Fuel leak after departure

연료 누출의 핵심 판단은 "연료를 좌우로 옮겨 밸런스 맞추지 말 것"입니다 — 누출 쪽으로 멀쩡한 연료까지 버려질 수 있어서요. 그래서 누출 쪽을 격리(isolate)합니다. 사건이 발견 → 교차확인 → 격리 → 계산 → 결정 순서로 흐르니, 문법도 시간 순서(as soon as / once / after)로 갑니다.

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1. Scenario

I was the First Officer of HL123, a twin-engine aircraft, in the cruise after departure.

During the cruise, we noticed that the total fuel was decreasing faster than expected, and we had a growing fuel imbalance between the left and right tanks. We suspected a fuel leak.

As soon as we suspected a leak, we ran the fuel leak checklist. Importantly, we did not balance the fuel by crossfeed, because that could pump good fuel overboard through the leak. Instead, we isolated the affected side.

Once the leak was isolated, we calculated our remaining usable fuel. After we confirmed we had a real leak and limited fuel, we declared a PAN-PAN and decided to divert to the nearest suitable airport.

ATC gave us priority and radar vectors, and we landed safely with enough fuel.

2. 상황 한눈에 (At a glance)

English — In the cruise, the total fuel dropped faster than expected, with a growing imbalance between tanks, so we suspected a fuel leak. The key decision is: do not crossfeed to balance the fuel, because that can pump good fuel overboard — instead, isolate the leaking side. The flow: notice → run the checklist → isolate → calculate remaining fuel → declare a PAN-PAN and divert.

한국어 — 순항 중 총연료가 예상보다 빨리 줄고 좌우 탱크 불균형이 커져 연료 누출을 의심했습니다. 핵심 판단은 크로스피드로 밸런스를 맞추지 말 것 — 멀쩡한 연료까지 누출로 버려질 수 있어서요. 대신 누출 쪽을 격리합니다. 흐름: 발견 → 체크리스트 → 격리 → 잔여 연료 계산 → PAN-PAN 선언·회항.

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3. Key Verbs — 동사 + 예문

notice

뜻: 알아차리다

• We noticed that the fuel was decreasing faster than expected.
• The crew noticed a growing fuel imbalance.

suspect

뜻: 의심하다

• We suspected a fuel leak.
• As soon as we suspected a leak, we ran the checklist.

isolate

뜻: 격리하다, 차단하다

• We isolated the affected side.
• Once the leak was isolated, the imbalance stopped growing.

calculate

뜻: 계산하다

• We calculated our remaining usable fuel.
• We calculated whether we could reach the airport.

confirm

뜻: 확인하다

• We confirmed that we had a real leak.
• After we confirmed the leak, we declared a PAN-PAN.

decide

뜻: 결정하다

• We decided to divert to the nearest suitable airport.
• We decided not to balance the fuel.

divert

뜻: 회항하다

• We diverted because of the fuel leak.
• We diverted to the nearest suitable airport.

monitor

뜻: 계속 확인하다

• We monitored the fuel quantity closely.
• We monitored the imbalance after isolating the leak.

avoid

뜻: 피하다

• We avoided using crossfeed to balance the fuel.
• We avoided pumping good fuel overboard.

declare

뜻: 선언하다

• We declared a PAN-PAN.
• We declared an urgency because of the fuel situation.

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4. 핵심 표현·콜로케이션

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5. 상황 어휘 Vocabulary

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6. ⭐ 말하기 좋은 문장 구조 (Sentence Frames)

빈칸만 갈아끼우면 다른 진단·판단 상황에도 그대로 씁니다.

• We noticed that ____ faster than expected. → We noticed that the fuel was decreasing faster than expected.
• As soon as we suspected ____, we ____. → As soon as we suspected a leak, we ran the checklist.
• We did not ____, because ____. → We did not crossfeed, because it could pump good fuel overboard.
• Once ____, we ____. → Once the leak was isolated, we calculated our remaining fuel.
• After we confirmed ____, we ____. → After we confirmed the leak, we declared a PAN-PAN and diverted.

오늘의 표현 포인트 — "As soon as … / Once … / After …" 순서를 분명히 말하는 틀. 사건을 시간 순으로 깔끔하게 풀 때 핵심입니다.

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7. ❌ 흔한 실수 → ✅ 더 나은 표현

한국인이 자주 쓰는 틀리거나 약한 표현을, 시험에서 통하는 표현으로 바꿔 익히세요.

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8. 오늘의 문법 포인트 — 시간 순서: as soon as / once / after

사건을 순서대로 말할 때 as soon as (~하자마자) · once (일단 ~하면) · after (~한 뒤)를 씁니다.

• As soon as we suspected a leak, we ran the checklist.
• Once the leak was isolated, we calculated our fuel.
• After we confirmed the leak, we diverted.

핵심: 이 접속사 뒤에는 보통 과거(또는 과거완료)를 쓰고, 주절에 다음 행동을 둡니다. 순서가 또렷해져 듣는 사람이 따라오기 쉬워요.

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9. Model Answer — Q1

"What happened to your aircraft? Explain the nature of the incident."

틀은 자유 — 무슨 일 → 어떻게 대처 → 결과 흐름이면 됩니다.

During the cruise, we noticed that the total fuel was decreasing faster than expected, and there was a growing imbalance between the left and right tanks. That made us suspect a fuel leak.

As soon as we suspected a leak, we ran the fuel leak checklist. We did not balance the fuel by crossfeed, because that could pump good fuel overboard through the leak. Instead, we isolated the affected side.

Once the leak was isolated, we calculated our remaining usable fuel. After we confirmed we had a real leak and limited fuel, we declared a PAN-PAN and decided to divert to the nearest suitable airport.

ATC gave us priority and radar vectors, and we landed safely with enough fuel. The key point was isolating the leak rather than balancing the fuel, and keeping a clear picture of how much we had left.

10. Model Answer — Q2

"How do you think ATC handled the situation? Could it have been handled differently?"

Q2 = ATC 평가로 의견 표현을 익히는 자리. 아래는 한 예시 — 외워서 그대로 쓰지 말고, 시작·마무리 표현은 자유롭게 바꿔 보세요.

I'd say ATC did a good job. After we declared the PAN-PAN, they gave us priority and direct vectors to the nearest suitable airport, which saved fuel and time when we needed it most.

One thing that could be better is earlier coordination of the runway and emergency services, just in case the leak got worse. But overall, their quick priority handling helped us land with a safe fuel margin.

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11. Follow-up Q&A

1. Why did you suspect a fuel leak? → The total fuel was dropping faster than normal, and we had a growing imbalance between the tanks.
2. Why didn't you balance the fuel with crossfeed? → Because crossfeed could send good fuel to the leaking side and pump it overboard, so we isolated the leak instead.
3. Why did you declare a PAN-PAN and not a MAYDAY? → The aircraft was still flying normally and we had time, so it was an urgency. We would upgrade to a MAYDAY if the fuel became critical.
4. How did you decide where to divert? → We calculated our remaining usable fuel and chose the nearest suitable airport we could reach with a safe margin.

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12. Shadowing Sentences

각 문장을 3~5번 소리 내어 따라 하세요.

1. The total fuel was decreasing faster than expected.
2. We had a growing imbalance between the tanks.
3. As soon as we suspected a leak, we ran the checklist.
4. We did not crossfeed, because it could pump good fuel overboard.
5. Instead, we isolated the affected side.
6. Once the leak was isolated, we calculated our remaining fuel.
7. After we confirmed the leak, we declared a PAN-PAN.
8. We decided to divert to the nearest suitable airport.
9. ATC gave us priority and radar vectors.
10. We landed safely with enough fuel.

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다 읽었으면, 위 문장 구조 몇 개를 골라 30초만 직접 말해보세요. 화면에서 녹음하고 ICAO 6영역 채점을 받아보고 싶다면 EPTA Coach에서 1회차를 무료로 열어둡니다.