Narrative:

Problem -- failure to notice the difference between the flight release and the aircraft's actual mechanical status. The flight release had the aircraft status as CAT III when actually it was CAT I only. Also the aircraft had an additional 400 pound weight penalty for takeoff because of a deferred list which wasn't computed into the takeoff weight. If the penalty had been added, the aircraft would have been 111.6 pounds over dispatch's release weight. Neither problem was a safety of flight issue, because the crew was aware of the CAT I status and the aircraft was legal to takeoff at a much higher weight. Most of the time problems in the paperwork are either caught by dispatch or operations. Unfortunately when the crew had the final opportunity to catch the mistakes, they failed. At the time the flight was running late and the crew was rushed. It was only after takeoff when the crew had some extra time were the mistakes noticed. In the future one solution will be to delay departure till all paperwork is more closely examined.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 ACFT FLT RELEASE DIDN'T REFLECT DEFERRED ITEMS WHICH AFFECTED THE GROSS TKOF WT. WT WAS IN LIMITS BUT FLC DIDN'T DISCOVER ERROR UNTIL AIRBORNE.

Narrative: PROB -- FAILURE TO NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE BTWN THE FLT RELEASE AND THE ACFT'S ACTUAL MECHANICAL STATUS. THE FLT RELEASE HAD THE ACFT STATUS AS CAT III WHEN ACTUALLY IT WAS CAT I ONLY. ALSO THE ACFT HAD AN ADDITIONAL 400 LB WT PENALTY FOR TKOF BECAUSE OF A DEFERRED LIST WHICH WASN'T COMPUTED INTO THE TKOF WT. IF THE PENALTY HAD BEEN ADDED, THE ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN 111.6 LBS OVER DISPATCH'S RELEASE WT. NEITHER PROB WAS A SAFETY OF FLT ISSUE, BECAUSE THE CREW WAS AWARE OF THE CAT I STATUS AND THE ACFT WAS LEGAL TO TKOF AT A MUCH HIGHER WT. MOST OF THE TIME PROBS IN THE PAPERWORK ARE EITHER CAUGHT BY DISPATCH OR OPS. UNFORTUNATELY WHEN THE CREW HAD THE FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH THE MISTAKES, THEY FAILED. AT THE TIME THE FLT WAS RUNNING LATE AND THE CREW WAS RUSHED. IT WAS ONLY AFTER TKOF WHEN THE CREW HAD SOME EXTRA TIME WERE THE MISTAKES NOTICED. IN THE FUTURE ONE SOLUTION WILL BE TO DELAY DEP TILL ALL PAPERWORK IS MORE CLOSELY EXAMINED.

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.