ATX LTT DEPARTED WITHOUT LATEST DEST WX; THEN DIVERTED TO ALTERNATE DUE TSTM ACTIVITY ENROUTE.
Synopsis
ATX LTT DEPARTED WITHOUT LATEST DEST WX; THEN DIVERTED TO ALTERNATE DUE TSTM ACTIVITY ENROUTE.
Narrative
CREW DUTY BEGAN AT XA40 AM. FIRST DEST WAS BNA. BNA HAD MORNING FOG PROBS AS LOW AS 1/16 MI. THE PIC WAS SOMEWHAT PREOCCUPIED WITH BNA WX PROBS; WHICH; HOWEVER; DID IMPROVE AS FOG BURNED OFF OK. RETURNING TO CVG PIC BECAME AWARE THAN AN UNSCHEDULED CHANGE OF ACFT WOULD OCCUR. BECAUSE A 45 MIN TURNAROUND HAD BEEN SCHEDULED OVER THE HR; THE PLAN HAD BEEN TO TAKE A BRIEF LUNCH AND PHYSIOLOGICAL BREAK AND TO ACQUIRE ADDITIONAL WX INFO IN THE REMOTE OPS AREA; WHICH HAD BEEN LOCKED EARLIER. THE INBND JET ARRIVED LATE. BY THE TIME THE CREW RECEIVED THE OUTBND ACFT; 23 MINS OF SCHEDULED BREAK HAD GONE BY. AFTER PREFLTING THE ACFT; A BUS ARRIVED WITH PAX WHILE WE WERE STILL FUELING. IT WAS NOW 7 MINS TO DEP AND THERE WAS CONFUSION ABOUT HOW MANY PAX WERE COMING. THE FORECAST AND LAST 7 SEQUENCE RPTS INDICATED VFR WX AT LAN. THE FLT DEPARTED W/O A DESIGNATED ALTERNATE; BUT WITH FUEL ADEQUATE FOR NUMEROUS ALTERNATES. AFTER DEP; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT IN THE RUSH AND CONFUSION; THE LATEST WX HAD NOT BEEN ACQUIRED. ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT WITH COMPANY DISPATCH FLT CTL WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. AT THIS TIME LAN ATIS WAS RECEIVED WITH LIGHT TRW IN PROGRESS. PIC WAS UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH CVG DISPATCH; FWA OPS; NOR LAN OPS. AIRBORNE WX RADAR SHOWED A DEV WAS AN APPROPRIATE SAFETY PROC. THE SIC; A CHKED OUT CAPT BUT NOT YET AWARDED A LINE; INSISTED ON DEVIATION TO THE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WX ACTIVITY. AS THE DEVIATION PROGRESSED NORTHEASTERLY; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT AN UNSCHEDULED LNDG WAS IN ORDER AS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WAS RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING. COMPANY OPS AT DTW WAS CONTACTED AND A LNDG ACCOMPLISHED IN VFR CONDITIONS WITH 1 1/2 HRS FUEL REMAINING. A LENGTHY TAXI ENSUED. WHILE MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE PAX DURING A STAY ON THE GND FOR THE WX TO PASS; SOME MORE TIME WAS LOST. FINALLY TELEPHONIC CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH CVG DISPATCH; A NEW FLT PLAN WAS FILED DTW-LAN; THE ACFT WAS SERVICED; REBOARDED; AND FLT TO LAN COMPLETED IN VFR CONDITIONS. COMPLICATIONS: UNSCHEDULED ACFT SWITCH; EARLIER LOCKED WX AND OPS AREA; CONSIDERABLE DISREGARD BY COMPANY IN FURNISHING 135 CREW'S TIMELY WX AND NOTAM INFO; PIC AND SIC'S FAILURE TO MAKE SURE THAT WX ON HAND WAS THE LATEST AVAILABLE; LACK OF COMPANY OPS OR DISPATCH--FLT CONTROL TO ALERT PLTS TO 2X CHANGES; NO RESPONSES ON RADIO CONTACT; PIC'S LACK OF WX ANXIETY BECAUSE OF 7 VFR SEQUENCE RPTS; PAX LOADING CONFUSION; LOSS OF LUNCH BREAK; AND FINALLY CONSIDERABLE COCKPIT DISHARMONY CAUSED BY SIC APPARENTLY; HAVING; BLUNTLY; A GIANT CASE OF THE ASS. HAD WE DEVIATED W BEHIND THE WX AS PIC WANTED; THE FLT WOULD HAVE ARRIVED UNEVENTFULLY. SITUATION AVOIDANCE: PIC GETTING BETTER WX BRIEFING; PIC MAKING FINAL DECISION ON DEVIATION; PIC'S CONCERN ABOUT HUMAN COCKPIT ATMOSPHERE SHOULD NOT INFLUENCE DECISIONS WHEN SIC IS OBVIOUSLY HAVING A BAD DAY; THE COMPANY SHOULD HAVE A MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT FURNISHING 135 CREWS CURRENT WX; THE COMPANY SHOULD MAKE MUCH MORE EFFORT TO FURNISH 135 CREWS WX AFTER COMPLICATED ACFT CHANGES; THE COMPANY NEEDS TO ALERT 135 CREWS BETTER OF WX CHANGES.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.