Narrative:

After reaching vr; I rotated the aircraft as I have for 17 yrs and 8000 hours plus. The aircraft did not come off the ground until I had rotated beyond normal attitude. When the aircraft came off the ground; it mushed back onto the runway. After unloading the aircraft and achieving an extra 20 KTS; the aircraft flew. It climbed out normally but felt heavy after reaching 230 KTS. I suspect and cannot prove it was overweight. I sent an ACARS back to dispatch to have them look over the numbers once again. They sent back a message that all was accounted for in the numbers. Approach and landing was normal. I carried an extra 10 KTS on final as a precaution. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advised that his attempts to have his company investigate the anomaly were unfruitful. He was told that since he failed to use the correct phraseology in his log book write up or his discussions with dispatch; no action was taken on his request. He further advised he could find no reference to that phrase in company publications available to him. He further stated the performance decrement he noted appeared to indicate a weight in the neighborhood of 10000 pounds greater than stated in his weight manifest. The fuel burn was also greater than planned by about 2000 pounds. The takeoff itself was planned at the maximum TOGW legal for the aircraft. They delayed their takeoff a few minutes in order to burn out the boarded taxi fuel in order to make the takeoff paper legal. Any weight beyond that provided in the weight manifest would have necessitated the removal of payload to meet the TOGW limitations. It was his belief that load planning errors were magnified in both severity and number during that period.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF A B737-700 ATTEMPTS TO ROTATE AND TKOF AT PROGRAMMED VR SPD; BUT ACFT STRUGGLES TO BREAK GND AND THEN SETTLES BACK ON RWY. ROTATION AT 20 KTS GREATER SPD IS SUCCESSFUL.

Narrative: AFTER REACHING VR; I ROTATED THE ACFT AS I HAVE FOR 17 YRS AND 8000 HRS PLUS. THE ACFT DID NOT COME OFF THE GND UNTIL I HAD ROTATED BEYOND NORMAL ATTITUDE. WHEN THE ACFT CAME OFF THE GND; IT MUSHED BACK ONTO THE RWY. AFTER UNLOADING THE ACFT AND ACHIEVING AN EXTRA 20 KTS; THE ACFT FLEW. IT CLBED OUT NORMALLY BUT FELT HEAVY AFTER REACHING 230 KTS. I SUSPECT AND CANNOT PROVE IT WAS OVERWEIGHT. I SENT AN ACARS BACK TO DISPATCH TO HAVE THEM LOOK OVER THE NUMBERS ONCE AGAIN. THEY SENT BACK A MESSAGE THAT ALL WAS ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE NUMBERS. APCH AND LNDG WAS NORMAL. I CARRIED AN EXTRA 10 KTS ON FINAL AS A PRECAUTION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THAT HIS ATTEMPTS TO HAVE HIS COMPANY INVESTIGATE THE ANOMALY WERE UNFRUITFUL. HE WAS TOLD THAT SINCE HE FAILED TO USE THE CORRECT PHRASEOLOGY IN HIS LOG BOOK WRITE UP OR HIS DISCUSSIONS WITH DISPATCH; NO ACTION WAS TAKEN ON HIS REQUEST. HE FURTHER ADVISED HE COULD FIND NO REFERENCE TO THAT PHRASE IN COMPANY PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE TO HIM. HE FURTHER STATED THE PERFORMANCE DECREMENT HE NOTED APPEARED TO INDICATE A WT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 10000 LBS GREATER THAN STATED IN HIS WT MANIFEST. THE FUEL BURN WAS ALSO GREATER THAN PLANNED BY ABOUT 2000 LBS. THE TKOF ITSELF WAS PLANNED AT THE MAXIMUM TOGW LEGAL FOR THE ACFT. THEY DELAYED THEIR TKOF A FEW MINUTES IN ORDER TO BURN OUT THE BOARDED TAXI FUEL IN ORDER TO MAKE THE TKOF PAPER LEGAL. ANY WT BEYOND THAT PROVIDED IN THE WT MANIFEST WOULD HAVE NECESSITATED THE REMOVAL OF PAYLOAD TO MEET THE TOGW LIMITATIONS. IT WAS HIS BELIEF THAT LOAD PLANNING ERRORS WERE MAGNIFIED IN BOTH SEVERITY AND NUMBER DURING THAT PERIOD.

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.