Narrative:

We decided before we departed the gate that we should have an alternate due to the current radar at mco. Captain called dispatch and was told that the weather was not going to impact the area and we did not need additional fuel or an alternate. We took his word on this. When we arrived in the terminal area; storms were everywhere in all quadrants and we had extended vectoring by ATC to avoid large cells. Once we were clear of the weather; we were visual and were cleared for a visual approach. At this time our fuel had hit the 5000-pound level. Approach was smooth and uneventful except that the tailwinds were fluctuating between six and eight knots. About 200 ft AGL; we hit a 10-knot tailwind and it might have gone higher as captain touched down. Landing was smooth and uneventful. I was glad captain landed instead of performing a go-around as the field was about to be turned around for north landings; which would have caused us to declare minimum fuel and depending how long for the airport switch; possibly emergency fuel status. Also; there were numerous storms in all quadrants around mco that also could have delayed our return for landing. That situation was far worse than landing with a possible tailwind that exceeded 10 knots. We should not have been placed in this situation. Both pilots determined that an alternate/extra fuel was appropriate but we succumbed to dispatch and left without it. That put us in a situation where we had to quickly decide to risk a low fuel situation or exceed an aircraft limitation. Captain made the right decision.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Noting weather west of MCO; B737 flight crew requests an alternate from their Dispatcher and additional fuel. The Dispatcher states the weather is stationary and the forecast is good; so no additional fuel. Upon arrival there are thunderstorms in all quadrants and the Captain elects to land with a tailwind greater than 10 knots rather than go-around with minimum fuel.

Narrative: We decided before we departed the gate that we should have an alternate due to the current radar at MCO. Captain called Dispatch and was told that the weather was not going to impact the area and we did not need additional fuel or an alternate. We took his word on this. When we arrived in the terminal area; storms were everywhere in all quadrants and we had extended vectoring by ATC to avoid large cells. Once we were clear of the weather; we were visual and were cleared for a visual approach. At this time our fuel had hit the 5000-pound level. Approach was smooth and uneventful except that the tailwinds were fluctuating between six and eight knots. About 200 FT AGL; we hit a 10-knot tailwind and it might have gone higher as Captain touched down. Landing was smooth and uneventful. I was glad Captain landed instead of performing a go-around as the field was about to be turned around for north landings; which would have caused us to declare minimum fuel and depending how long for the airport switch; possibly emergency fuel status. Also; there were numerous storms in all quadrants around MCO that also could have delayed our return for landing. That situation was far worse than landing with a possible tailwind that exceeded 10 knots. We should not have been placed in this situation. Both Pilots determined that an alternate/extra fuel was appropriate but we succumbed to Dispatch and left without it. That put us in a situation where we had to quickly decide to risk a low fuel situation or exceed an aircraft limitation. Captain made the right decision.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.