[thesharkboy]

Sergeant Bachleda said the captain and the crew were trying to figure out how the aircraft was losing 6,000 pounds of fuel an hour and then they knew exactly what was going on.

Why were the crew still planning to fly to Japan while they were losing so much fuel? Their gauges were working properly, right? Am I missing something here?

[microgood]

Why were the crew still planning to fly to Japan while they were losing so much fuel? Their gauges were working properly, right? Am I missing something here?

Good point.

[Some hope remaining.]

Exactly what I was wondering.

[El Sordo]

I'd venture the guess that before they went feet wet over the Pacific, they'd have done a gut check and asked if they could trust their gauges and decided “No”.

At the least, the guy saved them from having to even consider an incorrect plan of action.

In my experience this is a nice feeling for those who have to make decisions.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“Why were the crew still planning to fly to Japan while they were losing so much fuel? Their gauges were working properly, right? Am I missing something here?

Indeed. Why wasn’t the rapid fuel depletion from the tanks noticed by the crew?
All the automation of a modern airliner should have caught this easily.