Dispatch Dispatcher
Time Pressure
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Aircraft
Nearly an hour after sending the flight release; and only minutes before scheduled departure; an out of service MEL was placed on the aircraft for excessive oil consumption which maintenance needed to check out before the flight could be released for departure. However; being so close to departure time already; not myself; the crew; or even the dispatch coordinators knew anything about it; so the plane pushed back from the gate. Then I finally got the alert on my desk that the plane was tagged out of service and cannot depart. I contacted the crew; but in the end the coordinators allowed the plane to depart and simply cancelled the MEL; although this potentially serious issue still existed.I did not contact the crew on the radio; I only sent them an ACARS because I incorrectly assumed that such an issue would have been something the crew would have already known about; and should have already been in contact with maintenance. It wasn't until after the pilot called me that I found out he knew nothing about his plane being tagged out of service or having any oil issues. It seemed that this MEL was added without anyone else's knowledge for I don't know what reason; or how it was determined that the aircraft was having oil consumption issues without prior consultation with this pilot; as I assumed would have been the case.Quite simply this was just a breakdown of communication between maintenance; dispatch; and the crew. While on the line with the pilot; I asked the coordinators if they would like him to return to the gate so the maintenance check could be performed; but they told me to just let him go and cancelled the MEL. The flight took no delay.
CRJ-700 Dispatcher reported an aircraft he was working departed with a known excessive oil consumption issue.