Narrative:

Taxiing out at mem, we got an ACARS from the company asking us to re-seat some passenger from the back to the front of the cabin in order to stay within center of gravity limits. We never get requests like that, so it immediately got our attention. We re-seated the passenger and departed. En route to our destination (lax), we communicated with the company over ACARS about the loading situation, and it became apparent that the station agents had mistakenly loaded the aft cargo bin so heavy that we not only had to reseat passenger, but also had to unload the aft cargo in lax before any passenger could be allowed to deplane! If we let the passenger off first, the plane would go on its tail! You can imagine how that looked to the passenger, but what really bothered me was the fact that that kind of mistake can happen at all. We depend on the agents to load the plane properly, and they do most of the time. I think this loading error should have been corrected before pushback, instead of asking the passenger to reseat and then wait after arrival until the cargo is off loaded to deplane. As a flight crew, the first officer and I felt like pawns, used to cover someone else's mistakes. All of what we did was legal, but looked bad and unprofessional to the passenger. Could also have been dangerous if not discovered by our load control department.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT WT AND BAL AFFECTED BY IMPROPER LOADING PROC CARGO.

Narrative: TAXIING OUT AT MEM, WE GOT AN ACARS FROM THE COMPANY ASKING US TO RE-SEAT SOME PAX FROM THE BACK TO THE FRONT OF THE CABIN IN ORDER TO STAY WITHIN CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS. WE NEVER GET REQUESTS LIKE THAT, SO IT IMMEDIATELY GOT OUR ATTN. WE RE-SEATED THE PAX AND DEPARTED. ENRTE TO OUR DESTINATION (LAX), WE COMMUNICATED WITH THE COMPANY OVER ACARS ABOUT THE LOADING SIT, AND IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE STATION AGENTS HAD MISTAKENLY LOADED THE AFT CARGO BIN SO HVY THAT WE NOT ONLY HAD TO RESEAT PAX, BUT ALSO HAD TO UNLOAD THE AFT CARGO IN LAX BEFORE ANY PAX COULD BE ALLOWED TO DEPLANE! IF WE LET THE PAX OFF FIRST, THE PLANE WOULD GO ON ITS TAIL! YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW THAT LOOKED TO THE PAX, BUT WHAT REALLY BOTHERED ME WAS THE FACT THAT THAT KIND OF MISTAKE CAN HAPPEN AT ALL. WE DEPEND ON THE AGENTS TO LOAD THE PLANE PROPERLY, AND THEY DO MOST OF THE TIME. I THINK THIS LOADING ERROR SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED BEFORE PUSHBACK, INSTEAD OF ASKING THE PAX TO RESEAT AND THEN WAIT AFTER ARR UNTIL THE CARGO IS OFF LOADED TO DEPLANE. AS A FLC, THE FO AND I FELT LIKE PAWNS, USED TO COVER SOMEONE ELSE'S MISTAKES. ALL OF WHAT WE DID WAS LEGAL, BUT LOOKED BAD AND UNPROFESSIONAL TO THE PAX. COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS IF NOT DISCOVERED BY OUR LOAD CTL DEPT.

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.