MD80/82 fuel leak!!!

[AOB9]

I am not a pilot, just a flying junkie. I am a frequent flyer and I also fly as a passenger on a friends Piper Cherokee. However, I witnessed an incident many years ago that still bothers me just a little. Having recently found this forum I wonder if you can shed some light.Here goes.........

Back in 1999 I was on a flight from Majorca to Dublin on an MD80/82 (not fully sure exactly which). Shortly after take-off I noticed 'liquid' flowing from the wing surface on the left side. It was very wet on the ground and decided it was just rain water. However, as the flight progressed this liquid (which I now decided was fuel) continued to flow. When the a/c banked left it became worse and appeared to 'run' from an "access port" on the surface of the wing. My wife is a nervous flyer and I decided not to draw her (and others) attention to the issue. So I went to the gally and expressed my concerns to a flight attendant. She didn't wait to see for herself and went straight to the cockpit. She returned later to say the issue had been resolved and indeed the flow had stopped.

Is it okay to ask you guys what exactly happened here? I have largely forgotten about this incident and it has never really bothered me since.I'm just curious.

Anthony.

[763 jock]

If the wings were full then likely to be venting from a surge tank near the wingtip. Was the fuel venting from above or below the wing?

[AOB9]

I am 100% certain it vented from the upper surface. In fact I could see it 'running' along the upper surface and rolling off the trailing edge.