Narrative:

Flight diverted to clt after going missed-approach due to thunderstorm activity at the originally planned airport. I was watching the flight on radar and saw that it was receiving radar vectors from approach; but it was never put into holding. After executing a missed approach it flew directly to clt and landed. My concern is that the flight burned into its reserve fuel getting to its first; and closest; alternate. I should also point out that I first released this flight with company hold fuel and then went back and added two alternates because I did not like what I was seeing on the radar west of our origionally planned airport. The forecast weather was still calling for 'alternate none' conditions. I also added 1;000 pounds of dispatcher add fuel on the first release. Where; and with how much fuel; would this flight have landed with if I had not added the 1;000 pounds of dispatch added fuel; and gone against fuel policy; and added two alternates? If the crew would have attempted the same approach; without the 1;000 pounds of dispatcher added fuel; and then diverted to clt his arrival fuel would have been under 2;500 pounds! To me this shows that the company policy of 12 minutes of hold fuel; when thunderstorm activity is present or forecasted; is not a safe amount of fuel. I also noticed the reserve fuel for this flight was 3;552 pounds; yet the reserve fuel for the leg from clt to our original destination was 4;146 pounds even though the aircraft weighted 3;000 pounds less. I am really concerned that we have reduced our alternate hold fuels to a level that does not reflect real world conditions and it needs to be addressed. Change alternate required hold fuel policy so that it differentiates between IFR weather; i.e.; low ceilings; and convective activity. Increase holding fuel when convective activity is observed or forecasted.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Dispatcher added an addition 1;000 pounds of fuel over the computer flight plan model contrary to company policy. At the planned destination the aircraft executed a go-around for weather and landed at its alternate below reserve fuel.

Narrative: Flight diverted to CLT after going missed-approach due to thunderstorm activity at the originally planned airport. I was watching the flight on radar and saw that it was receiving radar vectors from Approach; but it was never put into holding. After executing a missed approach it flew directly to CLT and landed. My concern is that the flight burned into its reserve fuel getting to its first; and closest; alternate. I should also point out that I first released this flight with company hold fuel and then went back and added two alternates because I did not like what I was seeing on the radar west of our origionally planned airport. The forecast weather was still calling for 'alternate none' conditions. I also added 1;000 LBS of Dispatcher add fuel on the first release. Where; and with how much fuel; would this flight have landed with if I had not added the 1;000 LBS of dispatch added fuel; and gone against fuel policy; and added two alternates? If the crew would have attempted the same approach; without the 1;000 LBS of Dispatcher added fuel; and then diverted to CLT his arrival fuel would have been under 2;500 LBS! To me this shows that the company policy of 12 minutes of hold fuel; when thunderstorm activity is present or forecasted; is not a safe amount of fuel. I also noticed the reserve fuel for this flight was 3;552 LBS; yet the reserve fuel for the leg from CLT to our original destination was 4;146 LBS even though the aircraft weighted 3;000 LBS less. I am really concerned that we have reduced our alternate hold fuels to a level that does not reflect real world conditions and it needs to be addressed. Change alternate required hold fuel policy so that it differentiates between IFR weather; i.e.; low ceilings; and convective activity. Increase holding fuel when convective activity is observed or forecasted.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.