 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Dispatcher reported the problems with their computerized flight planning system.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1316210 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201512 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise Parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Dispatcher |
| Qualification | Dispatch Dispatcher |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
The flight planning system is 'unsafe'! It is too slow to safely and effectively perform the necessary functions for the aircraft dispatcher. Today I had to change alternates due to an inaccurate forecast. Some flights were airborne and some were still on the ground. Crews received the changes in an untimely manner because the computer could not calculate the changes fast enough for the crews to get the information. This slowness has gotten slower as we get busier. The ACARS portion of the system was sending 'mas fail' alerts after the information was sent to the aircraft. The message was in error as the crews were receiving the information and acknowledging the messages. Because of the error the dispatcher now has to go back and verify whether or not the crews received the information thus slowing down the amendment process for other crews. As has been previously reported; the computer is slow to change between tabs and you can easily send ACARS messages to the wrong tail. MEL retrieval has gotten even slower than previously reported. With these problems it is very difficult for the aircraft dispatcher to keep up with the workload and still maintain a safe; legal; effective; efficient and timely operation.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Dispatcher reported the problems with their computerized flight planning system.
Narrative: The flight planning system is 'UNSAFE'! It is TOO SLOW to safely and effectively perform the necessary functions for the Aircraft Dispatcher. Today I had to change alternates due to an inaccurate forecast. Some flights were airborne and some were still on the ground. Crews received the changes in an untimely manner because the computer could not calculate the changes fast enough for the crews to get the information. This slowness has gotten slower as we get busier. The ACARS portion of the system was sending 'MAS FAIL' alerts after the information was sent to the aircraft. The message was in error as the crews were receiving the information and acknowledging the messages. Because of the error the Dispatcher now has to go back and verify whether or not the crews received the information thus slowing down the amendment process for other crews. As has been previously reported; the computer is slow to change between tabs and you can easily send ACARS messages to the wrong tail. MEL retrieval has gotten even slower than previously reported. With these problems it is very difficult for the Aircraft Dispatcher to keep up with the workload and still maintain a safe; legal; effective; efficient and timely operation.
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.