Narrative:

Before takeoff; dispatcher advised that flight was 200 pounds overweight using incorrect fuel load information. When correct fuel load was considered; dispatcher gave verbal assurance that flight was within weight and balance limits. After landing; during taxi inbound to the commuter air terminal; the tail of the airplane dropped to the ground. Engine was shut down. I exited the aircraft and opened the passenger door. I asked the 3 passengers sitting in the most aft seats to exit. I was able to place the aircraft in its normal upright position. The 3 evacuated passengers were picked up in a pick-up truck operated by airport operations. I closed the passenger door; restarted the engine; and continued to taxi to the ramp without incident. I received a phone call from our dispatch asking about the extent of damage; which was limited to scraping of the tailstand bracket. He asked me if I thought I and the plane were ok to continue the flight line; which I believed I and the aircraft was. I departed for my next destination. Enroute; I received a message from dispatch to land at the next destination and not take off until maintenance had inspected the plane. I complied. Maintenance staff was flown to my location using a spare plane which I used to finish the day. This flight was of 9 people; all cargo pods were full. The cargo area inside the plane was full. The flight was one which clearly had a large volume of baggage; and I relied on dispatch's verbal confirmation that the flight was within weight and balance limits. Additional human factors include: the flight operated on a day where there was no line support at my home base. I arrived 1 hour prior to departure. Paperwork took 10 minutes. Preparing the cabin took 5 minutes. The preflight inspection took 10 minutes. Loading the plane took 15 minutes. Gathering the passengers took 10 minutes. By this time; the passengers were on their way to the plane. I was expecting the person walking them out to bring me the weight and balance worksheet so I could confirm weights. However; distracted by the sheer volume of baggage to be stowed; I was distracted and departed without having in my possession the worksheet. I relied on the verbal assurance of the dispatcher that the weight and balance was within limits. Operationally; I have noticed that the worksheet; while containing weight information; is not completed to the level of detail where weights of each cargo pod are indicated. Bags are sometimes weighed and marked with their weight; and sometimes not. No record is made by the baggage handlers to indicate how much weight is in each cargo pod. Also; the worksheets used are not filled to the level of detail where weights of passengers are indicated by stations or rows. We use the information from the worksheets to manipulate a wheel-type device that determines center of gravity. I believe the pilots of this operation are heavily burdened with tasks such as collecting tickets; gathering passengers; loading baggage; fueling; and sometimes are task saturated when faced with the mystery of the weights of each individual bag and where that bag was placed in the aircraft. Manipulating the wheel calculator during an 18 minute turnaround sometimes falls down the list of priorities; especially when the weight and location of the weight are mysteries. Ground staff are on a mission to do as little as possible during their shifts and prefer to keep their seats warm rather than demonstrate professional and competent work habits. In order to accurately calculate center of gravity; each loaded bag must be removed; weighed; and reloaded. The total weight of each cargo pod must be added. Passengers must be assigned seating and that information recorded on the worksheet. These are details not happening. Especially during 18 minute turns.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: During taxi in after landing the tail of a Cessna 208 Caravan settled to the ground due to an excessively aft CG. Pilot is openly critical of the company load planners and the processes they use to provide data to pilots.

Narrative: Before takeoff; Dispatcher advised that flight was 200 LBS overweight using incorrect fuel load information. When correct fuel load was considered; Dispatcher gave verbal assurance that flight was within weight and balance limits. After landing; during taxi inbound to the commuter air terminal; the tail of the airplane dropped to the ground. Engine was shut down. I exited the aircraft and opened the passenger door. I asked the 3 passengers sitting in the most aft seats to exit. I was able to place the aircraft in its normal upright position. The 3 evacuated passengers were picked up in a pick-up truck operated by airport operations. I closed the passenger door; restarted the engine; and continued to taxi to the ramp without incident. I received a phone call from our Dispatch asking about the extent of damage; which was limited to scraping of the tailstand bracket. He asked me if I thought I and the plane were OK to continue the flight line; which I believed I and the aircraft was. I departed for my next destination. Enroute; I received a message from Dispatch to land at the next destination and not take off until Maintenance had inspected the plane. I complied. Maintenance staff was flown to my location using a spare plane which I used to finish the day. This flight was of 9 people; all cargo pods were full. The cargo area inside the plane was full. The flight was one which clearly had a large volume of baggage; and I relied on Dispatch's verbal confirmation that the flight was within weight and balance limits. Additional human factors include: The flight operated on a day where there was no line support at my home base. I arrived 1 hour prior to departure. Paperwork took 10 minutes. Preparing the cabin took 5 minutes. The preflight inspection took 10 minutes. Loading the plane took 15 minutes. Gathering the passengers took 10 minutes. By this time; the passengers were on their way to the plane. I was expecting the person walking them out to bring me the weight and balance worksheet so I could confirm weights. However; distracted by the sheer volume of baggage to be stowed; I was distracted and departed without having in my possession the worksheet. I relied on the verbal assurance of the Dispatcher that the weight and balance was within limits. Operationally; I have noticed that the worksheet; while containing weight information; is not completed to the level of detail where weights of each cargo pod are indicated. Bags are sometimes weighed and marked with their weight; and sometimes not. No record is made by the baggage handlers to indicate how much weight is in each cargo pod. Also; the worksheets used are not filled to the level of detail where weights of passengers are indicated by stations or rows. We use the information from the worksheets to manipulate a wheel-type device that determines center of gravity. I believe the pilots of this operation are heavily burdened with tasks such as collecting tickets; gathering passengers; loading baggage; fueling; and sometimes are task saturated when faced with the mystery of the weights of each individual bag and where that bag was placed in the aircraft. Manipulating the wheel calculator during an 18 minute turnaround sometimes falls down the list of priorities; especially when the weight and location of the weight are mysteries. Ground staff are on a mission to do as little as possible during their shifts and prefer to keep their seats warm rather than demonstrate professional and competent work habits. In order to accurately calculate center of gravity; each loaded bag must be removed; weighed; and reloaded. The total weight of each cargo pod must be added. Passengers must be assigned seating and that information recorded on the worksheet. These are details not happening. Especially during 18 minute turns.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.