Air carrier A-320 departs airport with inadequate fuel reserves.

Attributes
ACN	272411
Time
Date	199405
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dtw
State Reference	MI
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff ground : preflight ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 250
ASRS Report	272411
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 20000 flight time type : 250
ASRS Report	272231
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : far non adherence other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Release amended without knowledge or concurrence of captain. Fuel requirements changed by dispatch. Crew did not notice release #2 on ACARS weight data. Dispatch did not inform crew of new release, nor did they notice flight data fuel sent by crew was fuel required by first release. Flight landed at dca without incident and with adequate fuel. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter revealed that the extra fuel message was sent for ATC delays in the dc area account thunderstorm activity. The delays were not that long and the flight landed with adequate fuel. There was a mixup in the message coordination between the dispatch section and the weight forms division of this air carrier. One division blamed the other for the lapse in coordination with dtw operations, who then was unaware of the fuel changes and let the flight go with the original fuel load. The only notice the crew had was the small notation of 'release #2' on the ACARS which they misread. No other release was sent for PIC's concurrence. Supplemental information from acn 272231: release amended after I signed release (added fuel). I was not aware of change (we missed the fact that the ACARS data showed release #2 and not #1). ACARS should be changed so that an error message is sent when the release and/or fuel on board are different from the correct values.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR A-320 DEPARTS ARPT WITH INADEQUATE FUEL RESERVES.

Narrative: RELEASE AMENDED WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OR CONCURRENCE OF CAPT. FUEL REQUIREMENTS CHANGED BY DISPATCH. CREW DID NOT NOTICE RELEASE #2 ON ACARS WT DATA. DISPATCH DID NOT INFORM CREW OF NEW RELEASE, NOR DID THEY NOTICE FLT DATA FUEL SENT BY CREW WAS FUEL REQUIRED BY FIRST RELEASE. FLT LANDED AT DCA WITHOUT INCIDENT AND WITH ADEQUATE FUEL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR REVEALED THAT THE EXTRA FUEL MESSAGE WAS SENT FOR ATC DELAYS IN THE DC AREA ACCOUNT TSTM ACTIVITY. THE DELAYS WERE NOT THAT LONG AND THE FLT LANDED WITH ADEQUATE FUEL. THERE WAS A MIXUP IN THE MESSAGE COORD BTWN THE DISPATCH SECTION AND THE WT FORMS DIVISION OF THIS ACR. ONE DIVISION BLAMED THE OTHER FOR THE LAPSE IN COORD WITH DTW OPS, WHO THEN WAS UNAWARE OF THE FUEL CHANGES AND LET THE FLT GO WITH THE ORIGINAL FUEL LOAD. THE ONLY NOTICE THE CREW HAD WAS THE SMALL NOTATION OF 'RELEASE #2' ON THE ACARS WHICH THEY MISREAD. NO OTHER RELEASE WAS SENT FOR PIC'S CONCURRENCE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 272231: RELEASE AMENDED AFTER I SIGNED RELEASE (ADDED FUEL). I WAS NOT AWARE OF CHANGE (WE MISSED THE FACT THAT THE ACARS DATA SHOWED RELEASE #2 AND NOT #1). ACARS SHOULD BE CHANGED SO THAT AN ERROR MESSAGE IS SENT WHEN THE RELEASE AND/OR FUEL ON BOARD ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE CORRECT VALUES.

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.