Narrative:

I was told at approximately XA35Z by the sr director of operations to get a hold of the crew of aircraft XXX and tell them that their next flight would be cancelled. Immediately attempted to call the station operations via the landline with no success. Next attempted to call the satcom of aircraft XXX but kept getting the pre-recorded message; 'your party is not answering'. Next called station manager and asked her to get a hold of the station because I could not; while explaining that the flight was now canceled. Next called center and asked them to pull the flight plan for the flight because I was having trouble getting the crew and needed to force them to call me before departing. They said no problem and pulled the flight plan. Next; had other dispatcher; both call and leave a message on captain's cellphone; and send a text message asking him to call us when he landed. The only reason I did not try commercial radio was because the flight seemed to now be on final at this point. By the time all of the previous action were completed; it was XB05Z. I was still calling the station operations but not having any luck reaching them but I figured since the flight plan was pulled; the flight could not depart anyway and was anticipating a call from either the station or captain asking to refile the flight plan. At approximately XB25Z I got a call asking me to confirm that the flight was in fact canceled. I told her that it was and I was still waiting for a call from either the station or the captain. She then informed me that when she got a hold of the station; they told her the flight was already out of the gate. I told her that that was impossible since I had pulled the flight plan. Upon checking the flight explorer; I confirmed that the flight was not only out but in fact airborn. Later I was able to ask the captain how he was able to get out without a flight plan on file and he said that when he called for clearance; ATC asked him if he was supposed to be a [non revenue] series flight number to which he replied 'no; he was flight ZZZ'; then ATC told him 'ok; we'll take care of it' and re-filed his flight plan. The only thing I can think of that could have possilby helped avoid this would be replacing the landline phones in the stations with a cell phone so that even at stations with minimal staffing where the agents are constantly moving around to do multiple tasks and duties; the agent will still have a cell phone on them no matter where they are located and could be reached.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Flight Dispatcher reports being unable to contact a crew to inform them that their next flight is canceled. ATC is contacted and the filed flight plan is canceled. The crew manages to get around this obstacle and depart on time.

Narrative: I WAS TOLD AT APPROX XA35Z BY THE SR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS TO GET A HOLD OF THE CREW OF ACFT XXX AND TELL THEM THAT THEIR NEXT FLIGHT WOULD BE CANCELLED. IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE STATION OPERATIONS VIA THE LANDLINE WITH NO SUCCESS. NEXT ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE SATCOM OF ACFT XXX BUT KEPT GETTING THE PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE; 'YOUR PARTY IS NOT ANSWERING'. NEXT CALLED STATION MANAGER AND ASKED HER TO GET A HOLD OF THE STATION BECAUSE I COULD NOT; WHILE EXPLAINING THAT THE FLIGHT WAS NOW CANCELED. NEXT CALLED CENTER AND ASKED THEM TO PULL THE FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE FLIGHT BECAUSE I WAS HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THE CREW AND NEEDED TO FORCE THEM TO CALL ME BEFORE DEPARTING. THEY SAID NO PROBLEM AND PULLED THE FLIGHT PLAN. NEXT; HAD OTHER DISPATCHER; BOTH CALL AND LEAVE A MESSAGE ON CAPTAIN'S CELLPHONE; AND SEND A TEXT MESSAGE ASKING HIM TO CALL US WHEN HE LANDED. THE ONLY REASON I DID NOT TRY COMMERCIAL RADIO WAS BECAUSE THE FLIGHT SEEMED TO NOW BE ON FINAL AT THIS POINT. BY THE TIME ALL OF THE PREVIOUS ACTION WERE COMPLETED; IT WAS XB05Z. I WAS STILL CALLING THE STATION OPERATIONS BUT NOT HAVING ANY LUCK REACHING THEM BUT I FIGURED SINCE THE FLIGHT PLAN WAS PULLED; THE FLIGHT COULD NOT DEPART ANYWAY AND WAS ANTICIPATING A CALL FROM EITHER THE STATION OR CAPTAIN ASKING TO REFILE THE FLIGHT PLAN. AT APPROXIMATELY XB25Z I GOT A CALL ASKING ME TO CONFIRM THAT THE FLIGHT WAS IN FACT CANCELED. I TOLD HER THAT IT WAS AND I WAS STILL WAITING FOR A CALL FROM EITHER THE STATION OR THE CAPTAIN. SHE THEN INFORMED ME THAT WHEN SHE GOT A HOLD OF THE STATION; THEY TOLD HER THE FLIGHT WAS ALREADY OUT OF THE GATE. I TOLD HER THAT THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE SINCE I HAD PULLED THE FLIGHT PLAN. UPON CHECKING THE FLIGHT EXPLORER; I CONFIRMED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS NOT ONLY OUT BUT IN FACT AIRBORN. LATER I WAS ABLE TO ASK THE CAPTAIN HOW HE WAS ABLE TO GET OUT WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN ON FILE AND HE SAID THAT WHEN HE CALLED FOR CLEARANCE; ATC ASKED HIM IF HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A [NON REVENUE] SERIES FLIGHT NUMBER TO WHICH HE REPLIED 'NO; HE WAS FLIGHT ZZZ'; THEN ATC TOLD HIM 'OK; WE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT' AND RE-FILED HIS FLIGHT PLAN. THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF THAT COULD HAVE POSSILBY HELPED AVOID THIS WOULD BE REPLACING THE LANDLINE PHONES IN THE STATIONS WITH A CELL PHONE SO THAT EVEN AT STATIONS WITH MINIMAL STAFFING WHERE THE AGENTS ARE CONSTANTLY MOVING AROUND TO DO MULTIPLE TASKS AND DUTIES; THE AGENT WILL STILL HAVE A CELL PHONE ON THEM NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED AND COULD BE REACHED.

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.