Narrative:

On mar/thu/95 (first flight at XA45 am) I (first officer) was finished with my original flows and noticed (after 2 announcements to put carry-on's under the seat) a passenger, who was reading a paper, who did not stow their bag properly. I read the seating position to the captain and then proceeded back to the cabin to tell the passenger to stow their bag face-to-face. When I walked up to my seat it was about XA42, 3 mins until departure time. An FAA en route inspector got on board and told us she was conducting an en route inspection. She sat in row xb and the captain then marked her on the manifest in xb. She then (after the captain moved his jacket) moved to xa, the proper seat for an en route inspection. The captain, I assume, also marked her as sitting in row xa but did not erase his previous mark off xb. Also, as I was briefing the passenger, a ramp agent told the captain to add 55 pounds of cargo. The captain finished the manifest and read the takeoff weight and center of gravity to me and I wrote those down. I did not check the manifest because I am not required to do so, because company policy delegates that to one person and that is the captain because he is responsible for the correct loading weights and center of gravity limit, the captain handed the manifest to the inspector and the flight was completed as planned. We landed and shut down. I was giving the farewell briefing to the passenger and I heard the inspector or someone (I now assume it was the inspector) say 'just one thing' and the captain said 'ok.' I did not think too much about it because I did not know who the captain was talking to. About 20 mins later, during the boarding process, the captain told me that the FAA inspector told him he made a 100 pound error. He looked at the manifest and saw his mistake on the center of gravity graph where he included the inspector in both xb and xa. However, we were still well within center of gravity limits at 262 pounds. Also I noticed that the 55 pounds of late cargo were added to the manifest but not to the center of gravity limit, however, that still put us well within limits. The problem occurred for a couple of reasons: a late arriving FAA inspector, the captain not double-checking the manifest and wanting to stay on schedule. There are no double-checks between the captain and first officer to ensure the quality and accuracy of the weight and balance. Late arriving cargo that should be already on board. The only factors of human performance is that possibly too many things happen at once and when that happens certain things are omitted because we are human.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PIC OF COMMUTER ACFT FLUNKS WT AND BAL TEST WITH ACI.

Narrative: ON MAR/THU/95 (FIRST FLT AT XA45 AM) I (FO) WAS FINISHED WITH MY ORIGINAL FLOWS AND NOTICED (AFTER 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS TO PUT CARRY-ON'S UNDER THE SEAT) A PAX, WHO WAS READING A PAPER, WHO DID NOT STOW THEIR BAG PROPERLY. I READ THE SEATING POS TO THE CAPT AND THEN PROCEEDED BACK TO THE CABIN TO TELL THE PAX TO STOW THEIR BAG FACE-TO-FACE. WHEN I WALKED UP TO MY SEAT IT WAS ABOUT XA42, 3 MINS UNTIL DEP TIME. AN FAA ENRTE INSPECTOR GOT ON BOARD AND TOLD US SHE WAS CONDUCTING AN ENRTE INSPECTION. SHE SAT IN ROW XB AND THE CAPT THEN MARKED HER ON THE MANIFEST IN XB. SHE THEN (AFTER THE CAPT MOVED HIS JACKET) MOVED TO XA, THE PROPER SEAT FOR AN ENRTE INSPECTION. THE CAPT, I ASSUME, ALSO MARKED HER AS SITTING IN ROW XA BUT DID NOT ERASE HIS PREVIOUS MARK OFF XB. ALSO, AS I WAS BRIEFING THE PAX, A RAMP AGENT TOLD THE CAPT TO ADD 55 LBS OF CARGO. THE CAPT FINISHED THE MANIFEST AND READ THE TKOF WT AND CTR OF GRAVITY TO ME AND I WROTE THOSE DOWN. I DID NOT CHK THE MANIFEST BECAUSE I AM NOT REQUIRED TO DO SO, BECAUSE COMPANY POLICY DELEGATES THAT TO ONE PERSON AND THAT IS THE CAPT BECAUSE HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CORRECT LOADING WTS AND CTR OF GRAVITY LIMIT, THE CAPT HANDED THE MANIFEST TO THE INSPECTOR AND THE FLT WAS COMPLETED AS PLANNED. WE LANDED AND SHUT DOWN. I WAS GIVING THE FAREWELL BRIEFING TO THE PAX AND I HEARD THE INSPECTOR OR SOMEONE (I NOW ASSUME IT WAS THE INSPECTOR) SAY 'JUST ONE THING' AND THE CAPT SAID 'OK.' I DID NOT THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW WHO THE CAPT WAS TALKING TO. ABOUT 20 MINS LATER, DURING THE BOARDING PROCESS, THE CAPT TOLD ME THAT THE FAA INSPECTOR TOLD HIM HE MADE A 100 LB ERROR. HE LOOKED AT THE MANIFEST AND SAW HIS MISTAKE ON THE CTR OF GRAVITY GRAPH WHERE HE INCLUDED THE INSPECTOR IN BOTH XB AND XA. HOWEVER, WE WERE STILL WELL WITHIN CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS AT 262 LBS. ALSO I NOTICED THAT THE 55 LBS OF LATE CARGO WERE ADDED TO THE MANIFEST BUT NOT TO THE CTR OF GRAVITY LIMIT, HOWEVER, THAT STILL PUT US WELL WITHIN LIMITS. THE PROB OCCURRED FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS: A LATE ARRIVING FAA INSPECTOR, THE CAPT NOT DOUBLE-CHKING THE MANIFEST AND WANTING TO STAY ON SCHEDULE. THERE ARE NO DOUBLE-CHKS BTWN THE CAPT AND FO TO ENSURE THE QUALITY AND ACCURACY OF THE WT AND BAL. LATE ARRIVING CARGO THAT SHOULD BE ALREADY ON BOARD. THE ONLY FACTORS OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE IS THAT POSSIBLY TOO MANY THINGS HAPPEN AT ONCE AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS CERTAIN THINGS ARE OMITTED BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN.

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.