Narrative:

We arrived in atl a number of hours late. Found out that we had been taken off our assigned sequence of flts and reassigned. The aircraft, F/as, and passengers were waiting for us when we arrived at the gate. Neither the first officer nor I had previously flown into roa, an airport with critical flight procedures due to the vicinity of mountainous terrain. The flight was busy, short, and our attention focused on a review of approach and engine out procedures. The fact that the tower was due to close at midnight was another factor, and when volume I (our flight operations manual) index was referred to for tower closed procedures guidance I found that the index directed me to a section that was left blank. After landing, I had difficulty getting the proper form to sign in the computer for fuel and dispatch release, and after conferring with dispatch and incurring further delay, the problem was fixed and we obtained clearance and our takeoff weights and focused attention on our departure checklists and procedures including tower out operating procedures. After takeoff it was discovered that somehow a zero passenger count had been entered on the aircraft load manifest when in fact we had a load of approximately 60 passengers. I believe that the agent probably had not handled through passengers in roa, and had likely not thought about people left on board. There was no passengers boarded in roa. A new first officer on the medium large transport, a new airport, late flight, low ceilings, mountainous terrain, a control tower that was closing, an irregular late night operation, all contributed to the agent's and the flight crew's error of not catching the obvious mistake on the aircraft load manifest.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR FLT CREW DISCOVERS INCORRECT WEIGHT MANIFEST AFTER DEP.

Narrative: WE ARRIVED IN ATL A NUMBER OF HRS LATE. FOUND OUT THAT WE HAD BEEN TAKEN OFF OUR ASSIGNED SEQUENCE OF FLTS AND REASSIGNED. THE ACFT, F/AS, AND PAXS WERE WAITING FOR US WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE. NEITHER THE F/O NOR I HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN INTO ROA, AN ARPT WITH CRITICAL FLT PROCS DUE TO THE VICINITY OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE FLT WAS BUSY, SHORT, AND OUR ATTN FOCUSED ON A REVIEW OF APCH AND ENG OUT PROCS. THE FACT THAT THE TWR WAS DUE TO CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT WAS ANOTHER FACTOR, AND WHEN VOLUME I (OUR FLT OPS MANUAL) INDEX WAS REFERRED TO FOR TWR CLOSED PROCS GUIDANCE I FOUND THAT THE INDEX DIRECTED ME TO A SECTION THAT WAS L BLANK. AFTER LNDG, I HAD DIFFICULTY GETTING THE PROPER FORM TO SIGN IN THE COMPUTER FOR FUEL AND DISPATCH RELEASE, AND AFTER CONFERRING WITH DISPATCH AND INCURRING FURTHER DELAY, THE PROB WAS FIXED AND WE OBTAINED CLRNC AND OUR TKOF WEIGHTS AND FOCUSED ATTN ON OUR DEP CHKLISTS AND PROCS INCLUDING TWR OUT OPERATING PROCS. AFTER TKOF IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT SOMEHOW A ZERO PAX COUNT HAD BEEN ENTERED ON THE ACFT LOAD MANIFEST WHEN IN FACT WE HAD A LOAD OF APPROX 60 PAXS. I BELIEVE THAT THE AGENT PROBABLY HAD NOT HANDLED THROUGH PAXS IN ROA, AND HAD LIKELY NOT THOUGHT ABOUT PEOPLE L ON BOARD. THERE WAS NO PAXS BOARDED IN ROA. A NEW F/O ON THE MLG, A NEW ARPT, LATE FLT, LOW CEILINGS, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, A CTL TWR THAT WAS CLOSING, AN IRREGULAR LATE NIGHT OPERATION, ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE AGENT'S AND THE FLT CREW'S ERROR OF NOT CATCHING THE OBVIOUS MISTAKE ON THE ACFT LOAD MANIFEST.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.