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Air carrier medium large transport takeoff from unscheduled fuel stop without proper weight and balance computations.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 103997 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198902 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : gso |
| State Reference | NC |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng |
| Flight Phase | climbout : takeoff ground : preflight |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 190 flight time total : 9300 |
| ASRS Report | 103997 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 160 flight time total : 24000 flight time type : 13000 |
| ASRS Report | 103911 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Airport |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Flight was to operate msy, dca and after en route more than halfway a decision to make an unscheduled fuel stop was made and gso was chosen for the stop. After receiving the fuel and our company flight release to continue the flight gso-dca, we discovered that we were unable to contact a company load planner. As the payload and passenger count did not change, we decided to do our own weight and balance. The only factor that changed was the amount of fuel. We looked up the performance figures in the manual kept on the aircraft for that airport and runway. The only thing we could not work up ourselves was the new trim setting, but since the fuel was close to the departure fuel out of msy and we knew all the fuel was in the wings in both cases, we knew the % of mac would not move enough to even read it on the trim setting. So, we used the same trim setting as out of msy. We thought we had sufficient information and knowledge to depart both safely and legally. Flight crews should be allowed to deviate from normal procedures in abnormal situations if, in their opinion, safety is not compromised.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ACR MLG TKOF FROM UNSCHEDULED FUEL STOP WITHOUT PROPER WEIGHT AND BALANCE COMPUTATIONS.
Narrative: FLT WAS TO OPERATE MSY, DCA AND AFTER ENRTE MORE THAN HALFWAY A DECISION TO MAKE AN UNSCHEDULED FUEL STOP WAS MADE AND GSO WAS CHOSEN FOR THE STOP. AFTER RECEIVING THE FUEL AND OUR COMPANY FLT RELEASE TO CONTINUE THE FLT GSO-DCA, WE DISCOVERED THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT A COMPANY LOAD PLANNER. AS THE PAYLOAD AND PAX COUNT DID NOT CHANGE, WE DECIDED TO DO OUR OWN WT AND BAL. THE ONLY FACTOR THAT CHANGED WAS THE AMOUNT OF FUEL. WE LOOKED UP THE PERFORMANCE FIGURES IN THE MANUAL KEPT ON THE ACFT FOR THAT ARPT AND RWY. THE ONLY THING WE COULD NOT WORK UP OURSELVES WAS THE NEW TRIM SETTING, BUT SINCE THE FUEL WAS CLOSE TO THE DEP FUEL OUT OF MSY AND WE KNEW ALL THE FUEL WAS IN THE WINGS IN BOTH CASES, WE KNEW THE % OF MAC WOULD NOT MOVE ENOUGH TO EVEN READ IT ON THE TRIM SETTING. SO, WE USED THE SAME TRIM SETTING AS OUT OF MSY. WE THOUGHT WE HAD SUFFICIENT INFO AND KNOWLEDGE TO DEPART BOTH SAFELY AND LEGALLY. FLT CREWS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DEVIATE FROM NORMAL PROCS IN ABNORMAL SITUATIONS IF, IN THEIR OPINION, SAFETY IS NOT COMPROMISED.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.