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Airline dispatcher directed 2 flts to alternate airports not approved on the company operation specifications due to unforecasted WX causing them to have to divert.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 519024 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200107 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : ord.airport |
| State Reference | IL |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Weather Elements | Thunderstorm Windshear |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | MD-88 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B737-800 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | other personnel |
| ASRS Report | 519024 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | inflight encounter : weather inflight encounter other non adherence : company policies other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb other other : 1 (dispatcher) |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : diverted to another airport |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Weather Company |
| Primary Problem | Weather |
Narrative:
Based on present WX conditions and forecast for ord, air carrier flight X (MD88) to ord, and air carrier flight Y (B737-800) flight to ord, were dispatched and were en route without a designated alternate airport. With both flts en route, thunderstorms began to develop west of the airport. Both flts were nearing the airport environment as well as the thunderstorms. The flts were on approach well below 10000 ft when a windshear alert was issued. Both flts discontinued their approach and flight X diverted to zza and flight Y diverted to zzb. Both flts landed without incident. They were svced and returned to ord once the WX conditions improved. The diversion airports of zza and zzb are not authority/authorized airports and are not listed in air carrier operations manuals. However, the nearest authority/authorized airport was impacted by thunderstorms as well. With the concurrence of the crew, it was determined that the safest and prudent course of action would be to land at the nearest suitable airport, in these cases, at zza and zzb.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AIRLINE DISPATCHER DIRECTED 2 FLTS TO ALTERNATE ARPTS NOT APPROVED ON THE COMPANY OP SPECS DUE TO UNFORECASTED WX CAUSING THEM TO HAVE TO DIVERT.
Narrative: BASED ON PRESENT WX CONDITIONS AND FORECAST FOR ORD, ACR FLT X (MD88) TO ORD, AND ACR FLT Y (B737-800) FLT TO ORD, WERE DISPATCHED AND WERE ENRTE WITHOUT A DESIGNATED ALTERNATE ARPT. WITH BOTH FLTS ENRTE, TSTMS BEGAN TO DEVELOP W OF THE ARPT. BOTH FLTS WERE NEARING THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS THE TSTMS. THE FLTS WERE ON APCH WELL BELOW 10000 FT WHEN A WINDSHEAR ALERT WAS ISSUED. BOTH FLTS DISCONTINUED THEIR APCH AND FLT X DIVERTED TO ZZA AND FLT Y DIVERTED TO ZZB. BOTH FLTS LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THEY WERE SVCED AND RETURNED TO ORD ONCE THE WX CONDITIONS IMPROVED. THE DIVERSION ARPTS OF ZZA AND ZZB ARE NOT AUTH ARPTS AND ARE NOT LISTED IN ACR OPS MANUALS. HOWEVER, THE NEAREST AUTH ARPT WAS IMPACTED BY TSTMS AS WELL. WITH THE CONCURRENCE OF THE CREW, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SAFEST AND PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION WOULD BE TO LAND AT THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT, IN THESE CASES, AT ZZA AND ZZB.
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.