Narrative:

The flight was a charter for an athletic team,and there were 3 planes from our flying service on the trip. While loading at our departure airport, a random sampling of the weights of the luggage was taken and seemed to be within limits. The coaches had provided a list of all those who were to go on the trip and their weights, and were told that each person would be allowed 20# of luggage. The weight and balance that I did was based on those weights provided to me. I allowed for 5 pounds/person extra for coats and purses, and figured an extra 100 pounds for baggage and kept fuel at a minimum. The trainers had brought a load of bags to the airport early so that it could be loaded and ready. After weighing some of the bags and loading those, a second load was brought out to the airport with the team (red light and bells should have gone off at this point, but didn't). The team was loaded and we were off. The climb out and basic performance of the aircraft only served to keep me from seeing that we were overweight. The aircraft performed extremely well in the cold air and was deceptive. Upon arrival at our destination, our planes were surrounded by no less than 5 inspectors who we found out were there specifically for us. The passenger and all luggage were weighed, and a thorough ramp check was done on all 3 aircraft. The inspectors were gone almost as quickly as they had arrived. The next day I went to the FSDO and asked for a copy of the weights and information that had been taken on my aircraft so that I could compare those weights with what I had. The information was provided and the inspector that we talked to stated that he did not see any problems, as they had my plane listed as being 4300# under gross weight upon arrival. Fine, no problem! Wrong. After further inspection of their figures, I found a 700 pounds mistake made by the inspectors in my favor; their weights did not add up right. We went back to the team and reweighed and recalculated weight and balance, and ended up shipping 500 pounds of baggage home via ups. I've learned to weigh everything when there is any doubt at all, and don't trust your passenger to stay within the limits given them (my 6 girls were 150# over the weights given to me on the passenger list). I now also know that you can overload an small transport. Also not mentioned above was the fact that we were to have taken 2 other passenger who did not go on the trip because of injury. This added to the wrongly secure feeling that we were well within limits. So far the inspectors have not found the error in their figures, but I feel it's only a matter of time. Supplemental information from acn 130027: while flying a charter trip for my employer, my and 2 other company aircraft were ramp-checked in lnk, for the main purpose to check our weights. After weighing all passenger and luggage, I discovered that my passenger weight was 148# heavier than I had been given in writing, and their baggage weighed 75 pounds heavier than I had planned for. Now finding out their actual weights and baggage weights, we had them send home 200# of books, clothes and equipment.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CHARTER PLT ACCEPTED WEIGHTS GIVEN ON A TEAM PASSENGER LIST AND ACCEPTED COACHES WORD ON BAGGAGE WEIGHTS. TKOF AND FLEW OVERWEIGHT. FSDO INSPECTORS WAITING ARR OF 3 CHARTER ACFT FOR WEIGHT INSPECTION.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS A CHARTER FOR AN ATHLETIC TEAM,AND THERE WERE 3 PLANES FROM OUR FLYING SVC ON THE TRIP. WHILE LOADING AT OUR DEP ARPT, A RANDOM SAMPLING OF THE WTS OF THE LUGGAGE WAS TAKEN AND SEEMED TO BE WITHIN LIMITS. THE COACHES HAD PROVIDED A LIST OF ALL THOSE WHO WERE TO GO ON THE TRIP AND THEIR WTS, AND WERE TOLD THAT EACH PERSON WOULD BE ALLOWED 20# OF LUGGAGE. THE WT AND BAL THAT I DID WAS BASED ON THOSE WTS PROVIDED TO ME. I ALLOWED FOR 5 LBS/PERSON EXTRA FOR COATS AND PURSES, AND FIGURED AN EXTRA 100 LBS FOR BAGGAGE AND KEPT FUEL AT A MINIMUM. THE TRAINERS HAD BROUGHT A LOAD OF BAGS TO THE ARPT EARLY SO THAT IT COULD BE LOADED AND READY. AFTER WEIGHING SOME OF THE BAGS AND LOADING THOSE, A SECOND LOAD WAS BROUGHT OUT TO THE ARPT WITH THE TEAM (RED LIGHT AND BELLS SHOULD HAVE GONE OFF AT THIS POINT, BUT DIDN'T). THE TEAM WAS LOADED AND WE WERE OFF. THE CLBOUT AND BASIC PERFORMANCE OF THE ACFT ONLY SERVED TO KEEP ME FROM SEEING THAT WE WERE OVERWEIGHT. THE ACFT PERFORMED EXTREMELY WELL IN THE COLD AIR AND WAS DECEPTIVE. UPON ARR AT OUR DEST, OUR PLANES WERE SURROUNDED BY NO LESS THAN 5 INSPECTORS WHO WE FOUND OUT WERE THERE SPECIFICALLY FOR US. THE PAX AND ALL LUGGAGE WERE WEIGHED, AND A THOROUGH RAMP CHK WAS DONE ON ALL 3 ACFT. THE INSPECTORS WERE GONE ALMOST AS QUICKLY AS THEY HAD ARRIVED. THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO THE FSDO AND ASKED FOR A COPY OF THE WTS AND INFO THAT HAD BEEN TAKEN ON MY ACFT SO THAT I COULD COMPARE THOSE WTS WITH WHAT I HAD. THE INFO WAS PROVIDED AND THE INSPECTOR THAT WE TALKED TO STATED THAT HE DID NOT SEE ANY PROBS, AS THEY HAD MY PLANE LISTED AS BEING 4300# UNDER GROSS WT UPON ARR. FINE, NO PROB! WRONG. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION OF THEIR FIGURES, I FOUND A 700 LBS MISTAKE MADE BY THE INSPECTORS IN MY FAVOR; THEIR WTS DID NOT ADD UP RIGHT. WE WENT BACK TO THE TEAM AND REWEIGHED AND RECALCULATED WT AND BAL, AND ENDED UP SHIPPING 500 LBS OF BAGGAGE HOME VIA UPS. I'VE LEARNED TO WEIGH EVERYTHING WHEN THERE IS ANY DOUBT AT ALL, AND DON'T TRUST YOUR PAX TO STAY WITHIN THE LIMITS GIVEN THEM (MY 6 GIRLS WERE 150# OVER THE WTS GIVEN TO ME ON THE PAX LIST). I NOW ALSO KNOW THAT YOU CAN OVERLOAD AN SMT. ALSO NOT MENTIONED ABOVE WAS THE FACT THAT WE WERE TO HAVE TAKEN 2 OTHER PAX WHO DID NOT GO ON THE TRIP BECAUSE OF INJURY. THIS ADDED TO THE WRONGLY SECURE FEELING THAT WE WERE WELL WITHIN LIMITS. SO FAR THE INSPECTORS HAVE NOT FOUND THE ERROR IN THEIR FIGURES, BUT I FEEL IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 130027: WHILE FLYING A CHARTER TRIP FOR MY EMPLOYER, MY AND 2 OTHER COMPANY ACFT WERE RAMP-CHKED IN LNK, FOR THE MAIN PURPOSE TO CHK OUR WTS. AFTER WEIGHING ALL PAX AND LUGGAGE, I DISCOVERED THAT MY PAX WT WAS 148# HEAVIER THAN I HAD BEEN GIVEN IN WRITING, AND THEIR BAGGAGE WEIGHED 75 LBS HEAVIER THAN I HAD PLANNED FOR. NOW FINDING OUT THEIR ACTUAL WTS AND BAGGAGE WTS, WE HAD THEM SEND HOME 200# OF BOOKS, CLOTHES AND EQUIP.

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.