Narrative:

Unsecured pallets in rear cargo. The aircraft we were using to fly a craf mission (B767-300ER) had flat pallets loaded on the floor for duffel bag loading. Line cargo personnel at ZZZ said that the pallets were not secured. Upon inspection, we noticed that in order to secure is different than the forward cargo bay which has a different mechanism to secure the flat pallets. The real question we had is what is the true mechanism to keep these flat pallets from moving vertically out of the tracks. We advised the chief working craf operations here, but wanted to make sure the question was asked through the safety channel as well. As we were preflting to leave, the load person advised us that we had a loose pallet in the aft cargo bay. Upon inspection, we noted that the pallets were in fact secured for fore and aft motion and side-to-side motion. However, unlike the forward cargo bay where the pallets have a c-clamp type RAIL that the flat pallets fit into to keep a vertical acceleration from dislodging the empty pallets, the aft bay does not have this. The fix was to physically tie the pallets down. When the pallets were loaded with duffel bags, the load person again secured the pallets and bags to the rails via ropes. Upon further investigation, we found that this has been idented by several other load personnel. Air carrier is using mx personnel and calling them load masters. Some thought that the weight of the bags kept these pallets in place, until they had been educated on the process of G's. We advised the chief pilot who was handling the craf missions out of the hotel. He told us that he had a cargo shift on his mission, but that he was told he had the incorrect pallets in the aft bay. We were also told that this cargo shift was not a problem and that this is the way it has always been done. That answer is unacceptable. Once again, we have been lucky. There is a simple fix -- get cargo straps to secure the pallets. A more costly fix is to have metal clamps installed that will secure the flat pallets and ensure that a vertical acceleration will not allow the pallets to stack up like a stack of cards. This needs to be addressed completely. Air carrier has known about this since we started flying the craf missions. May I respectfully submit that if safety personnel versus check airmen been added to the flts in the beginning, we would have idented this shortfall. Safety requested this and was denied. This is unacceptable and needs to be rectified.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767-300 CREW WAS INFORMED THEY HAD UNSECURED CARGO PALLETS ON THE CABIN FLOOR WHEN FLYING A CRAF MISSION.

Narrative: UNSECURED PALLETS IN REAR CARGO. THE ACFT WE WERE USING TO FLY A CRAF MISSION (B767-300ER) HAD FLAT PALLETS LOADED ON THE FLOOR FOR DUFFEL BAG LOADING. LINE CARGO PERSONNEL AT ZZZ SAID THAT THE PALLETS WERE NOT SECURED. UPON INSPECTION, WE NOTICED THAT IN ORDER TO SECURE IS DIFFERENT THAN THE FORWARD CARGO BAY WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT MECHANISM TO SECURE THE FLAT PALLETS. THE REAL QUESTION WE HAD IS WHAT IS THE TRUE MECHANISM TO KEEP THESE FLAT PALLETS FROM MOVING VERTLY OUT OF THE TRACKS. WE ADVISED THE CHIEF WORKING CRAF OPS HERE, BUT WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE QUESTION WAS ASKED THROUGH THE SAFETY CHANNEL AS WELL. AS WE WERE PREFLTING TO LEAVE, THE LOAD PERSON ADVISED US THAT WE HAD A LOOSE PALLET IN THE AFT CARGO BAY. UPON INSPECTION, WE NOTED THAT THE PALLETS WERE IN FACT SECURED FOR FORE AND AFT MOTION AND SIDE-TO-SIDE MOTION. HOWEVER, UNLIKE THE FORWARD CARGO BAY WHERE THE PALLETS HAVE A C-CLAMP TYPE RAIL THAT THE FLAT PALLETS FIT INTO TO KEEP A VERT ACCELERATION FROM DISLODGING THE EMPTY PALLETS, THE AFT BAY DOES NOT HAVE THIS. THE FIX WAS TO PHYSICALLY TIE THE PALLETS DOWN. WHEN THE PALLETS WERE LOADED WITH DUFFEL BAGS, THE LOAD PERSON AGAIN SECURED THE PALLETS AND BAGS TO THE RAILS VIA ROPES. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, WE FOUND THAT THIS HAS BEEN IDENTED BY SEVERAL OTHER LOAD PERSONNEL. ACR IS USING MX PERSONNEL AND CALLING THEM LOAD MASTERS. SOME THOUGHT THAT THE WT OF THE BAGS KEPT THESE PALLETS IN PLACE, UNTIL THEY HAD BEEN EDUCATED ON THE PROCESS OF G'S. WE ADVISED THE CHIEF PLT WHO WAS HANDLING THE CRAF MISSIONS OUT OF THE HOTEL. HE TOLD US THAT HE HAD A CARGO SHIFT ON HIS MISSION, BUT THAT HE WAS TOLD HE HAD THE INCORRECT PALLETS IN THE AFT BAY. WE WERE ALSO TOLD THAT THIS CARGO SHIFT WAS NOT A PROB AND THAT THIS IS THE WAY IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DONE. THAT ANSWER IS UNACCEPTABLE. ONCE AGAIN, WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY. THERE IS A SIMPLE FIX -- GET CARGO STRAPS TO SECURE THE PALLETS. A MORE COSTLY FIX IS TO HAVE METAL CLAMPS INSTALLED THAT WILL SECURE THE FLAT PALLETS AND ENSURE THAT A VERT ACCELERATION WILL NOT ALLOW THE PALLETS TO STACK UP LIKE A STACK OF CARDS. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED COMPLETELY. ACR HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS SINCE WE STARTED FLYING THE CRAF MISSIONS. MAY I RESPECTFULLY SUBMIT THAT IF SAFETY PERSONNEL VERSUS CHK AIRMEN BEEN ADDED TO THE FLTS IN THE BEGINNING, WE WOULD HAVE IDENTED THIS SHORTFALL. SAFETY REQUESTED THIS AND WAS DENIED. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED.

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.