A320 FLT CREW DEPARTS DIVERSION STATION WITHOUT RECEIVING FINAL WTS FROM LOAD PLANNERS. LATER CALLED TO TASK FOR DOING SO.

Date: 2005-06 · Aircraft: A320

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

A320 FLT CREW DEPARTS DIVERSION STATION WITHOUT RECEIVING FINAL WTS FROM LOAD PLANNERS. LATER CALLED TO TASK FOR DOING SO.

Narrative

THIS RPT IS IN RESPONSE TO FLT OPS DUTY MGR CALL THAT WE DEPARTED ABQ WITHOUT FINAL WTS. AFTER DIVERTING INTO ABQ FOR FUEL; WE SENT AN ACARS RPT SAYING 'SEND WTS' ON ACARS. WE RECEIVED A MESSAGE BACK SAYING SOMETHING LIKE 'WE DON'T DO YOUR WTS.' BOTH THE FO AND I GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT LOAD PLANNING WAS SAYING WE WERE ON OUR OWN. WE SENT ANOTHER ACARS MESSAGE SAYING 'CAN YOU SEND CTR OF GRAVITY?' WE RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT GAVE US A CTR OF GRAVITY SETTING THAT WAS NEAR 28%; AS BEST AS I CAN RECALL. SO WE HAD A ZERO FUEL WT FROM THE FLT PLAN THAT WAS ACCURATE BECAUSE NOTHING HAD CHANGED ON THE PLANE; SAME PLANE; CARGO; PAX. EVERYTHING REMAINED THE SAME BUT FUEL. WE ENTERED THE CTR OF GRAVITY GIVEN; ZERO FUEL WT AND ACARS PERFORMANCE AND DEPARTED WITH NO INCIDENT. AFTER TKOF; WE RECEIVED (TO OUR SURPRISE) FINAL WT MANIFEST OVER THE ACARS. SUMMATION: THE INITIAL ACARS MESSAGE FROM LOAD PLANNING LED US TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE US FINAL WTS. WE DID OBTAIN AN ACCURATE CTR OF GRAVITY SETTING WHICH SETS THE TRIM ON THE A320 AND HAD AN ACCURATE ZERO FUEL WT; PAX COUNT; AND PERFORMANCE PRIOR TO TKOF.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.