diff --git a/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf.cpp b/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf.cpp
index 16cbc645255ea06ef7d9d532056ca963c803f96b..988a9db6c3ba67e94720888f2783bb0691944e2f 100644
--- a/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf.cpp
@@ -599,6 +599,7 @@ void DumpNetCDF::openfile()
       count[1] = 5;
       NCERR( nc_put_vara_text(ncid, cell_angular_var, index, count, "gamma") );
 
+      append_flag = 1;
       framei = 1;
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf_mpiio.cpp b/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf_mpiio.cpp
index d0090492e4183f2a06a0ea726a96f17bfcd3c97f..168e46a6b701e52d15b96bab8805cb984652d5ee 100644
--- a/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf_mpiio.cpp
+++ b/src/USER-NETCDF/dump_netcdf_mpiio.cpp
@@ -575,6 +575,7 @@ void DumpNetCDFMPIIO::openfile()
 
     NCERR( ncmpi_end_indep_data(ncid) );
 
+    append_flag = 1;
     framei = 1;
   }
 }