B737-700 flight crew miscalculates fuel load and departs 7000 pounds over planned takeoff weight. Ai...

Narrative:

We were rushing to make the gate available for an arriving aircraft. My first officer had just been replaced. We briefed and ran the before start checklist. Unfortunately; I hadn't performed a fuel audit. We were tankering fuel to lax; and when asked for fuel on board; I responded with the actual fuel on board; cleared with the minimum. We received the load sheet; checked the weight and balance numbers and planned fuel; which all checked with the release. Unfortunately; all of the fuel numbers were off on the load sheet because the 'fuel in' wasn't added to the fuel added. We were heavy by 7000 pounds! Taxi and takeoff were uneventful; thanks to a light passenger load and a takeoff weight (when corrected); well below allowable takeoff gross weight. The error didn't come to light until we arrived at lax and fueled for the next flight. We didn't need any. The operations agent couldn't clear the flight because the fuel on board exceeded the fuel we started with. Hmmmm. Then we figured it out. Our subsequent flight was uneventful; but we needed to be de-fueled by 900 pounds to be below maximum landing weight. Stop the boarding; take off the passenger; de-fuel; reboard and go. 30 min delay. How did this happen? My habit is to get the fuel-in off the dispatch release. When the first officer left; he handed the dispatch release to the operations agent and was gone. When we rushed the push; I neglected to get the fuel in; but rationalized that since we were tankering fuel; a shortage of gas was not an issue (my focus for the fuel audit had been to prevent a shortage of fuel). The numbers on the load sheet added up; except when compared to the FMC numbers; which we both missed. I thought I was pretty good at 'hacking the clock' when things got rushed and forcing the pace to slow down; but that obviously wasn't the case today. I make it a point to always do a fuel audit; but rationalized it away in a rushed tankering situation. Bottom line: no shortcuts. Always do the audit; and always make sure the load sheet is right in all respects. This could have been a very unhappy story had the situation been different. I never thought it would happen to me; but it did!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 FLT CREW MISCALCULATES FUEL LOAD AND DEPARTS 7000 LBS OVER PLANNED TKOF WT. ACFT WAS NOT OUT OF CTR OF GRAVITY OR WT LIMITS.

Narrative: WE WERE RUSHING TO MAKE THE GATE AVAILABLE FOR AN ARRIVING ACFT. MY FO HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED. WE BRIEFED AND RAN THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. UNFORTUNATELY; I HADN'T PERFORMED A FUEL AUDIT. WE WERE TANKERING FUEL TO LAX; AND WHEN ASKED FOR FUEL ON BOARD; I RESPONDED WITH THE ACTUAL FUEL ON BOARD; CLRED WITH THE MINIMUM. WE RECEIVED THE LOAD SHEET; CHKED THE WT AND BAL NUMBERS AND PLANNED FUEL; WHICH ALL CHKED WITH THE RELEASE. UNFORTUNATELY; ALL OF THE FUEL NUMBERS WERE OFF ON THE LOAD SHEET BECAUSE THE 'FUEL IN' WASN'T ADDED TO THE FUEL ADDED. WE WERE HVY BY 7000 LBS! TAXI AND TKOF WERE UNEVENTFUL; THANKS TO A LIGHT PAX LOAD AND A TKOF WT (WHEN CORRECTED); WELL BELOW ALLOWABLE TKOF GROSS WT. THE ERROR DIDN'T COME TO LIGHT UNTIL WE ARRIVED AT LAX AND FUELED FOR THE NEXT FLT. WE DIDN'T NEED ANY. THE OPS AGENT COULDN'T CLR THE FLT BECAUSE THE FUEL ON BOARD EXCEEDED THE FUEL WE STARTED WITH. HMMMM. THEN WE FIGURED IT OUT. OUR SUBSEQUENT FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL; BUT WE NEEDED TO BE DE-FUELED BY 900 LBS TO BE BELOW MAX LNDG WT. STOP THE BOARDING; TAKE OFF THE PAX; DE-FUEL; REBOARD AND GO. 30 MIN DELAY. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? MY HABIT IS TO GET THE FUEL-IN OFF THE DISPATCH RELEASE. WHEN THE FO LEFT; HE HANDED THE DISPATCH RELEASE TO THE OPS AGENT AND WAS GONE. WHEN WE RUSHED THE PUSH; I NEGLECTED TO GET THE FUEL IN; BUT RATIONALIZED THAT SINCE WE WERE TANKERING FUEL; A SHORTAGE OF GAS WAS NOT AN ISSUE (MY FOCUS FOR THE FUEL AUDIT HAD BEEN TO PREVENT A SHORTAGE OF FUEL). THE NUMBERS ON THE LOAD SHEET ADDED UP; EXCEPT WHEN COMPARED TO THE FMC NUMBERS; WHICH WE BOTH MISSED. I THOUGHT I WAS PRETTY GOOD AT 'HACKING THE CLOCK' WHEN THINGS GOT RUSHED AND FORCING THE PACE TO SLOW DOWN; BUT THAT OBVIOUSLY WASN'T THE CASE TODAY. I MAKE IT A POINT TO ALWAYS DO A FUEL AUDIT; BUT RATIONALIZED IT AWAY IN A RUSHED TANKERING SITUATION. BOTTOM LINE: NO SHORTCUTS. ALWAYS DO THE AUDIT; AND ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE LOAD SHEET IS RIGHT IN ALL RESPECTS. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY UNHAPPY STORY HAD THE SITUATION BEEN DIFFERENT. I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO ME; BUT IT DID!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.

Attributes
ACN	663096
Time
Date	200507
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : takeoff roll ground : parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 7500 flight time type : 5000
ASRS Report	663096
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : company policies
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft Company
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

B737-700 flight crew miscalculates fuel load and departs 7000 pounds over planned takeoff weight. Aircraft was not out of center of gravity or weight limits.