DISPATCHER IS DISTRAUGHT TO DISCOVER HE HAD RELEASED A FLT WITH BARE MINIMUM FUEL REQUIRED WITHOUT NORMAL CONTINGENCY ALLOCATIONS.

Narrative

IT WAS THE END OF (ANOTHER) 10-HR SHIFT. A NUMBER OF DISPATCHERS; INCLUDING MYSELF; ALONG WITH THE DISPATCH SUPVR; WERE ALL CHASING TIMES FOR FLTS. UNDOUBTEDLY; I BECAME DISTR; AND MANAGED TO GENERATE AND THEN SEND A RELEASE THAT HAD NO HOLD FUEL; AND ONLY 32 LBS OF EXTRA FUEL. I ONLY DISCOVERED WHAT I'D DONE WHEN I WAS PREPARING TO TURN THE FLT OVER TO ONE OF THE NEXT SHIFT PEOPLE; SINCE IT WAS SCHEDULED TO LAND A GOOD 1/2 HR AFTER I WAS SUPPOSED TO HEAD FOR HOME. SUDDENLY I NOTICED; ON THE SUMMARY SCREEN; THE CLRED FUEL OF '1787 LBS' WHERE THE RAMP FUEL FIGURE WOULD NORMALLY APPEAR. THIS TOLD ME INSTANTLY THAT I HAD NOT SO MUCH AS ROUNDED UP THE COMPUTER'S FUEL CALCULATION. AT AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM; THE FIGURE SHOULD HAVE BEEN '1800 LBS.' HOWEVER; HAVING WORKED QUITE CONSCIOUSLY TO DEVELOP GOOD FUELING HABITS; AND CONSTANTLY EXPANDING THE LIST OF FACTORS I CONSIDER WHEN I FUEL; I ALMOST NEVER GO BELOW 2400 LBS ON MY SAABS -- 2000 LBS IS ABOUT MY ABSOLUTE LOWER LIMIT; AND ONLY HAPPENS UNDER 'SPECIAL' CIRCUMSTANCES. CLRLY; I'D SCREWED UP. I PROMPTLY INFORMED THE VETERAN DISPATCHER WHO HAD AGREED TO WATCH THE FLT AND RE-REVIEWED THE FUEL PLAN; WHICH PROVIDED FOR 737 LBS OF BURN-OFF; 200 LBS TO TAXI OUT; 100 LBS TO TAXI BACK; AND AT LEAST 800 LBS RESERVE. WITH PERFECT NIGHT VFR CONDITIONS; NO ATC ISSUES; AND A MECHANICALLY SOUND; TOTALLY AIRWORTHY ACFT; IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE ANY REAL JEOPARDY HERE -- IT WAS MORE OF A WAKE-UP CALL TO ME ESSENTIALLY TELLING ME DISTR OR NOT; EXHAUSTED OR NOT; 'HARASSED' OR NOT; NEVER LET UP ON THE QUALITY CTL; DOUBLE-; TRIPLE-; QUADRUPLE-CHKING PROCESS.