Fuel Imbalance

[Jimbo]

Fuel imbalance used all fuel in Main RT tank. Xfer inop. A/C entered right hand spiral on 10 mile final and crashed. I have been away from this a/c for 2 weeks and this never happened to me before after a couple dozen flights. Started with 30% fuel, all main fuel pumps on. When annunciator lit I opened xfeed and selected Manual. No effect.

[RicardoLVFR]

Fuel imbalance used all fuel in Main RT tank. Xfer inop. A/C entered right hand spiral on 10 mile final and crashed. I have been away from this a/c for 2 weeks and this never happened to me before after a couple dozen flights. Started with 30% fuel, all main fuel pumps on. When annunciator lit I opened xfeed and selected Manual. No effect.

Don't understand, what do you mean when annunciator lit?

there shouldn't be any input by the pilot to manually move fuel, all should be done automatically.

[Jimbo]

Sorry, wrong terminology--I meant a message showed up on the instrument that displays alerts like fuel imbalances. Don't know the correct name for that instrument.

[RicardoLVFR]

Sorry, wrong terminology--I meant a message showed up on the instrument that displays alerts like fuel imbalances. Don't know the correct name for that instrument.

Ok so you are getting a fuel imbalance on the A330-200?

at what moment does it begin?
meaning what phase of flight, climb? cruise? descent? and try to give us a picture so we can try to replicate.

[Jimbo]

Yes A330-200. In cruse, approx hour into the flight, low fuel Rt Main tank warning appeared. I didn't think too much about it as this has happened before in the Headwinds A330--usually accompanied with suggested actions to open X feed and select Manual and shut off fuel pumps in trim tanks. Sometimes I did that sometimes I did not. On the LFVR A330 I got a warning but I don't recall seeing any instructions--not sure. Amway, I had called up the fuel display and was watching the right tank losing fuel. Eventually it read zero and the a/c rotated into a right hand descending spiral. I would have expected it to roll left, but if I recall correctly it went right. I tried to gain control but nothing I did helped so I exited to Main Menu and then the sim.
I didn't realize I would be reporting this incident or I would have payed closer attention.

[RicardoLVFR]

Yes A330-200. In cruse, approx hour into the flight, low fuel Rt Main tank warning appeared. I didn't think too much about it as this has happened before in the Headwinds A330--usually accompanied with suggested actions to open X feed and select Manual and shut off fuel pumps in trim tanks. Sometimes I did that sometimes I did not. On the LFVR A330 I got a warning but I don't recall seeing any instructions--not sure. Amway, I had called up the fuel display and was watching the right tank losing fuel. Eventually it read zero and the a/c rotated into a right hand descending spiral. I would have expected it to roll left, but if I recall correctly it went right. I tried to gain control but nothing I did helped so I exited to Main Menu and then the sim.
I didn't realize I would be reporting this incident or I would have payed closer attention.

strange, the person earlier on the thread had mentioned similar issues, apparently one of their controllers triggered by mistake one of the pumps, causing this issue. how much fuel you flew with and you sure you don't have any controllers that can cause this?

[Jimbo]

I was on autopilot basically the whole flight after takeoff. I have no fuel controls on my flight stick, or anywhere else. I can't think of a thing that I did or could have done that could have caused this.
I had seen all the previous post about fuel imbalance and figured my incident was related--that it was a bug that had developed since my last flight in this a/c. I decided I would not fly this a/c again until I saw an update addressing ithe problem. However, what you say makes me think it was a one off or something unique to my setup, so I will fly it some more immediately and see if it re-occurs. In either case I will report back.
Any instructions?

[Jimbo]

Just completed KLAS - KSFO. Approx. 40 mins into flight on AP at FL360 Low Fuel warning illuminated. I selected Fuel screen, it showed rt main at 8k kg and left tank at 4k kg. This rate of use continued . I was solid instruments an an RNAV approach and got busy. When next I looked the situation had reversed and the left tank had 12 kg and the right 0 kg. I noticed the left main was gaining fuel. I checked again at the gate and the left main had 15 kg and the rt had 18 kg. Also, started flight with 26% fuel.
Totally bizarre.

[RicardoLVFR]

We will test to try to replicate it ASAP. Our apologies in the meantime.

[Jimbo]

I am going to try loading a lot more fuel--like 50% for a one hour flight. I expect the fuel usage to still be whacko but maybe the low fuel warning won't appear.