Narrative:

When we arrived at the aircraft we were informed by the gateway personnel that their printer was acting up. Our first flight release was missing weather and NOTAMS for the destination airfield. As a crew; we looked at what release information we had and saw a re-dispatch flight release to vhhh. The alternate was vmmc. With the re-dispatch we were landing at vhhh with 16.7 pounds. Of fuel. Flight Y that was departing 5 minutes after us and was dispatched by the same dispatcher the same way (re-dispatched). This low amount of fuel was a great concern to the entire crew and the fact that the gateway personnel said we would have to request new paperwork to get a good copy made us make a sat call to our dispatcher. We asked the dispatcher for new paperwork because of the printer problem and requested 10;000 more pounds. Of fuel. (We were fueled to 140.0 because the gateway personnel could not bring themselves to put such a low amount of fuel on the aircraft (132.1) and they could not understand why the fuel load was so much lower than the normal 150.0 to 154.0 that most flights have. Our flight release showed us with a total fuel of 132;100 pounds.) the dispatcher came back in a very negative tone and said he would not take a delay for paperwork and that he was not giving us more fuel and hung up. We called him back and informed him that we need proper paperwork with weather and NOTAMS and that we were putting the fuel on. (Flight Y put on an additional 7000 pounds. Of fuel.) after 54 minutes 5 flight releases were bought out to the aircraft one re-dispatched and four direct dispatch to vhhh. The captain accidentally sign 3 copies of the flight release and when airborne; I as the international relief officer; noticed that one copy was a direct dispatch and the other was a re-dispatch flight release and both were signed by the captain. Our corrective action was to confirm via sat comm which version of the release we were released for flight under and to confirm with the gateway personal that they had the same version as us and that it was signed by the captain. I have flown this route 3 times and have never seen a re-dispatch flight release used. Landing in a foreign country with 7000 pounds above emergency fuel is not a good practice and re-dispatch a flight when you a trying to move a lot of volume not an empty airplane!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD11 FLT CREW HAS SOME DIFFICULTY WITH THEIR DISPATCHER OVER ADDING FUEL; AND SIGNS THE WRONG RELEASE FORM.

Narrative: WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE AIRCRAFT WE WERE INFORMED BY THE GATEWAY PERSONNEL THAT THEIR PRINTER WAS ACTING UP. OUR FIRST FLIGHT RELEASE WAS MISSING WEATHER AND NOTAMS FOR THE DESTINATION AIRFIELD. AS A CREW; WE LOOKED AT WHAT RELEASE INFORMATION WE HAD AND SAW A RE-DISPATCH FLIGHT RELEASE TO VHHH. THE ALTERNATE WAS VMMC. WITH THE RE-DISPATCH WE WERE LANDING AT VHHH WITH 16.7 LBS. OF FUEL. FLIGHT Y THAT WAS DEPARTING 5 MINUTES AFTER US AND WAS DISPATCHED BY THE SAME DISPATCHER THE SAME WAY (RE-DISPATCHED). THIS LOW AMOUNT OF FUEL WAS A GREAT CONCERN TO THE ENTIRE CREW AND THE FACT THAT THE GATEWAY PERSONNEL SAID WE WOULD HAVE TO REQUEST NEW PAPERWORK TO GET A GOOD COPY MADE US MAKE A SAT CALL TO OUR DISPATCHER. WE ASKED THE DISPATCHER FOR NEW PAPERWORK BECAUSE OF THE PRINTER PROBLEM AND REQUESTED 10;000 MORE LBS. OF FUEL. (WE WERE FUELED TO 140.0 BECAUSE THE GATEWAY PERSONNEL COULD NOT BRING THEMSELVES TO PUT SUCH A LOW AMOUNT OF FUEL ON THE AIRCRAFT (132.1) AND THEY COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE FUEL LOAD WAS SO MUCH LOWER THAN THE NORMAL 150.0 TO 154.0 THAT MOST FLIGHTS HAVE. OUR FLIGHT RELEASE SHOWED US WITH A TOTAL FUEL OF 132;100 LBS.) THE DISPATCHER CAME BACK IN A VERY NEGATIVE TONE AND SAID HE WOULD NOT TAKE A DELAY FOR PAPERWORK AND THAT HE WAS NOT GIVING US MORE FUEL AND HUNG UP. WE CALLED HIM BACK AND INFORMED HIM THAT WE NEED PROPER PAPERWORK WITH WEATHER AND NOTAMS AND THAT WE WERE PUTTING THE FUEL ON. (FLT Y PUT ON AN ADDITIONAL 7000 LBS. OF FUEL.) AFTER 54 MINUTES 5 FLIGHT RELEASES WERE BOUGHT OUT TO THE AIRCRAFT ONE RE-DISPATCHED AND FOUR DIRECT DISPATCH TO VHHH. THE CAPTAIN ACCIDENTALLY SIGN 3 COPIES OF THE FLIGHT RELEASE AND WHEN AIRBORNE; I AS THE IRO; NOTICED THAT ONE COPY WAS A DIRECT DISPATCH AND THE OTHER WAS A RE-DISPATCH FLIGHT RELEASE AND BOTH WERE SIGNED BY THE CAPTAIN. OUR CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TO CONFIRM VIA SAT COMM WHICH VERSION OF THE RELEASE WE WERE RELEASED FOR FLIGHT UNDER AND TO CONFIRM WITH THE GATEWAY PERSONAL THAT THEY HAD THE SAME VERSION AS US AND THAT IT WAS SIGNED BY THE CAPTAIN. I HAVE FLOWN THIS ROUTE 3 TIMES AND HAVE NEVER SEEN A RE-DISPATCH FLIGHT RELEASE USED. LANDING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY WITH 7000 LBS ABOVE EMERGENCY FUEL IS NOT A GOOD PRACTICE AND RE-DISPATCH A FLIGHT WHEN YOU A TRYING TO MOVE A LOT OF VOLUME NOT AN EMPTY AIRPLANE!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.