Narrative:

The completed weight and balance form for our flight was inadvertently left on the ground. The company tracks delays in part by monitoring the time elapsed between the flight crew's receiving the verified weight and balance and the time we push back. There was a discrepancy between the time of weight and balance verification as written on the form by ramp personnel, and the time the crew actually received the weight and balance. The responsible ramp person was called back to the cockpit and it was agreed that the time on the form would be changed, and the ramp person took the weight and balance form to make the change. The form was never returned to the cockpit. The pertinent weight and balance had been previously entered into the airport performance laptop computer and reviewed by both the captain and engineer, so there was no degradation of safety resulting from this administrative error. It was discovered after takeoff. Contributing factors were the usual last min high level of activity in preparation for departure, and the desire to meet schedule. Also, the crew was distracted by the last min arrival at the airplane of the ice chest containing crew beverages.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 SUPPLEMENTAL FREIGHT CARRIER FLC DEPARTED WITHOUT THE WT AND BAL PAPERWORK. THE MISSING PAPERWORK DID NOT JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF FLT SINCE THE WT AND BAL DATA HAD ALREADY BEEN ENTERED INTO AN ONBOARD LAPTOP COMPUTER. THE PAPERWORK WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACFT WHEN THE FLC REQUIRED THE GND PERSONNEL TO MAKE A CORRECTION ON THE PAPERWORK.

Narrative: THE COMPLETED WT AND BAL FORM FOR OUR FLT WAS INADVERTENTLY LEFT ON THE GND. THE COMPANY TRACKS DELAYS IN PART BY MONITORING THE TIME ELAPSED BTWN THE FLC'S RECEIVING THE VERIFIED WT AND BAL AND THE TIME WE PUSH BACK. THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY BTWN THE TIME OF WT AND BAL VERIFICATION AS WRITTEN ON THE FORM BY RAMP PERSONNEL, AND THE TIME THE CREW ACTUALLY RECEIVED THE WT AND BAL. THE RESPONSIBLE RAMP PERSON WAS CALLED BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND IT WAS AGREED THAT THE TIME ON THE FORM WOULD BE CHANGED, AND THE RAMP PERSON TOOK THE WT AND BAL FORM TO MAKE THE CHANGE. THE FORM WAS NEVER RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. THE PERTINENT WT AND BAL HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY ENTERED INTO THE ARPT PERFORMANCE LAPTOP COMPUTER AND REVIEWED BY BOTH THE CAPT AND ENGINEER, SO THERE WAS NO DEGRADATION OF SAFETY RESULTING FROM THIS ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR. IT WAS DISCOVERED AFTER TKOF. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE USUAL LAST MIN HIGH LEVEL OF ACTIVITY IN PREPARATION FOR DEP, AND THE DESIRE TO MEET SCHEDULE. ALSO, THE CREW WAS DISTRACTED BY THE LAST MIN ARR AT THE AIRPLANE OF THE ICE CHEST CONTAINING CREW BEVERAGES.

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.