Narrative:

This dispatcher report is to bring up a few issues that occurred while working afternoon, sector on nov/fri/03. During the shift change it was brought to my attention that roc was having a few issues with snow, and winds, and that a flight to roc was briefed about the WX. Later in the shift I received an ACARS from flight telling me that they were diverting due to conditions at the field. They diverted due to the strong xwinds that were occurring and the fair to poor braking action, and also an aircraft ahead of them had landed and was sliding to the edge of the runway due to combination of winds, and conditions. Upon flight diversion at buf, the captain called and briefed me on the conditions at roc and what had occurred. The captain and I made a decision to hold the flight until runway conditions improved to fair at roc. The winds were gusting to approximately 30-35 KTS with mostly a crosswind factor that day, and the braking action fair to poor made for a bad combination. During this event I had another flight headed to roc. An ACARS message was sent to the flight advising them of the current conditions, the flight attempted an approach and felt the conditions were not favorable, and diverted to bwi. The remaining flight was also to roc, preparing to depart, I made the decision to pull the flight strip to prevent it from going and asked the captain to call me, he was briefed on the irregular operations at roc, we came to a decision that we would wait for fair braking action before departing. While these events were occurring I had been in contact with roc ATC tower asking them for condition reports on braking action, and the tower had confirmed that the braking action had been fair to poor. The B737 controller was informed about what was occurring and where we needed to go. She did a good job of communicating with me, and vice versa. The problem that started to occur, and found disturbing during the event, was that the decision not to operate until the conditions improved was being questioned by certain people. The station called a few times asking on why we weren't operating into roc, since other airlines were. I tried to explain to them that my concern didn't lie with other airlines but was with a safe operation, based on current conditions. While at the dispatch manager's desk, briefing the manager, the operations management manager, while on the phone with roc asked me what we needed to operate? And I told him we needed braking action fair before we would attempt to go. The operations manager relayed this information to the station, and then came back why aren't we operating in there, the other airlines are. There were a couple of things that needed to be addressed in this event for possible improvement. When we have these irregular events, the operations manager may want to talk with their controller and get the information of what is occurring. The controller in this event did a good job of handling the situation and working with me. The following day my manager asked what had happened with roc, since he had received an email from the roc station manager, questioning the decision that the capts and I made. The station needs to be patient with what is happening and not use other airlines as a bar or level of what our air carrier is doing for their operation, and not question a decision that is made when safety is concerned.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR DISPATCHERS HAVE CONSTANT INTERFERENCE FROM NON TECHNICALLY TRAINED, UNLICENSED, MGMNT EMPLOYEES, IN TECHNICAL OPERATIONAL MATTERS CONCERNING FLT CANCELLATIONS, FLT OPS, AND OPERATIONAL WX DECISIONS, IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE FARS.

Narrative: THIS DISPATCHER RPT IS TO BRING UP A FEW ISSUES THAT OCCURRED WHILE WORKING AFTERNOON, SECTOR ON NOV/FRI/03. DURING THE SHIFT CHANGE IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTN THAT ROC WAS HAVING A FEW ISSUES WITH SNOW, AND WINDS, AND THAT A FLT TO ROC WAS BRIEFED ABOUT THE WX. LATER IN THE SHIFT I RECEIVED AN ACARS FROM FLT TELLING ME THAT THEY WERE DIVERTING DUE TO CONDITIONS AT THE FIELD. THEY DIVERTED DUE TO THE STRONG XWINDS THAT WERE OCCURRING AND THE FAIR TO POOR BRAKING ACTION, AND ALSO AN ACFT AHEAD OF THEM HAD LANDED AND WAS SLIDING TO THE EDGE OF THE RWY DUE TO COMBINATION OF WINDS, AND CONDITIONS. UPON FLT DIVERSION AT BUF, THE CAPT CALLED AND BRIEFED ME ON THE CONDITIONS AT ROC AND WHAT HAD OCCURRED. THE CAPT AND I MADE A DECISION TO HOLD THE FLT UNTIL RWY CONDITIONS IMPROVED TO FAIR AT ROC. THE WINDS WERE GUSTING TO APPROX 30-35 KTS WITH MOSTLY A XWIND FACTOR THAT DAY, AND THE BRAKING ACTION FAIR TO POOR MADE FOR A BAD COMBINATION. DURING THIS EVENT I HAD ANOTHER FLT HEADED TO ROC. AN ACARS MESSAGE WAS SENT TO THE FLT ADVISING THEM OF THE CURRENT CONDITIONS, THE FLT ATTEMPTED AN APCH AND FELT THE CONDITIONS WERE NOT FAVORABLE, AND DIVERTED TO BWI. THE REMAINING FLT WAS ALSO TO ROC, PREPARING TO DEPART, I MADE THE DECISION TO PULL THE FLT STRIP TO PREVENT IT FROM GOING AND ASKED THE CAPT TO CALL ME, HE WAS BRIEFED ON THE IRREGULAR OPS AT ROC, WE CAME TO A DECISION THAT WE WOULD WAIT FOR FAIR BRAKING ACTION BEFORE DEPARTING. WHILE THESE EVENTS WERE OCCURRING I HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ROC ATC TWR ASKING THEM FOR CONDITION RPTS ON BRAKING ACTION, AND THE TWR HAD CONFIRMED THAT THE BRAKING ACTION HAD BEEN FAIR TO POOR. THE B737 CTLR WAS INFORMED ABOUT WHAT WAS OCCURRING AND WHERE WE NEEDED TO GO. SHE DID A GOOD JOB OF COMMUNICATING WITH ME, AND VICE VERSA. THE PROB THAT STARTED TO OCCUR, AND FOUND DISTURBING DURING THE EVENT, WAS THAT THE DECISION NOT TO OPERATE UNTIL THE CONDITIONS IMPROVED WAS BEING QUESTIONED BY CERTAIN PEOPLE. THE STATION CALLED A FEW TIMES ASKING ON WHY WE WEREN'T OPERATING INTO ROC, SINCE OTHER AIRLINES WERE. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT MY CONCERN DIDN'T LIE WITH OTHER AIRLINES BUT WAS WITH A SAFE OP, BASED ON CURRENT CONDITIONS. WHILE AT THE DISPATCH MGR'S DESK, BRIEFING THE MGR, THE OPS MGMNT MGR, WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH ROC ASKED ME WHAT WE NEEDED TO OPERATE? AND I TOLD HIM WE NEEDED BRAKING ACTION FAIR BEFORE WE WOULD ATTEMPT TO GO. THE OPS MGR RELAYED THIS INFO TO THE STATION, AND THEN CAME BACK WHY AREN'T WE OPERATING IN THERE, THE OTHER AIRLINES ARE. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS EVENT FOR POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT. WHEN WE HAVE THESE IRREGULAR EVENTS, THE OPS MGR MAY WANT TO TALK WITH THEIR CTLR AND GET THE INFO OF WHAT IS OCCURRING. THE CTLR IN THIS EVENT DID A GOOD JOB OF HANDLING THE SIT AND WORKING WITH ME. THE FOLLOWING DAY MY MGR ASKED WHAT HAD HAPPENED WITH ROC, SINCE HE HAD RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE ROC STATION MGR, QUESTIONING THE DECISION THAT THE CAPTS AND I MADE. THE STATION NEEDS TO BE PATIENT WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING AND NOT USE OTHER AIRLINES AS A BAR OR LEVEL OF WHAT OUR ACR IS DOING FOR THEIR OP, AND NOT QUESTION A DECISION THAT IS MADE WHEN SAFETY IS CONCERNED.

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.