<< >> NASA ASRS Report 302478, April 1995

Air carrier dispatcher fails to catch the amended WX forecast prior to air carrier flight's departure from ewr. Flight continuation without a viable alternate airport.

Attributes
ACN	302478
Time
Date	199504
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : iah
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other personnel other
Qualification	other
ASRS Report	302478
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : weather non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Flight ewr-mci with a B737-300 under part 121 domestic. Flight was planned with no alternate based on the then current forecast. After flight was planned and released the forecast for mci was amended to 800 ft overcast at the arrival time. Due to the dispatchers workload and other operational problems the new forecast and lowering mci WX was not discovered by the dispatcher (myself) until after the flight departed ewr. I contacted the flight en route mci and discussed mci WX and options with the captain. We decided to proceed to mci with a further WX check and discussion abeam stl. The flight did not have sufficient fuel to name a viable alternate for mci but I and the captain elected to treat the situation as we would an amended forecast after the flight was en route. Abeam stl dispatcher and captain agreed to proceed mci based on current WX reports.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR DISPATCHER FAILS TO CATCH THE AMENDED WX FORECAST PRIOR TO ACR FLT'S DEP FROM EWR. FLT CONTINUATION WITHOUT A VIABLE ALTERNATE ARPT.

Narrative: FLT EWR-MCI WITH A B737-300 UNDER PART 121 DOMESTIC. FLT WAS PLANNED WITH NO ALTERNATE BASED ON THE THEN CURRENT FORECAST. AFTER FLT WAS PLANNED AND RELEASED THE FORECAST FOR MCI WAS AMENDED TO 800 FT OVCST AT THE ARR TIME. DUE TO THE DISPATCHERS WORKLOAD AND OTHER OPERATIONAL PROBS THE NEW FORECAST AND LOWERING MCI WX WAS NOT DISCOVERED BY THE DISPATCHER (MYSELF) UNTIL AFTER THE FLT DEPARTED EWR. I CONTACTED THE FLT ENRTE MCI AND DISCUSSED MCI WX AND OPTIONS WITH THE CAPT. WE DECIDED TO PROCEED TO MCI WITH A FURTHER WX CHK AND DISCUSSION ABEAM STL. THE FLT DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT FUEL TO NAME A VIABLE ALTERNATE FOR MCI BUT I AND THE CAPT ELECTED TO TREAT THE SIT AS WE WOULD AN AMENDED FORECAST AFTER THE FLT WAS ENRTE. ABEAM STL DISPATCHER AND CAPT AGREED TO PROCEED MCI BASED ON CURRENT WX RPTS.

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.