Narrative:

An airline crew, flying an MD83 to sjd complains of inadequate planning information for the flight. They added fuel. Dispatch added more fuel for en route WX and a new release was issued. On arrival, WX was worse than expected and flight diverted to the alternate. The diversion was handled poorly by the company dispatch. Very little information was made available to the crew. The WX improved and they were redispatched to sjd. The crew found that for the next leg they were over legal limits of flight time. A disagreement arose about the time, and management was unavailable to sort it out. Ultimately, the next leg was flown once an unsatisfactory conference with manager was finally arranged. The crew sees the problem as -- causes: no communication with dispatch. Understaffing, poor dispatch management and organization, poor flight oversight, poor communication system. Adverse WX: poor WX reporting from sjd, poor WX information dissemination in lax. Inadequate time to prepare due to: lack of warning about adverse WX, lack of fuel, limited landing options, difficult communication with foreign controller, lack of radar coverage, lack of procedures for breaking off approach early, but being unable to comply with missed approach procedures. Scheduling: inadequate reserve staffing, lack of uniform scheduling procedures, misinterp of FARS. Corrective actions: better communication, more attention given by dispatchers to individual flts, more dispatchers to reduce the dispatcher/flight ratio, better communication system, better fuel planning for areas of limited options, planning emphasis still needs more of a shift toward safety rather than meeting operational needs, uniform interps and applications of FARS, scheduling must incorporate more thoughts regarding safety rather than always trying to meet operational needs, radar coverage, improve WX dissemination in lax, improve WX reporting in sjd.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIRLINE CREW COMPLAINS OF INADEQUATE SUPPORT FROM THEIR COMPANY FOR FOREIGN OP.

Narrative: AN AIRLINE CREW, FLYING AN MD83 TO SJD COMPLAINS OF INADEQUATE PLANNING INFO FOR THE FLT. THEY ADDED FUEL. DISPATCH ADDED MORE FUEL FOR ENRTE WX AND A NEW RELEASE WAS ISSUED. ON ARR, WX WAS WORSE THAN EXPECTED AND FLT DIVERTED TO THE ALTERNATE. THE DIVERSION WAS HANDLED POORLY BY THE COMPANY DISPATCH. VERY LITTLE INFO WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE CREW. THE WX IMPROVED AND THEY WERE REDISPATCHED TO SJD. THE CREW FOUND THAT FOR THE NEXT LEG THEY WERE OVER LEGAL LIMITS OF FLT TIME. A DISAGREEMENT AROSE ABOUT THE TIME, AND MGMNT WAS UNAVAILABLE TO SORT IT OUT. ULTIMATELY, THE NEXT LEG WAS FLOWN ONCE AN UNSATISFACTORY CONFERENCE WITH MGR WAS FINALLY ARRANGED. THE CREW SEES THE PROB AS -- CAUSES: NO COM WITH DISPATCH. UNDERSTAFFING, POOR DISPATCH MGMNT AND ORGANIZATION, POOR FLT OVERSIGHT, POOR COM SYS. ADVERSE WX: POOR WX RPTING FROM SJD, POOR WX INFO DISSEMINATION IN LAX. INADEQUATE TIME TO PREPARE DUE TO: LACK OF WARNING ABOUT ADVERSE WX, LACK OF FUEL, LIMITED LNDG OPTIONS, DIFFICULT COM WITH FOREIGN CTLR, LACK OF RADAR COVERAGE, LACK OF PROCS FOR BREAKING OFF APCH EARLY, BUT BEING UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH MISSED APCH PROCS. SCHEDULING: INADEQUATE RESERVE STAFFING, LACK OF UNIFORM SCHEDULING PROCS, MISINTERP OF FARS. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: BETTER COM, MORE ATTN GIVEN BY DISPATCHERS TO INDIVIDUAL FLTS, MORE DISPATCHERS TO REDUCE THE DISPATCHER/FLT RATIO, BETTER COM SYS, BETTER FUEL PLANNING FOR AREAS OF LIMITED OPTIONS, PLANNING EMPHASIS STILL NEEDS MORE OF A SHIFT TOWARD SAFETY RATHER THAN MEETING OPERATIONAL NEEDS, UNIFORM INTERPS AND APPLICATIONS OF FARS, SCHEDULING MUST INCORPORATE MORE THOUGHTS REGARDING SAFETY RATHER THAN ALWAYS TRYING TO MEET OPERATIONAL NEEDS, RADAR COVERAGE, IMPROVE WX DISSEMINATION IN LAX, IMPROVE WX RPTING IN SJD.

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.