Narrative:

I am a saab 340 captain and was to fly between detroit, mi, to allentown, PA. The aircraft was loaded fully with all 34 seats filled and 1500 pounds of cargo in aft cargo hold. I knew we were heavy and that was an awful lot of weight in the cargo section. After receiving the final passenger count and cargo information, the first officer calculated our weight and balance and performance information. I knew it would be very aft center of gravity and checked the figures given to me by the first officer to confirm we were within center of gravity limits. The figures given to me confirmed we were aft center of gravity, but we were still within limits. The takeoff, climb and approach were normal. However, on the landing the airplane acted differently and I knew something was wrong. Upon touchdown at allentown, the airplane bounced and came back up into the air on me. I have over 1000 hours in a saab 340 and have never experienced this before. The touchdown wasn't hard as we came back into the air again. I brought the power back and touched down again and the aircraft came off the ground for a second time. By now the nose was very high in the air and I forced the nose down to avoid a tail strike and landed. Usually the nose will come down easily. This time I had to push forward on the wheel to get the nose on the ground. After setting the airplane down, finally, I knew the center of gravity was extremely aft. The nose strut felt like there wasn't any weight on it at all during taxi. When we arrived at the gate I had the passenger stay on until most bags were unloaded from the tail, for fear the aircraft might actually tip over onto the tail. I had the ground agents put the tailstand in to prevent this. Usually the tailstand hangs below the tail section, at least 2 ft from the ground. The tail was so low to the ground the agents couldn't even install the tailstand. As the agents unloaded the cargo it was apparent that much of the cargo was much heavier than our standard 25 pounds/piece calculation for cargo. The agent told me that many of the pieces were 60-70 pounds. I went back to the cockpit and reviewed the weight and balance sheet. The first officer responded that he had made a serious math error and instead of being loaded at an index of 59 inches, we were at 69 inches, well aft of the center of gravity limits. The combination of bags heavier than standard, the math error by the first officer, and the station in detroit overloading the aircraft caused this, as well as my fault in not reviewing the paperwork more thoroughly. I feel that by having a crew member manually calculate this is bad. I have seen numerous math errors in the past. Some companies have laptop computers to do this for them (in the cockpit). This eliminates much of the math errors. Also, standard weight for bags is very inaccurate, especially when you are flying a heavy aircraft and the bags are heavier than standard.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SF340 PIC ALMOST LOSES CTL OF HIS ACFT DURING LNDG AT ABE. THE ACFT WAS OVERLOADED IN THE REAR CARGO COMPARTMENT WITHOUT THE CREW'S KNOWLEDGE.

Narrative: I AM A SAAB 340 CAPT AND WAS TO FLY BTWN DETROIT, MI, TO ALLENTOWN, PA. THE ACFT WAS LOADED FULLY WITH ALL 34 SEATS FILLED AND 1500 LBS OF CARGO IN AFT CARGO HOLD. I KNEW WE WERE HVY AND THAT WAS AN AWFUL LOT OF WT IN THE CARGO SECTION. AFTER RECEIVING THE FINAL PAX COUNT AND CARGO INFO, THE FO CALCULATED OUR WT AND BAL AND PERFORMANCE INFO. I KNEW IT WOULD BE VERY AFT CTR OF GRAVITY AND CHKED THE FIGURES GIVEN TO ME BY THE FO TO CONFIRM WE WERE WITHIN CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS. THE FIGURES GIVEN TO ME CONFIRMED WE WERE AFT CTR OF GRAVITY, BUT WE WERE STILL WITHIN LIMITS. THE TKOF, CLB AND APCH WERE NORMAL. HOWEVER, ON THE LNDG THE AIRPLANE ACTED DIFFERENTLY AND I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. UPON TOUCHDOWN AT ALLENTOWN, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED AND CAME BACK UP INTO THE AIR ON ME. I HAVE OVER 1000 HRS IN A SAAB 340 AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE. THE TOUCHDOWN WASN'T HARD AS WE CAME BACK INTO THE AIR AGAIN. I BROUGHT THE PWR BACK AND TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN AND THE ACFT CAME OFF THE GND FOR A SECOND TIME. BY NOW THE NOSE WAS VERY HIGH IN THE AIR AND I FORCED THE NOSE DOWN TO AVOID A TAIL STRIKE AND LANDED. USUALLY THE NOSE WILL COME DOWN EASILY. THIS TIME I HAD TO PUSH FORWARD ON THE WHEEL TO GET THE NOSE ON THE GND. AFTER SETTING THE AIRPLANE DOWN, FINALLY, I KNEW THE CTR OF GRAVITY WAS EXTREMELY AFT. THE NOSE STRUT FELT LIKE THERE WASN'T ANY WT ON IT AT ALL DURING TAXI. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE I HAD THE PAX STAY ON UNTIL MOST BAGS WERE UNLOADED FROM THE TAIL, FOR FEAR THE ACFT MIGHT ACTUALLY TIP OVER ONTO THE TAIL. I HAD THE GND AGENTS PUT THE TAILSTAND IN TO PREVENT THIS. USUALLY THE TAILSTAND HANGS BELOW THE TAIL SECTION, AT LEAST 2 FT FROM THE GND. THE TAIL WAS SO LOW TO THE GND THE AGENTS COULDN'T EVEN INSTALL THE TAILSTAND. AS THE AGENTS UNLOADED THE CARGO IT WAS APPARENT THAT MUCH OF THE CARGO WAS MUCH HEAVIER THAN OUR STANDARD 25 LBS/PIECE CALCULATION FOR CARGO. THE AGENT TOLD ME THAT MANY OF THE PIECES WERE 60-70 LBS. I WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND REVIEWED THE WT AND BAL SHEET. THE FO RESPONDED THAT HE HAD MADE A SERIOUS MATH ERROR AND INSTEAD OF BEING LOADED AT AN INDEX OF 59 INCHES, WE WERE AT 69 INCHES, WELL AFT OF THE CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS. THE COMBINATION OF BAGS HEAVIER THAN STANDARD, THE MATH ERROR BY THE FO, AND THE STATION IN DETROIT OVERLOADING THE ACFT CAUSED THIS, AS WELL AS MY FAULT IN NOT REVIEWING THE PAPERWORK MORE THOROUGHLY. I FEEL THAT BY HAVING A CREW MEMBER MANUALLY CALCULATE THIS IS BAD. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS MATH ERRORS IN THE PAST. SOME COMPANIES HAVE LAPTOP COMPUTERS TO DO THIS FOR THEM (IN THE COCKPIT). THIS ELIMINATES MUCH OF THE MATH ERRORS. ALSO, STANDARD WT FOR BAGS IS VERY INACCURATE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE FLYING A HVY ACFT AND THE BAGS ARE HEAVIER THAN STANDARD.

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.