B747 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Other / Unknown; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Aircraft; Company Policy; Human Factors; Weather
Flight delays were due to cargo loading and the Station Representative's inability to deliver any of our flight planning paperwork to the aircraft in time to block out on schedule. I made three attempts to get our paperwork delivered to the aircraft. First was a radio call to Operations placed about 40 minutes prior to scheduled block informing them that we have not received any of our paperwork. Second; I sent First Officer to talk directly to the Station Representative about 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure. He returned to inform me that the Station Representative said that the cleaners must have taken the paperwork. He said the Representative implied that it has happened before. Third; I personally confronted the Representative about 15 minutes prior the scheduled departure. He said he was about to do the Weight and Balance (WB); I said that I needed all the paperwork. I said it was on the website over two hours ago and I need it now. He said 'You don't have any paperwork?' and took off in his SUV to the office to print out the paperwork. It finally arrived. If I had not downloaded the flight planning paperwork and called Dispatch for a briefing prior to leaving the hotel the flight would have been further delayed. [On this leg] flight delays were due to cargo loading and Dispatcher's inability to send all flight planning information or to plan a proper route of flight. It took several attempts to have the paperwork delivered to the aircraft. Clearly it was not a top priority to them. Paperwork arrived late. After reviewing the paperwork it was obvious we had a large weather front on our route of flight. The weather portion of the paperwork lacked any of the new enroute PROG charts with the route of flight depicted on them. We received only one of the older style PROG charts without any route of flight depicted on it. I called Dispatch on the SAT and had them send new charts. The Dispatcher said the he had sent all of it; but if you look on the website you can see that no PROG charts were sent at all. After receiving the charts it showed that the Dispatcher had filed us through the center of the weather at FL370 with the top of the weather at FL390. If you look at the [pertinent] UTC chart you can see how wide the weather area was forecasted. With the current engine restriction on this aircraft there was no way we were going to be able to stay on our scheduled route and deviating 100 or more miles left and right of track was going to be required. I called the Dispatcher who had nothing but excuses for the routing (it's only OCNL; I gave you 3;500 KG; not my fault it was another Dispatcher flight plan). The bottom line was he knew the weather was bad but was too lazy to re-file a new flight plan with a safer routing. He just added 3;500 KGS of fuel and sent the paperwork without any of the PROG charters to alert me of the situation. The Dispatcher; finally out of excuses; told me I need to talk to management which I said yes put them on. The bottom line to the conversation was to move the aircraft and not to accrue a delay for the customer by re-filing a new flight plan. Add extra fuel but not more then 10;000 KGS which would require a new flight plan and to take off and do my best to deviate around the weather. Safety of flight or damage to the aircraft was not the priority. I added 8;000 KGS and planned to turn the aircraft around if we were unable to maintain 50 NM separation from the weather. We then departed. After passing through FL300 we were right of track 100 NM for weather. I placed another call to Dispatch and informed them that we were IMC and already 100 NM right of track and ATC was having a fit. With my ND set at 160 NM I counted 22 bright red weather cells. Dispatch phone patched me to a Chief Pilot who informed me that Boeing puts out an Ice Crystal forecast and our route was not forecasted for any ice crystal activity. While on the phone we broke out of the weather. We were now 100-200 FT above the solid weather deck and because it was daylight we could see the top of the weather cells pushing through the deck. This gave us the ability to not have to deviate 50 NM around the weather. It was agreed by all to maintain altitude as long as possible and then descent to FL290 for the remainder of the flight. Dispatch did a reanalysis and said with the extra fuel I had added we could safely make it to destination. We were able to remain at FL370 for the remainder of the flight due to daylight hours; but did a lot of deviating. The excuse that another Dispatcher did the flight planning is unacceptable. The individual who sends the flight plan is fully responsible for its content. Good luck trying to use that excuse when four 20 million dollar engines are destroyed or the lives of the seven crew members are lost. If it were not for the daylight hours this flight would not have made it to the destination and as long as the engine restriction remains on the fleet; I feel the Boeing ice crystal forecast should be included in all crew flight plan packages.
B747 Captain laments late and poorly planned flights by station representatives and dispatchers. The Captain believes that ice crystal forecasts should be part of the package handed to crews during preflight.