Ground personnel unable to transmit weight and balance to flight uses another equipment type number....

Attributes
ACN	189961
Time
Date	199109
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dtw
State Reference	MI
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	189961
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Flight medium large transport X equipment departing large hub station. After pushback, agent calls dispatch. Unable to send final weight tab to the flight. Dispatch has the out times removed from the computer so that the agent can send the weight tab. At the same time, the flight calls dispatch on the radio complaining that the agent is sending them a weight tab for an medium large transport xx. When questioned, agent stated that he was sending the weight tab for the next flight that left an hour later because the 1 for this flight would not work. The implications of using non dispatchers for weight and balance computations, because it is cheaper to use unqualified agents, are staggering. The FAA continues to ignore the regulations in this regard. Indeed, this airline now claims that dispatchers no longer need to be trained in weight and balance computations in the computer. See 121.422 (a)(2)(III), 121.533(B), 121.593, 121.633, 121.665, and 121.693.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GND PERSONNEL UNABLE TO XMIT WT AND BAL TO FLT USES ANOTHER EQUIP TYPE NUMBER. DISPATCHER PROTESTS QUALIFICATION OF GND PERSONNEL.

Narrative: FLT MLG X EQUIP DEPARTING LARGE HUB STATION. AFTER PUSHBACK, AGENT CALLS DISPATCH. UNABLE TO SEND FINAL WT TAB TO THE FLT. DISPATCH HAS THE OUT TIMES REMOVED FROM THE COMPUTER SO THAT THE AGENT CAN SEND THE WT TAB. AT THE SAME TIME, THE FLT CALLS DISPATCH ON THE RADIO COMPLAINING THAT THE AGENT IS SENDING THEM A WT TAB FOR AN MLG XX. WHEN QUESTIONED, AGENT STATED THAT HE WAS SENDING THE WT TAB FOR THE NEXT FLT THAT LEFT AN HR LATER BECAUSE THE 1 FOR THIS FLT WOULD NOT WORK. THE IMPLICATIONS OF USING NON DISPATCHERS FOR WT AND BAL COMPUTATIONS, BECAUSE IT IS CHEAPER TO USE UNQUALIFIED AGENTS, ARE STAGGERING. THE FAA CONTINUES TO IGNORE THE REGS IN THIS REGARD. INDEED, THIS AIRLINE NOW CLAIMS THAT DISPATCHERS NO LONGER NEED TO BE TRAINED IN WT AND BAL COMPUTATIONS IN THE COMPUTER. SEE 121.422 (A)(2)(III), 121.533(B), 121.593, 121.633, 121.665, AND 121.693.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.

Ground personnel unable to transmit weight and balance to flight uses another equipment type number. Dispatcher protests qualification of ground personnel.