FLC OF A DC10-10 ACCEPTED AN UNUSABLE ALTERNATE ARPT FOR THEIR ACFT WING WIDTH SIZE. THE COMPANY HAS SINCE DELETED THE ARPT AS A POSSIBLE ALTERNATE.

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I AM EMPLOYED BY ACR X AS A DC10 FO. ON MAR/XX/97; I WAS FLYING FROM LAS VEGAS TO HOUSTON INTL ARPT. OUR ALTERNATE WAS HOUSTON HOBBY. ENRTE WE RECEIVED A WX RPT FROM FSS THAT SHOWED THE WX AT IAH DETERIORATING. AFTER CHKING THE REQUIRED MINIMUMS FOR IAH AND REVIEWING THE IAH CHARTS; I STARTED TO LOOK AT THE CHARTS FOR HOBBY-HOU. DURING THIS REVIEW I FOUND A NOTATION ON THE COMMERCIAL CHART LIMITING HOU TO ACFT WITH A WING SPAN OF 117 FT OR LESS. MY DC10-10 HAS A WING SPAN OF 155 FT! A DIVERSION AND LNDG AT HOU WOULD HAVE PROBABLY REQUIRED A DECLARATION OF EMER TO LAND AT HOU AND MIGHT HAVE RESULTED IN A CLOSED RWY DUE TO OUR INABILITY TO EXIT ON THE NARROW TXWYS AT HOU. IN ADDITION; OUR FE DISCOVERED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE LNDG PERFORMANCE DATA ON BOARD THE ACFT FOR HOU; AND DISPATCH DID NOT HAVE THE DATA AT HOMEBASE. THIS SIT AROSE DUE TO OUR TRUST IN THE DISPATCH FUNCTION. IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO CHK THE ALTERNATE ARPT FOR ANY CLOSE IN RELIEVER ARPT THAT IS USED AS AN ALTERNATE; SUCH AS DALLAS LOVE; CHICAGO MIDWAY; ETC. I DO CHK ALTERNATE ARPT DATA VERY CAREFULLY ON ALL INTL FLTS AND WILL NOW BE MORE VIGILANT ON DOMESTIC ALSO. I HAVE RAISED THIS ISSUE WITH OUR DISPATCH MGR; AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT HOU WILL NO LONGER BE USED AS AN ALTERNATE ARPT FOR IAH.