monitoring, recording and reconciliation of the fuel
loaded on the aircraft. In the context of this article, abnormal operations
include dispatch under  Minimum Equipment List (MEL)  or  Con guration
Deviation List  relief, fuel leak, in ight failures or planned ights in a non-
standard con guration such as a gear down ferry ight. Under abnormal
operations, fuel management becomes more dif cult as the tools normally
used for fuel monitoring, such as FMS predictions and ight plan
comparison, may be invalid or misleading. An additional level of vigilance is
required.
Threats
In almost all circumstances involving abnormal operations, fuel is
consumed at a rate which is signi cantly higher than normal. The principle
threat during abnormal operations is fuel exhaustion.
Effects
The effect on fuel consumption of abnormal operations or con gurations
ranges from the subtle to the extreme. As an example, dispatch under CDL
relief for a missing fuel panel access door or a wing root fairing might result
in an additional 1% fuel consumption over the course of the ight whereas
an uncontrolled fuel leak could result in the loss of a signi cant amount of
fuel over a very short period of time. The affects of some other selected
failures are as follows:
• Engine failure in cruise - the requirement for  drift down  to a lower
altitude is probable. Fuel ow on the remaining engine(s) will be
higher due to both the lower altitude and the increased power/thrust
demand required to compensate for the failed engine. Total fuel
consumption could decrease, remain approximately the same or
increase depending upon the aircraft type and the required change of
height between the original cruising altitude and the one engine
inoperative cruising altitude. However, true airspeed will be reduced
and ground speed is likely to be lower leading to a reduction in range.
• Air Conditioning/Pressurization pack failure in ight or dispatch
under Minimum Equipment List (MEL) relief with one pack inoperative
fi
fi
fl
fl
fi
fi
fl
fl
fi
fl
fl
fl
fi
fi
 - maximum cruising altitude may be affected. If so, fuel consumption
will be higher due to the lower cruising altitude.
• Landing gear fails to retract - maximum speed and altitude will be
affected. Fuel ow will be much higher due to the additional drag.
• Slat or ap jam or failure - maximum speed and altitude will be
affected. If re-land is not possible at the point of origin or if a diversion
is required at the planned destination due to weather or runway
length, fuel consumption during the diversion will be higher due to the
increased drag.
Note that in almost all cases, FMS fuel predictions will compensate for the
altitude actually own. However, the predictions are based on the
con guration that is "normal" for the phase of ight and will not make any
adjustment for the fact that the gear could be down or aps extended due
to a failure. Similarly, the fuel predictions on the operational ight plan are
based on the planned speeds and altitudes and do not make any allowance
for noncompliance with the planned pro le or a non-standard con guration.
Defenses
• In all cases of abnormal operations, be they dispatch under CDL /
MEL relief or as a result of an airborne failure, follow the published
guidance as prescribed by the manufacturer. This guidance could
include (but is not limited to) dispatch criterial, speci c fuel penalties
for non-standard con gurations, emergency drills and checklists or
speci c directions as published in  AOM,  Operations Manual  or the
MEL.
• Understand that, in most cases, the fuel predictions provided by the
FMS will not be correct and relying on that information could lead to
fuel exhaustion.
• Use actual fuel ow to calculate endurance and with that gure, use
the actual ground speed to determine range. Be conservative. Once
the range has been determined, develop an appropriate diversion
strategy.
• Carefully monitor actual fuel consumption and, if required, modify the
diversion plan as required.
Typical Scenarios
• An engine failure in ight results in the pilots conducting a drift down
procedure with maximum continuous thrust set on the operating
engine. At single engine cruise altitude, the fuel ow on the operating
engine is greater than the total fuel ow had been in cruise due to the
fi
fi
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
fi
fl
fi
fl
fl
fi
fl
fi
fl
fi
 lower altitude and the required higher single engine thrust setting. The
planned destination is no longer within range of the remaining fuel
and diversion to an enroute alternate is initiated. The aircraft lands
without further incident.
• On departure, the landing gear of a midsized passenger jet fails to
retract due to a mechanical failure. Using FMS fuel predictions as the
basis of their decision, the pilots elect to divert to a maintenance
facility several hundred miles away. Crosscheck of the remaining fuel
on board against the FMS predictions initially confuses the pilots and
it is not until approaching top of descent for their planned diversion
aerodrome that they realize that they do not have suf cient fuel
remaining to reach their destination. An attempt is made to reach a
closer air eld. However, while on approach, both engines ame out
due to fuel exhaustion and the aircraft touches down short of the
runway. There are numerous injuries among the passengers and
crew but no fatalities. The aircraft is damaged beyond economical
repair.
Solutions
• Under normal operations, conduct regular fuel monitoring and
crosscheck the fuel remaining against ight plan predictions. If there
is a discrepancy, investigate it immediately following checklist and
AOM guidance. A fuel leak can be insidious and if misdiagnosed or
mishandled, it can result in the loss of most or all of the fuel on board
leading to engine failure due to fuel exhaustion.
• Pilots must understand that abnormal aircraft con gurations will result
in abnormal fuel consumption and reduced range.
• Awareness that FMS predictions will not be accurate in an abnormal
con guration is essential. Basic tools such as fuel ow and ground
speed must be utilized to determine endurance and range.
• If an in ight failure results in an abnormal con guration, pilots must
maintain situational awareness and be mindful of their fuel state at all
times. They must ensure that any planned diversion, troubleshooting
or checklist procedures can be accomplished within the endurance
allowed by the available fuel.
Accidents and Incidents
• Enroute fuel exhaustion due to a mis-diagnosed and mishandled fuel
leak during the transoceanic ight of an Airbus A330
fi
fl
fi
fl
fl
fi
fi
fl
fi
fl
• Fuel exhaustion and crash landing of an Airbus A310 after the landing
gear failed to retract on takeoff.
• Low Fuel emergency in a Bombardier CRJ due to jammed aps on
missed approach. Report

fl