Narrative:

An inbound flight from dfw was carrying passenger for our flight. The manifest that had been transmitted to us showed 5 passenger for our flight bound for eld and cdh. The aircraft had been fueled earlier and too much fuel had been added for us to carry the load which we knew would be getting on the airplane. The company authorized me to fly the airplane locally for the sole purpose of burning fuel and reducing the weight of the airplane. I flew the airplane for 55 mins at a high power setting and a rich mixture and brought the fuel weight down well below what was necessary for the load, however, the agent who worked our manifest showed only enough fuel loss to bring the weight down to the maximum allowable gross weight. I told the agent that the fuel weight that he was showing was wrong but to save time I would write a new manifest and bring him a copy when I returned from the trip. When we loaded the passenger there was a sixth passenger that we had not earlier been aware of. I could see that we would still be within weight as well as center of gravity limits with the way the passenger were seated on the airplane. After we took off the first officer called the station on the radio to ask them to look up the moment for this passenger in the particular seat he was in. The moment was given and after working the new manifest showing this passenger as an add on at the bottom. The center of gravity did not change from what it was before he was added on. Even though the exact gross weight and center of gravity were not worked out before we were airborne, I was absolutely certain from well over 2200 hours of experience in this type of airplane that the safety of the flight was never in any danger whatsoever and I knew that the airplane was loaded well within weight and center of gravity limits. This form is delayed because until recently I thought the problem had been properly solved with the corrected manifest. This whole situation could have been avoided if the proper fuel weight had been given on the original manifest and if we had looked up the moment ourselves before we took off.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER HAS WT AND BAL CONFUSION DUE FUEL OVERFILL THE EXTRA PAX ON BOARD.

Narrative: AN INBOUND FLT FROM DFW WAS CARRYING PAX FOR OUR FLT. THE MANIFEST THAT HAD BEEN XMITTED TO US SHOWED 5 PAX FOR OUR FLT BOUND FOR ELD AND CDH. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FUELED EARLIER AND TOO MUCH FUEL HAD BEEN ADDED FOR US TO CARRY THE LOAD WHICH WE KNEW WOULD BE GETTING ON THE AIRPLANE. THE COMPANY AUTHORIZED ME TO FLY THE AIRPLANE LOCALLY FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF BURNING FUEL AND REDUCING THE WT OF THE AIRPLANE. I FLEW THE AIRPLANE FOR 55 MINS AT A HIGH PWR SETTING AND A RICH MIXTURE AND BROUGHT THE FUEL WT DOWN WELL BELOW WHAT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE LOAD, HOWEVER, THE AGENT WHO WORKED OUR MANIFEST SHOWED ONLY ENOUGH FUEL LOSS TO BRING THE WT DOWN TO THE MAX ALLOWABLE GROSS WT. I TOLD THE AGENT THAT THE FUEL WT THAT HE WAS SHOWING WAS WRONG BUT TO SAVE TIME I WOULD WRITE A NEW MANIFEST AND BRING HIM A COPY WHEN I RETURNED FROM THE TRIP. WHEN WE LOADED THE PAX THERE WAS A SIXTH PAX THAT WE HAD NOT EARLIER BEEN AWARE OF. I COULD SEE THAT WE WOULD STILL BE WITHIN WT AS WELL AS CENTER OF GRAVITY LIMITS WITH THE WAY THE PAX WERE SEATED ON THE AIRPLANE. AFTER WE TOOK OFF THE FO CALLED THE STATION ON THE RADIO TO ASK THEM TO LOOK UP THE MOMENT FOR THIS PAX IN THE PARTICULAR SEAT HE WAS IN. THE MOMENT WAS GIVEN AND AFTER WORKING THE NEW MANIFEST SHOWING THIS PAX AS AN ADD ON AT THE BOTTOM. THE CENTER OF GRAVITY DID NOT CHANGE FROM WHAT IT WAS BEFORE HE WAS ADDED ON. EVEN THOUGH THE EXACT GROSS WT AND CENTER OF GRAVITY WERE NOT WORKED OUT BEFORE WE WERE AIRBORNE, I WAS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN FROM WELL OVER 2200 HRS OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS TYPE OF AIRPLANE THAT THE SAFETY OF THE FLT WAS NEVER IN ANY DANGER WHATSOEVER AND I KNEW THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS LOADED WELL WITHIN WT AND CENTER OF GRAVITY LIMITS. THIS FORM IS DELAYED BECAUSE UNTIL RECENTLY I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN PROPERLY SOLVED WITH THE CORRECTED MANIFEST. THIS WHOLE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE PROPER FUEL WT HAD BEEN GIVEN ON THE ORIGINAL MANIFEST AND IF WE HAD LOOKED UP THE MOMENT OURSELVES BEFORE WE TOOK OFF.

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.