Narrative:

The captain started his duty day sep/sun/92, H00 local. He preflted the aircraft, and he fueled the aircraft with 344 gallons of fuel. That was a big mistake, because we had 12 passenger leaving at H plus 3:30 local to tij. He flew the plane from lax to bur to lax and burned 322 pounds of fuel. I didn't go with him. I started my duty day at H plus 2:30 and we were taking off at H plus 3:30. So it was much time left to be ready, especially when the captain doesn't' help out. I as a copilot, was not responsible for the weight and balance either, getting the clearance, but the captain wasn't going to do it, so I had to. I asked the captain, who also is our chief pilot, how much fuel do we have. He answered 'we have as much fuel as we need to be legal.' I answered him back with 'what is that supposed to mean?' captain answered back: 'add up the passenger and the baggage and I will tell you how much fuel we have,' in a very degrading voice. I didn't want to argue with the captain and I was very busy to get ready for the flight, and I thought we must be ok since he said we are. So, I continued with the weight and balance form. Told the captain again we had 12 passenger going to tij and 15 coming back -- are we going to be legal. The captain. Answered: 'yes, just finish adding up the passenger and baggage and I will tell you how much fuel we have.' so, my figures came to approximately 10163 pounds without fuel. The captain told me then we had about 1800 pounds of fuel and we would be legal. So, I was finished 10 min before departure time. I walked out to the aircraft with the 12 passenger. I briefed them, made sure their seat belt was fastened and all the carried-on baggage was stowed properly away. So I didn't get a chance to look around the aircraft that morning. As we were in the air, I realized we had more fuel than what the captain had told me. We were approximately 600 pounds overweight. We had 2 trainees with us who were listening in so I could not discuss this with the captain. I was pretty upset. I also realized that the captain must have known, because he signed the flight log going from lax-bur-lax with another pilot that morning. Burning only 322 pounds of fuel. I told the captain in tij that we had too much fuel and we would be overweight with 600 to 800 pounds. He told me we were going anyway. I realized the captain did not care and it was another pilot for the company aboard the aircraft, and other people had told me earlier that the captain and the company's people didn't like female pilot and we were taking all the jobs and etc. They were going to fire me and they would have flown anyway. I was scared and intimidated by the captain. So we went to lax with approximately 600 to 800 pounds overweight. Next time, I am not going. I reported this to the company. They tried to cover it up so I had to prove it and was terminated because I am a female pilot and I reported the captain to the company. Next time I am checking fuel and making sure we are not overweight without trusting the captain. And, I won't let the captain. Intimidate me. I'm doing what I feel is right, going by the rules. The captain tried to deny it, by saying he didn't know the aircraft was overweight. He preflted, ordered 344 gallons of fuel, signed the fuel slip (later he hid the fuel slip). Signed the flight log earlier and flew the aircraft earlier that morning with another pilot, and lied to me about the fuel in lax. He knew, and I told him in tij. So he flew 2 trips in a row overweight and he knew. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporting pilot was fired about 2 days after this incident. She reported the incident to the company and had no job when she came to work the next time. Her former company has no union. She reported this incident to both the equal employment opportunity commission and the FAA. Other 'girls' (her word) have been fired by this company and have reported this to the equal employment opportunity commission. The chief pilot, the man that the reporter was flying with was formerly the director of maintenance of this company. He got into trouble with the FAA for his procedures previous to this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FEMALE FO RPTS THAT HER CAPT FLEW AN ACFT OVERWT FOR AT LEAST 2 LEGS. THE FO TOLD HER CAPT OF THE SITUATION. THERE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN SOME INTIMIDATION.

Narrative: THE CAPT STARTED HIS DUTY DAY SEP/SUN/92, H00 LCL. HE PREFLTED THE ACFT, AND HE FUELED THE ACFT WITH 344 GALLONS OF FUEL. THAT WAS A BIG MISTAKE, BECAUSE WE HAD 12 PAX LEAVING AT H PLUS 3:30 LCL TO TIJ. HE FLEW THE PLANE FROM LAX TO BUR TO LAX AND BURNED 322 POUNDS OF FUEL. I DIDN'T GO WITH HIM. I STARTED MY DUTY DAY AT H PLUS 2:30 AND WE WERE TAKING OFF AT H PLUS 3:30. SO IT WAS MUCH TIME LEFT TO BE READY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CAPT DOESN'T' HELP OUT. I AS A COPLT, WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WT AND BAL EITHER, GETTING THE CLRNC, BUT THE CAPT WASN'T GOING TO DO IT, SO I HAD TO. I ASKED THE CAPT, WHO ALSO IS OUR CHIEF PLT, HOW MUCH FUEL DO WE HAVE. HE ANSWERED 'WE HAVE AS MUCH FUEL AS WE NEED TO BE LEGAL.' I ANSWERED HIM BACK WITH 'WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?' CAPT ANSWERED BACK: 'ADD UP THE PAX AND THE BAGGAGE AND I WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH FUEL WE HAVE,' IN A VERY DEGRADING VOICE. I DIDN'T WANT TO ARGUE WITH THE CAPT AND I WAS VERY BUSY TO GET READY FOR THE FLT, AND I THOUGHT WE MUST BE OK SINCE HE SAID WE ARE. SO, I CONTINUED WITH THE WT AND BAL FORM. TOLD THE CAPT AGAIN WE HAD 12 PAX GOING TO TIJ AND 15 COMING BACK -- ARE WE GOING TO BE LEGAL. THE CAPT. ANSWERED: 'YES, JUST FINISH ADDING UP THE PAX AND BAGGAGE AND I WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH FUEL WE HAVE.' SO, MY FIGURES CAME TO APPROX 10163 POUNDS WITHOUT FUEL. THE CAPT TOLD ME THEN WE HAD ABOUT 1800 POUNDS OF FUEL AND WE WOULD BE LEGAL. SO, I WAS FINISHED 10 MIN BEFORE DEP TIME. I WALKED OUT TO THE ACFT WITH THE 12 PAX. I BRIEFED THEM, MADE SURE THEIR SEAT BELT WAS FASTENED AND ALL THE CARRIED-ON BAGGAGE WAS STOWED PROPERLY AWAY. SO I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AROUND THE ACFT THAT MORNING. AS WE WERE IN THE AIR, I REALIZED WE HAD MORE FUEL THAN WHAT THE CAPT HAD TOLD ME. WE WERE APPROX 600 POUNDS OVERWT. WE HAD 2 TRAINEES WITH US WHO WERE LISTENING IN SO I COULD NOT DISCUSS THIS WITH THE CAPT. I WAS PRETTY UPSET. I ALSO REALIZED THAT THE CAPT MUST HAVE KNOWN, BECAUSE HE SIGNED THE FLT LOG GOING FROM LAX-BUR-LAX WITH ANOTHER PLT THAT MORNING. BURNING ONLY 322 POUNDS OF FUEL. I TOLD THE CAPT IN TIJ THAT WE HAD TOO MUCH FUEL AND WE WOULD BE OVERWT WITH 600 TO 800 POUNDS. HE TOLD ME WE WERE GOING ANYWAY. I REALIZED THE CAPT DID NOT CARE AND IT WAS ANOTHER PLT FOR THE COMPANY ABOARD THE ACFT, AND OTHER PEOPLE HAD TOLD ME EARLIER THAT THE CAPT AND THE COMPANY'S PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE FEMALE PLT AND WE WERE TAKING ALL THE JOBS AND ETC. THEY WERE GOING TO FIRE ME AND THEY WOULD HAVE FLOWN ANYWAY. I WAS SCARED AND INTIMIDATED BY THE CAPT. SO WE WENT TO LAX WITH APPROX 600 TO 800 POUNDS OVERWT. NEXT TIME, I AM NOT GOING. I RPTED THIS TO THE COMPANY. THEY TRIED TO COVER IT UP SO I HAD TO PROVE IT AND WAS TERMINATED BECAUSE I AM A FEMALE PLT AND I RPTED THE CAPT TO THE COMPANY. NEXT TIME I AM CHKING FUEL AND MAKING SURE WE ARE NOT OVERWT WITHOUT TRUSTING THE CAPT. AND, I WON'T LET THE CAPT. INTIMIDATE ME. I'M DOING WHAT I FEEL IS RIGHT, GOING BY THE RULES. THE CAPT TRIED TO DENY IT, BY SAYING HE DIDN'T KNOW THE ACFT WAS OVERWT. HE PREFLTED, ORDERED 344 GALLONS OF FUEL, SIGNED THE FUEL SLIP (LATER HE HID THE FUEL SLIP). SIGNED THE FLT LOG EARLIER AND FLEW THE ACFT EARLIER THAT MORNING WITH ANOTHER PLT, AND LIED TO ME ABOUT THE FUEL IN LAX. HE KNEW, AND I TOLD HIM IN TIJ. SO HE FLEW 2 TRIPS IN A ROW OVERWT AND HE KNEW. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING PLT WAS FIRED ABOUT 2 DAYS AFTER THIS INCIDENT. SHE RPTED THE INCIDENT TO THE COMPANY AND HAD NO JOB WHEN SHE CAME TO WORK THE NEXT TIME. HER FORMER COMPANY HAS NO UNION. SHE RPTED THIS INCIDENT TO BOTH THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION AND THE FAA. OTHER 'GIRLS' (HER WORD) HAVE BEEN FIRED BY THIS COMPANY AND HAVE RPTED THIS TO THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION. THE CHIEF PLT, THE MAN THAT THE RPTR WAS FLYING WITH WAS FORMERLY THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT OF THIS COMPANY. HE GOT INTO TROUBLE WITH THE FAA FOR HIS PROCS PREVIOUS TO THIS INCIDENT.

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.