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Captain of an air carrier B727 complains about his company policy of dispatching the B727 on a scheduled route carrying sufficient fuel for terminal arrival delays and still allowing required minimum fuel upon landing.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 432530 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199903 |
| Day | Tue |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | navaid : sfo.vor |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | msl single value : 1900 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Marginal |
| Weather Elements | Windshear Turbulence Rain |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : o90.tracon tower : sfo.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | other vortac |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach landing : go around |
| Route In Use | approach : visual arrival other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : o90.tracon tower : sfo.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Brasilia EMB-120 All Series |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Navigation In Use | other vortac |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach |
| Route In Use | approach : visual arrival other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier government : faa |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | controller : radar pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 170 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 3500 |
| ASRS Report | 432530 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | inflight encounter : turbulence inflight encounter : weather non adherence : published procedure |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : furl qty. ind. other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : executed go around none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Company Weather |
| Primary Problem | Company |
Narrative:
The continuous assignment of B727 to cvg-west coast flts by marketing shows a disregard for safe operations. We were scheduled to arrive with 11.1K pounds of fuel, 6.5K pounds being company minimum fuel. Got onto quiet bridge visual approach to runway 28R with 11.4K pounds indicated. Due to twilight, rain and below overcast, we could not maintain visual contact with another airplane while flying aircraft on approach and in turbulence and windshear with high crosswind. Approach sent us around. Declared minimum fuel. Got set up for another approach, blocked in with 9.6K pounds of fuel. Factors: flying approach in these conditions (wind 190-210 degrees, 17-23 KTS) is busy enough without trying to visually track aircraft in marginal conditions (they did change to south operation after we landed). Our marketing department refuses to acknowledge our routing problem with aircraft range limitations.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CAPT OF AN ACR B727 COMPLAINS ABOUT HIS COMPANY POLICY OF DISPATCHING THE B727 ON A SCHEDULED RTE CARRYING SUFFICIENT FUEL FOR TERMINAL ARR DELAYS AND STILL ALLOWING REQUIRED MINIMUM FUEL UPON LNDG.
Narrative: THE CONTINUOUS ASSIGNMENT OF B727 TO CVG-WEST COAST FLTS BY MARKETING SHOWS A DISREGARD FOR SAFE OPS. WE WERE SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE WITH 11.1K LBS OF FUEL, 6.5K LBS BEING COMPANY MINIMUM FUEL. GOT ONTO QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 28R WITH 11.4K LBS INDICATED. DUE TO TWILIGHT, RAIN AND BELOW OVCST, WE COULD NOT MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT WITH ANOTHER AIRPLANE WHILE FLYING ACFT ON APCH AND IN TURB AND WINDSHEAR WITH HIGH XWIND. APCH SENT US AROUND. DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL. GOT SET UP FOR ANOTHER APCH, BLOCKED IN WITH 9.6K LBS OF FUEL. FACTORS: FLYING APCH IN THESE CONDITIONS (WIND 190-210 DEGS, 17-23 KTS) IS BUSY ENOUGH WITHOUT TRYING TO VISUALLY TRACK ACFT IN MARGINAL CONDITIONS (THEY DID CHANGE TO S OP AFTER WE LANDED). OUR MARKETING DEPT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR ROUTING PROB WITH ACFT RANGE LIMITATIONS.
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.