Flight crew of crj feel company was precipitous in declaring a fuel emergency with ATC.

Attributes
ACN	604725
Time
Date	200401
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : msp.airport
State Reference	MN
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Regional Jet CL65, Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	descent : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 155 flight time total : 4573 flight time type : 680
ASRS Report	604725
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : overcame equipment problem flight crew : declared emergency
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Company

Narrative:

We were rerted on a different arrival which required a new alternate on the 'north side' versus 'south side' of msp. We were in constant ACARS contact with company and updated them with fuel on board and fuel on arrival. Company dispatch needed to recalculate dlh as an alternate (or perhaps dlh and another alternate). Our original alternate wasn't acceptable with our 'new' arrival routing. The original alternate was rst (south side of msp). At this point, we had been reclred on our original flight planned arrival. This was communicated to the company. A few mins later, center notified us that our company had declared an emergency on our flight due to low fuel. We clarified that we were not having an emergency and there was some confusion at dispatch. The company was updated throughout this constantly with fuel remaining, fuel on board, and fuel on arrival -- with fuel on arrival at 2600 pounds, which equates to 80 mins of reserve/contingency fuel. Dispatch was seriously confused on the declaration of emergency fuel condition without any knowledge to the flight crew. At no time was the safety of the flight jeopardized. At no time were we not in contact with the company. At the time of this writing, company is researching the dispatch error. Our company fom defines the following: 'minimum fuel condition: less than 30 mins of flight time to fuel exhaustion.' 'emergency fuel condition: less than 20 mins of flight time to fuel exhaustion.' we taxied off the runway with 2600 pounds of fuel. We shut down at the gate with 2400 pounds of fuel.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF CRJ FEEL COMPANY WAS PRECIPITOUS IN DECLARING A FUEL EMER WITH ATC.

Narrative: WE WERE RERTED ON A DIFFERENT ARR WHICH REQUIRED A NEW ALTERNATE ON THE 'N SIDE' VERSUS 'S SIDE' OF MSP. WE WERE IN CONSTANT ACARS CONTACT WITH COMPANY AND UPDATED THEM WITH FUEL ON BOARD AND FUEL ON ARR. COMPANY DISPATCH NEEDED TO RECALCULATE DLH AS AN ALTERNATE (OR PERHAPS DLH AND ANOTHER ALTERNATE). OUR ORIGINAL ALTERNATE WASN'T ACCEPTABLE WITH OUR 'NEW' ARR ROUTING. THE ORIGINAL ALTERNATE WAS RST (S SIDE OF MSP). AT THIS POINT, WE HAD BEEN RECLRED ON OUR ORIGINAL FLT PLANNED ARR. THIS WAS COMMUNICATED TO THE COMPANY. A FEW MINS LATER, CTR NOTIFIED US THAT OUR COMPANY HAD DECLARED AN EMER ON OUR FLT DUE TO LOW FUEL. WE CLARIFIED THAT WE WERE NOT HAVING AN EMER AND THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION AT DISPATCH. THE COMPANY WAS UPDATED THROUGHOUT THIS CONSTANTLY WITH FUEL REMAINING, FUEL ON BOARD, AND FUEL ON ARR -- WITH FUEL ON ARR AT 2600 LBS, WHICH EQUATES TO 80 MINS OF RESERVE/CONTINGENCY FUEL. DISPATCH WAS SERIOUSLY CONFUSED ON THE DECLARATION OF EMER FUEL CONDITION WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE TO THE FLT CREW. AT NO TIME WAS THE SAFETY OF THE FLT JEOPARDIZED. AT NO TIME WERE WE NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE COMPANY. AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING, COMPANY IS RESEARCHING THE DISPATCH ERROR. OUR COMPANY FOM DEFINES THE FOLLOWING: 'MINIMUM FUEL CONDITION: LESS THAN 30 MINS OF FLT TIME TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.' 'EMER FUEL CONDITION: LESS THAN 20 MINS OF FLT TIME TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.' WE TAXIED OFF THE RWY WITH 2600 LBS OF FUEL. WE SHUT DOWN AT THE GATE WITH 2400 LBS OF FUEL.

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.