DISPATCHER ATTEMPTS TO RELEASE AN ACFT FLT CREW TO THEIR DEST WITHOUT PROPER WX.

Date: 2006-03 · Aircraft: Saab-Scania Undifferentiated or Other Model

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

Synopsis

DISPATCHER ATTEMPTS TO RELEASE AN ACFT FLT CREW TO THEIR DEST WITHOUT PROPER WX.

Narrative

THE PIC CONTACTED ME BY PHONE FROM THE DEP STATION TO ALERT ME TO THE FACT THAT HIS RELEASE PACKAGE CONTAINED NO WX. USUALLY WHEN THIS HAPPENS; IT IS A SIMPLE MATTER OF EITHER RE-XMITTING THAT PORTION OF THE PACKAGE; OR PULLING UP THE WX AND READING IT TO THE CREW. HOWEVER; WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO DO THIS; I DISCOVERED THE FORECAST HAD BEEN DROPPED AND THE ONE AND ONLY METAR WAS SEVERAL HRS OLD. WHEN I TRIED CALLING OUR OPS; I GOT AN ANSWERING MACHINE. I TRIED SENDING A MESSAGE VIA OUR INTERNAL NETWORK; AND I ALSO TRIED DIALING UP ASOS IN ZZZ VIA LANDLINE. AS I WAS DOING THESE THINGS; A MORE EXPERIENCED DISPATCHER; A DISPATCH SUPVR; AND THE DUTY MGR; COLLECTIVELY BEGAN POINTING OUT VARIOUS OVERSIGHTS I HAD COMMITTED AND THE APPARENT CAUSES: I HAD MISSED THAT THE ASOS WAS NOTAMED OTS. IT FOLLOWED THAT WHEN THE NWS NO LONGER HAD A MINIMUM SEQUENCE OF RPTS; IT WOULD DROP THE FORECAST. I HAD RELEASED A FLT TO AN ARPT FOR WHICH THE 'LATEST AVAILABLE' WX WAS ALMOST 8 HRS OLD! WORKING TOGETHER; WE WERE ABLE TO CONTACT A WX-QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL IN ZZZ. SHE RPTED THE WX AS 'GOOD;' AND AGREED TO TAKE A SET OF OBSERVATIONS AND ENTER THE RESULTING DATA INTO OUR NETWORK; AS WELL AS CALL IT IN TO FSS AND THE NWS. MEANWHILE; WE GOT THE PIC TO AGREE TO PROCEED WITH THE FLT; PROVIDED THE RPTED WX WAS ABOVE MINIMUMS AND THAT HE HAD THE CONCURRENCE OF THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY. GND PERSONNEL IN ZZZ WOULD ALSO SUPPLY AT LEAST A SECOND SET OF OBSERVATIONS PRIOR TO THE FLT'S ARR THERE.

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