Passenger count discrepancy leads to overweight takeoff for air carrier widebody transport.

Attributes
ACN	176576
Time
Date	199104
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : ont
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff ground : preflight other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	176576
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far non adherence other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Flight dfw-hnl was 10 mins over plan for takeoff out of dfw. This being a fuel critical flight, I called dfw ramp to check on the status of the flight. They advised that the flight was experiencing a payload problem and that it looks like it had been corrected and the flight was now on his way. I knew there was a weight restriction so I checked into the problem. Apparently the gate agents and the load agent were missing each other. The gate agents text showed final passenger count at 238 passenger and the load agent had closed the flight out with only 205 passenger. I contacted the load agent and asked about the discrepancy. He advised me that there was a lot of confusion at the gate on the exact number of passenger on board the aircraft so he contacted the flight and asked the captain for a passenger count. The crew told the agent there was only 205 passenger onboard. The load agent explained to the crew that there was a discrepancy and he was going to use the crews count to close out the flight. I then contacted the agent at the gate and told her to recount the tickets and reconfirm their totals. She counted 238 tickets. I contacted the flight en route to hnl and asked him to recount the passenger onboard. This time he came up with a total of 238 passengers on board. This flight was overweight for takeoff by 3000 pounds and the flts 19.0 pound fob quickly turned into a 14.6 pound FOD.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PASSENGER COUNT DISCREPANCY LEADS TO OVERWEIGHT TKOF FOR ACR WDB.

Narrative: FLT DFW-HNL WAS 10 MINS OVER PLAN FOR TKOF OUT OF DFW. THIS BEING A FUEL CRITICAL FLT, I CALLED DFW RAMP TO CHK ON THE STATUS OF THE FLT. THEY ADVISED THAT THE FLT WAS EXPERIENCING A PAYLOAD PROB AND THAT IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAD BEEN CORRECTED AND THE FLT WAS NOW ON HIS WAY. I KNEW THERE WAS A WEIGHT RESTRICTION SO I CHKED INTO THE PROB. APPARENTLY THE GATE AGENTS AND THE LOAD AGENT WERE MISSING EACH OTHER. THE GATE AGENTS TEXT SHOWED FINAL PAX COUNT AT 238 PAX AND THE LOAD AGENT HAD CLOSED THE FLT OUT WITH ONLY 205 PAX. I CONTACTED THE LOAD AGENT AND ASKED ABOUT THE DISCREPANCY. HE ADVISED ME THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION AT THE GATE ON THE EXACT NUMBER OF PAX ON BOARD THE ACFT SO HE CONTACTED THE FLT AND ASKED THE CAPT FOR A PAX COUNT. THE CREW TOLD THE AGENT THERE WAS ONLY 205 PAX ONBOARD. THE LOAD AGENT EXPLAINED TO THE CREW THAT THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY AND HE WAS GOING TO USE THE CREWS COUNT TO CLOSE OUT THE FLT. I THEN CONTACTED THE AGENT AT THE GATE AND TOLD HER TO RECOUNT THE TICKETS AND RECONFIRM THEIR TOTALS. SHE COUNTED 238 TICKETS. I CONTACTED THE FLT ENRTE TO HNL AND ASKED HIM TO RECOUNT THE PAX ONBOARD. THIS TIME HE CAME UP WITH A TOTAL OF 238 PAXS ON BOARD. THIS FLT WAS OVERWEIGHT FOR TKOF BY 3000 LBS AND THE FLTS 19.0 LB FOB QUICKLY TURNED INTO A 14.6 LB FOD.

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.