Narrative:

The dispatch release showed our operational weight (oew) as 85;360 pounds. When the agent gave us the loading schedule; I have been in the habit of checking the oew against the dispatch release. I found the load sheet reflected an oew of 85;560 pounds. I called the agent back in and pointed out the error. He told me that the oew was automatically put in by the computer. We both checked to verify the proper aircraft tail number was input. We found that it was. He said that he would have to check with dispatch. I called the dispatcher with the agent in the cockpit. The dispatcher informed me that company operations was in the process of updating all the aircraft oew's to reflect [new equipment]; which added 200 pounds. As I remember it; our aircraft was not so outfitted. Dispatch also told me that I was the first pilot to find this error. We verbally updated the release and noted the change on the agent's dispatch release. I reported the situation to my chief pilot; who forwarded the information to flight operations. Their reply was that the company had updated all the oew's for -700 aircraft on a specific date. In my case; there was a timing error. The dispatch release was printed prior to the oew being updated; while the loading schedule was printed after the oew had been updated.while not a large issue; my concern was that an FAA audit might find the two different numbers and the agent; dispatcher; and pilot could be violated because of the error. The fom requires us to ensure that the actual tow is no more than 5;000 pounds greater than our dispatched takeoff weight before amending the release to ensure required fuel on board. For this reason; flight operations felt it was a minor issue. Their reply went on to state that the oew now used on the dispatch release reflects a 'fleet average oew; which means that the actual aircraft weight is going to be +/-650 pounds of the published oew.' my new concern is how to deal with this new 'fleet average oew' knowing that our aircraft may be 640 pounds heavier than expected when operating in poor weather; with reduced braking action on a short runway. Should I increase the planned landing weight by 640 pounds to see if I can still land on the runway? If the performance data indicates that the runway is too short for conditions with the increased landing weight; is it prudent to hold while conditions improve; or divert to another location? Flight operations reply to my original question has me asking more questions. Lastly; I believe that the company should notify the FAA that some pilots might not have noticed this oew error and protect all agents; dispatchers; and pilots from any FAA enforcement actions because of this change.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 Captain discovers an error in the OEW used in the weight and balance calculations. Dispatch explains that the discrepancy is due to the installation of new equipment; although this aircraft had not been retrofitted and that the OEW now used on the Dispatch release reflects a 'fleet average OEW.'

Narrative: The Dispatch release showed our Operational Weight (OEW) as 85;360 LBS. When the Agent gave us the loading schedule; I have been in the habit of checking the OEW against the Dispatch release. I found the load sheet reflected an OEW of 85;560 LBS. I called the Agent back in and pointed out the error. He told me that the OEW was automatically put in by the computer. We both checked to verify the proper aircraft tail number was input. We found that it was. He said that he would have to check with Dispatch. I called the Dispatcher with the Agent in the cockpit. The Dispatcher informed me that Company Operations was in the process of updating all the aircraft OEW's to reflect [new equipment]; which added 200 LBS. As I remember it; our aircraft was not so outfitted. Dispatch also told me that I was the first pilot to find this error. We verbally updated the release and noted the change on the Agent's Dispatch release. I reported the situation to my Chief Pilot; who forwarded the information to Flight Operations. Their reply was that the company had updated all the OEW's for -700 aircraft on a specific date. In my case; there was a timing error. The Dispatch release was printed prior to the OEW being updated; while the loading schedule was printed after the OEW had been updated.While not a large issue; my concern was that an FAA audit might find the two different numbers and the Agent; Dispatcher; and pilot could be violated because of the error. The FOM requires us to ensure that the actual TOW is no more than 5;000 LBS greater than our dispatched takeoff weight before amending the release to ensure required fuel on board. For this reason; Flight Operations felt it was a minor issue. Their reply went on to state that the OEW now used on the Dispatch release reflects a 'fleet average OEW; which means that the actual aircraft weight is going to be +/-650 LBS of the published OEW.' My new concern is how to deal with this new 'fleet average OEW' knowing that our aircraft may be 640 LBS heavier than expected when operating in poor weather; with reduced braking action on a short runway. Should I increase the planned landing weight by 640 LBS to see if I can still land on the runway? If the performance data indicates that the runway is too short for conditions with the increased landing weight; is it prudent to hold while conditions improve; or divert to another location? Flight Operations reply to my original question has me asking more questions. Lastly; I believe that the company should notify the FAA that some pilots might not have noticed this OEW error and protect all agents; dispatchers; and pilots from any FAA enforcement actions because of this change.

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.