Narrative:

I know this is now a week old; but thought someone should hear about this. There were no far's or company policies broken. This is in regards to pushing our fuel burn numbers. On departure we were tankered with 365 pounds on our way to iah. En route; my first officer and I noticed we were behind on our fuel score card and then noticed the FMS showing us with under our reserve fuel as well upon landing in iah. After doing our mental calculations at 42 pounds a minute; the crew came up with the exact same numbers as the FMS; landing in iah with 1600 pounds. This is of course after we went to lrc settings. I was PNF and contacted dispatch; but their numbers showed us having plenty of fuel. We know however we would be short as dispatch's numbers from cruise to landing are never accurate. The crew made a mutual decision to divert and got lft as our diversion airport. After landing in lft I was questioned impolitely for 10 mins by telephone on why I diverted by the chief pilot. Point is; I am not going to knowingly go into my reserve fuel while en route to my destination. There was stronger than forecasted winds aloft and we were only tankering 365 pounds of fuel. This is the first time I have diverted for this reason and the WX was great in iah; but if we developed some sort of emergency that is what reserve fuel is for; not to plan into the flight plan. In closing we are being pushed to the limit on fuel at times and are not being supported by our supervisors for making the decision that ultimately was the safest course of action for the crew to take on that particular flight in that particular situation. When we did leave lft for iah; we did receive holding; which meant more than likely the same would have happened had we originally pressed on. One more thing; we tripled our dispatch burn numbers for the diversion to lft and doubled the burn numbers we received from the hold when doing the lft to iah flight. Ended up landing with 1600 pounds in iah and left the hold 500 pounds above dispatched bingo number. Had we left the hold at their bingo number; we would have landed in iah with 1100 pounds; hardly enough to execute a simple go around not even considering time to run checklists if necessary. I know dispatch is doing their job when giving us the numbers; I just wish there was a way to make those numbers more reliable.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF CRJ200 EXPRESSES DISAGREEMENT AT MANNER IN WHICH DISPATCH FUEL IS DETERMINED AT HIS ACR.

Narrative: I KNOW THIS IS NOW A WEEK OLD; BUT THOUGHT SOMEONE SHOULD HEAR ABOUT THIS. THERE WERE NO FAR'S OR COMPANY POLICIES BROKEN. THIS IS IN REGARDS TO PUSHING OUR FUEL BURN NUMBERS. ON DEP WE WERE TANKERED WITH 365 LBS ON OUR WAY TO IAH. ENRTE; MY FO AND I NOTICED WE WERE BEHIND ON OUR FUEL SCORE CARD AND THEN NOTICED THE FMS SHOWING US WITH UNDER OUR RESERVE FUEL AS WELL UPON LNDG IN IAH. AFTER DOING OUR MENTAL CALCULATIONS AT 42 LBS A MINUTE; THE CREW CAME UP WITH THE EXACT SAME NUMBERS AS THE FMS; LNDG IN IAH WITH 1600 LBS. THIS IS OF COURSE AFTER WE WENT TO LRC SETTINGS. I WAS PNF AND CONTACTED DISPATCH; BUT THEIR NUMBERS SHOWED US HAVING PLENTY OF FUEL. WE KNOW HOWEVER WE WOULD BE SHORT AS DISPATCH'S NUMBERS FROM CRUISE TO LNDG ARE NEVER ACCURATE. THE CREW MADE A MUTUAL DECISION TO DIVERT AND GOT LFT AS OUR DIVERSION ARPT. AFTER LNDG IN LFT I WAS QUESTIONED IMPOLITELY FOR 10 MINS BY TELEPHONE ON WHY I DIVERTED BY THE CHIEF PLT. POINT IS; I AM NOT GOING TO KNOWINGLY GO INTO MY RESERVE FUEL WHILE ENRTE TO MY DEST. THERE WAS STRONGER THAN FORECASTED WINDS ALOFT AND WE WERE ONLY TANKERING 365 LBS OF FUEL. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE DIVERTED FOR THIS REASON AND THE WX WAS GREAT IN IAH; BUT IF WE DEVELOPED SOME SORT OF EMER THAT IS WHAT RESERVE FUEL IS FOR; NOT TO PLAN INTO THE FLT PLAN. IN CLOSING WE ARE BEING PUSHED TO THE LIMIT ON FUEL AT TIMES AND ARE NOT BEING SUPPORTED BY OUR SUPVRS FOR MAKING THE DECISION THAT ULTIMATELY WAS THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION FOR THE CREW TO TAKE ON THAT PARTICULAR FLT IN THAT PARTICULAR SITUATION. WHEN WE DID LEAVE LFT FOR IAH; WE DID RECEIVE HOLDING; WHICH MEANT MORE THAN LIKELY THE SAME WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD WE ORIGINALLY PRESSED ON. ONE MORE THING; WE TRIPLED OUR DISPATCH BURN NUMBERS FOR THE DIVERSION TO LFT AND DOUBLED THE BURN NUMBERS WE RECEIVED FROM THE HOLD WHEN DOING THE LFT TO IAH FLT. ENDED UP LNDG WITH 1600 LBS IN IAH AND LEFT THE HOLD 500 LBS ABOVE DISPATCHED BINGO NUMBER. HAD WE LEFT THE HOLD AT THEIR BINGO NUMBER; WE WOULD HAVE LANDED IN IAH WITH 1100 LBS; HARDLY ENOUGH TO EXECUTE A SIMPLE GAR NOT EVEN CONSIDERING TIME TO RUN CHKLISTS IF NECESSARY. I KNOW DISPATCH IS DOING THEIR JOB WHEN GIVING US THE NUMBERS; I JUST WISH THERE WAS A WAY TO MAKE THOSE NUMBERS MORE RELIABLE.

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.