Narrative:

Our atl-tpa flight had a light load of passenger and the company wanted us to freight fuel to save a few dollars on the higher fuel price in tpa. Our earlier atl-tpa flight had canceled and the passenger had been sent to air carrier but that flight had a mechanical problem and canceled. All of the passenger were sent down to our flight. The passenger late arrival delayed the boarding and we were late for departure when the agent brought the weight and balance form out to us. I checked the maximum takeoff gross weight (TOGW) against our actual weight, and center of gravity position, fuel and passenger, then signed the form. The clip of the clipboard covered the upper r-hand column of the form that had the maximum allowable weight for landing. The maximum landing weight problem began to creep into my mind during the climb out. When we leveled off both the flight engineer and I began to consider the landing weight of 157000 pounds. I looked for the aircraft weight placard and discovered that the maximum landing weight was 150000 pounds, not the 154500 pounds or 158000 pounds landing weight on our other aircraft. It was the first officer's leg and I told him that we needed to 'grease it on' and he did just that. I called our maintenance office and told them that I needed an overweight landing inspection and was told that a 'soft' landing was no problem and an inspection was not necessary. (Probably our contract maintenance would take hours to accomplish the inspection.) it was my responsibility to think of this and prevent the overweight landing, I solved that problem with a 'soft' landing, but not getting the inspection done was the real problem. I got it done back in our home base. I don't feel like I got a whole lot of help from our dispatch system though: the atl agent advised the dispatcher of the increased load before the papers were sent, they were never corrected. The atl agent filled out all the blanks on the form correctly, he just never noticed that we were too heavy to land. The column with the maximum takeoff gross weight for landing is separate from the other weights on our form, it is easy to overlook and it can be covered by the clip on the clipboard. A computerized weight and balance system would have caught the error, it is too bad we don't have one. Our small airline has a mixed non-standard fleet (2 of everything) that causes confusion about 'how much can this plane carry.' the maintenance controller did not help by telling me that an inspection was not necessary. I plan to include the maximum takeoff gross weight for landing in my scan of the weight and balance form now.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 FLC EXCEEDS MAX ALLOWABLE LNDG WT AT DEST ARPT. THEY FAIL TO GET AN OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION PERFORMED.

Narrative: OUR ATL-TPA FLT HAD A LIGHT LOAD OF PAX AND THE COMPANY WANTED US TO FREIGHT FUEL TO SAVE A FEW DOLLARS ON THE HIGHER FUEL PRICE IN TPA. OUR EARLIER ATL-TPA FLT HAD CANCELED AND THE PAX HAD BEEN SENT TO ACR BUT THAT FLT HAD A MECHANICAL PROB AND CANCELED. ALL OF THE PAX WERE SENT DOWN TO OUR FLT. THE PAX LATE ARR DELAYED THE BOARDING AND WE WERE LATE FOR DEP WHEN THE AGENT BROUGHT THE WT AND BAL FORM OUT TO US. I CHKED THE MAX TKOF GROSS WT (TOGW) AGAINST OUR ACTUAL WT, AND CTR OF GRAVITY POS, FUEL AND PAX, THEN SIGNED THE FORM. THE CLIP OF THE CLIPBOARD COVERED THE UPPER R-HAND COLUMN OF THE FORM THAT HAD THE MAX ALLOWABLE WT FOR LNDG. THE MAX LNDG WT PROB BEGAN TO CREEP INTO MY MIND DURING THE CLBOUT. WHEN WE LEVELED OFF BOTH THE FE AND I BEGAN TO CONSIDER THE LNDG WT OF 157000 LBS. I LOOKED FOR THE ACFT WT PLACARD AND DISCOVERED THAT THE MAX LNDG WT WAS 150000 LBS, NOT THE 154500 LBS OR 158000 LBS LNDG WT ON OUR OTHER ACFT. IT WAS THE FO'S LEG AND I TOLD HIM THAT WE NEEDED TO 'GREASE IT ON' AND HE DID JUST THAT. I CALLED OUR MAINT OFFICE AND TOLD THEM THAT I NEEDED AN OVERWT LNDG INSPECTION AND WAS TOLD THAT A 'SOFT' LNDG WAS NO PROB AND AN INSPECTION WAS NOT NECESSARY. (PROBABLY OUR CONTRACT MAINT WOULD TAKE HRS TO ACCOMPLISH THE INSPECTION.) IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO THINK OF THIS AND PREVENT THE OVERWT LNDG, I SOLVED THAT PROB WITH A 'SOFT' LNDG, BUT NOT GETTING THE INSPECTION DONE WAS THE REAL PROB. I GOT IT DONE BACK IN OUR HOME BASE. I DON'T FEEL LIKE I GOT A WHOLE LOT OF HELP FROM OUR DISPATCH SYS THOUGH: THE ATL AGENT ADVISED THE DISPATCHER OF THE INCREASED LOAD BEFORE THE PAPERS WERE SENT, THEY WERE NEVER CORRECTED. THE ATL AGENT FILLED OUT ALL THE BLANKS ON THE FORM CORRECTLY, HE JUST NEVER NOTICED THAT WE WERE TOO HVY TO LAND. THE COLUMN WITH THE MAX TKOF GROSS WT FOR LNDG IS SEPARATE FROM THE OTHER WTS ON OUR FORM, IT IS EASY TO OVERLOOK AND IT CAN BE COVERED BY THE CLIP ON THE CLIPBOARD. A COMPUTERIZED WT AND BAL SYS WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE ERROR, IT IS TOO BAD WE DON'T HAVE ONE. OUR SMALL AIRLINE HAS A MIXED NON-STANDARD FLEET (2 OF EVERYTHING) THAT CAUSES CONFUSION ABOUT 'HOW MUCH CAN THIS PLANE CARRY.' THE MAINT CTLR DID NOT HELP BY TELLING ME THAT AN INSPECTION WAS NOT NECESSARY. I PLAN TO INCLUDE THE MAX TKOF GROSS WT FOR LNDG IN MY SCAN OF THE WT AND BAL FORM NOW.

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.