Help me!! flight dispatcher and incidents!

[Srincek7]

Hello,

I'm searching in the web any reports or documents regarding a real example of incident due to flight plan and flight dispatcher error. I wanna make a research with a real example of how the job of flight dispatcher affect the real flight operations.

I do not want words about it but a real operative example, direct or indirect.

Thank you in advance.

[cptn2016]

First of all, I'm curious as to how you could be showing as having made only 1 post on this board, and yet clearly you have just started two topics.

As far as your question is concerned, if I understand you correctly, you're looking for examples in which there was an accident or an incident as a result of a flight dispatcher's error? I would suggest looking at NTSB accident reports (try searching the term 'dispatch' or 'dispatcher'. Similarily, try searching CADORS for the same thing.

My thinking is, though, that the safety of the flight is entirely in the hands of the Pilot in Command. If there is an error in the flight plan or if the dispatcher screwed up, it's the PIC's responsibility to assess and rectify that. I can't think of a situation where a dispatcher could really put a flight in danger, even indirectly.

[lilflyboy262]

I've heard of aircraft being dispatched to closed runways before. But that is more the pilots fault for not checking NOTAM's.

Our dispatch only tells us when and where we are going, and in what aircraft. It is hard for dispatch to play a role directly in any incident. Its kinda like asking if there has been any accidents due to accounting.

[benoit.baril]

If there is an error in the flight plan or if the dispatcher screwed up, it's the PIC's responsibility to assess and rectify that.

Yes!

While I do not think flight dispatchers often have a major responsability in catastrophic accidents, I do believe they can help create unsafe circumstances which can definitely have an impact on tha safety of a flight.

Items that come to mind are:

• Releasing a flight minimum fuel with maximum payload without giving a sh*t about a bit of room for extra fuel
  
  Poor weather at destination (trusting a customer in camp who says weather is flyable)
  
  Poor choice of alternate or even illegal choice of alternate (that TAF is b/s; the fog will burn off)
  
  Failure to file a preferred route
  
  Miscalculations of take-off and landing performance (yeah, the wind is forecasted to improve; we'll do just fine)
  
  Wrong interpretation of notams (i.e.: blah blah blah, it's all good, the flight crew will read them and ATC will inform them of anything important)
  
  Mistakes in weight & balance (was that pounds or kilos?)
  
  Miscommunication of information (i'm sure they know about those thunderstorms)
  
  Quoting a 737 trip on a runway that's 1000 feet too short and pretty damn close to a mountain
  
  Putting pressure on the crew in order to achieve on-time-performance
  
  Failure to report dangerous situation
  
  Destination airport closed due to airshow
  
  Failure to get ahold of the fuelman in a remote community
  Etc.

A dispatcher is there to help and should do so.

[Gannet167]

Benoit, I can't help but think that most of the situations you've cited would be a case of the Captain not doing his/her job. Dispatch can hand you a pile of sh!t, but if you blindly accept it and fly off, as the Captain you're the person ultimately at fault. Dispatch is there to help, the pilot is the one winged.

[Srincek7]

Yes but in an indirect form, if the captain is in fault, and the dispatcher makes some error...here in Italy the responsibility is always of the captain but I think the dispatch can be call from the tribunal.

I think that the real sensible situation for a dispatcher can be in-flight re-dispatch. In my personal experience during an request of in-flight, my software result was that the fuel was not sufficient for a new destination, but for the FMC of the aircraft it was sufficient. The pilot decided to fly to the old destination. Often I think what would happen if the results had been the opposite?

[mcrit]

Gannet,
Things at a for profit airline run much differently than things at CYPG.

[Gannet167]

I don't see the connection, I don't work at CYPG. Things there, however, are run for profit.

[mcrit]

I don't see the connection, I don't work at CYPG. Things there, however, are run for profit.

Sorry, Gannet is a CYPG call sign, thought you were there. Allied Wings gets paid wether or not the flight goes, that is what I meant.

[Blakey]

http://www.erebus.co.nz/Investigation/C ... eport.aspx

Here's everything you need.

[Edo]

Its kinda like asking if there has been any accidents due to accounting.

Decisions made in the accounting department probably resulted in more accidents than you think.

Didn't we just see an a Hawker burn up because of a cost/benefit analysis regarding a fuel transfer pump.

[lilflyboy262]

That was just one of the many holes that lined up that day. It wasn't the sole reason.