Narrative:

Received an ACARS from air carrier, the flight was airborne. Captain requested that I confirm the 330 pounds of additional en route burn as per load closeout. Since I had not discussed nor authority/authorized any additional en route burn for the flight, I called the load agent and asked him if he knew of any additional en route burn for flight. He said that he had authority/authorized it. I asked him why he had done it without first discussing it with the dispatcher. He was very defensive about it and said that it was the only way he had found to get the flight out of ict, as the plane had been overfueled. He then complained that dispatchers always send aircraft to ict with too much fuel on board. He ssid he had already restr the payload because of the overfuel and he did not want to restr it even further. I then told the agent that in the future he should first discuss any additional en route burn with the dispatcher assigned to the flight. I then sent a message to the flight informing the crew that loads had failed to inform me of any additional en route burn. Since the airport had not discussed it with me prior to departing, and the airplane was already airborne, the only thing I could suggest was to burn any additional fuel required so as to avoid an overweight landing condition. I then explained the situation to my sector manager, filed a report, and revised the release to show the required additional en route burn. The captain said there was a note in the closeout instructing him to burn 330 pounds of additional fuel en route. After he took off and reviewed the paperwork, he started to question the origin of the note and sent me a message to confirm the additional en route burn. Had he not done that, I would never have known what the load agent had done on his own without telling me. Supplemental information from acn 395270: found that aircraft had approximately 3000 pounds more fuel than release. We were weight restr so I promptly advised load control by phone, I was told they could not defuel the aircraft and we would remove passenger. After gate departure we received a closeout that made us 300 pounds overweight for landing with a remark that said we needed to burn 330 pounds extra for landing. After takeoff, I reread the closeout and decided to call dispatch to confirm his authority/authorized for the burn. He replied via ACARS that this was the first he had heard of it. He did check and found load control had put this on the closeout. Maybe 'contact dispatch' would have been a better remark.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FOKKER 100 IS GIVEN TOO MUCH FUEL FOR FLT ICT TO DFW. BECAUSE OF HIGH FUEL LOAD IT PLACES ACFT TOO HVY TO LAND AT DFW. FLC WAS UNAWARE OF MUCH OF THE FUEL PLANNING DONE BY DISPATCH.

Narrative: RECEIVED AN ACARS FROM ACR, THE FLT WAS AIRBORNE. CAPT REQUESTED THAT I CONFIRM THE 330 LBS OF ADDITIONAL ENRTE BURN AS PER LOAD CLOSEOUT. SINCE I HAD NOT DISCUSSED NOR AUTH ANY ADDITIONAL ENRTE BURN FOR THE FLT, I CALLED THE LOAD AGENT AND ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW OF ANY ADDITIONAL ENRTE BURN FOR FLT. HE SAID THAT HE HAD AUTH IT. I ASKED HIM WHY HE HAD DONE IT WITHOUT FIRST DISCUSSING IT WITH THE DISPATCHER. HE WAS VERY DEFENSIVE ABOUT IT AND SAID THAT IT WAS THE ONLY WAY HE HAD FOUND TO GET THE FLT OUT OF ICT, AS THE PLANE HAD BEEN OVERFUELED. HE THEN COMPLAINED THAT DISPATCHERS ALWAYS SEND ACFT TO ICT WITH TOO MUCH FUEL ON BOARD. HE SSID HE HAD ALREADY RESTR THE PAYLOAD BECAUSE OF THE OVERFUEL AND HE DID NOT WANT TO RESTR IT EVEN FURTHER. I THEN TOLD THE AGENT THAT IN THE FUTURE HE SHOULD FIRST DISCUSS ANY ADDITIONAL ENRTE BURN WITH THE DISPATCHER ASSIGNED TO THE FLT. I THEN SENT A MESSAGE TO THE FLT INFORMING THE CREW THAT LOADS HAD FAILED TO INFORM ME OF ANY ADDITIONAL ENRTE BURN. SINCE THE ARPT HAD NOT DISCUSSED IT WITH ME PRIOR TO DEPARTING, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS ALREADY AIRBORNE, THE ONLY THING I COULD SUGGEST WAS TO BURN ANY ADDITIONAL FUEL REQUIRED SO AS TO AVOID AN OVERWT LNDG CONDITION. I THEN EXPLAINED THE SIT TO MY SECTOR MGR, FILED A RPT, AND REVISED THE RELEASE TO SHOW THE REQUIRED ADDITIONAL ENRTE BURN. THE CAPT SAID THERE WAS A NOTE IN THE CLOSEOUT INSTRUCTING HIM TO BURN 330 LBS OF ADDITIONAL FUEL ENRTE. AFTER HE TOOK OFF AND REVIEWED THE PAPERWORK, HE STARTED TO QUESTION THE ORIGIN OF THE NOTE AND SENT ME A MESSAGE TO CONFIRM THE ADDITIONAL ENRTE BURN. HAD HE NOT DONE THAT, I WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN WHAT THE LOAD AGENT HAD DONE ON HIS OWN WITHOUT TELLING ME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 395270: FOUND THAT ACFT HAD APPROX 3000 LBS MORE FUEL THAN RELEASE. WE WERE WT RESTR SO I PROMPTLY ADVISED LOAD CTL BY PHONE, I WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT DEFUEL THE ACFT AND WE WOULD REMOVE PAX. AFTER GATE DEP WE RECEIVED A CLOSEOUT THAT MADE US 300 LBS OVERWT FOR LNDG WITH A REMARK THAT SAID WE NEEDED TO BURN 330 LBS EXTRA FOR LNDG. AFTER TKOF, I REREAD THE CLOSEOUT AND DECIDED TO CALL DISPATCH TO CONFIRM HIS AUTH FOR THE BURN. HE REPLIED VIA ACARS THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST HE HAD HEARD OF IT. HE DID CHK AND FOUND LOAD CTL HAD PUT THIS ON THE CLOSEOUT. MAYBE 'CONTACT DISPATCH' WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER REMARK.

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.