ACR ASKED TO CHANGE RWY AT 3 MI ON APCH. CAUGHT SHORT THEY ACCEPT BUT THINK LATER ABOUT POSSIBLE OVERWT LNDG.

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WE WERE ON THE MOUNT VERNON VISUAL TO RWY 36 AT DCA APPROX 3 MI OUT WHEN THE TWR ASKED IF WE COULD ACCEPT RWY 33. IT CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE SINCE IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAD BEEN AT DCA IN A N OP BUT I HAD LANDED BEFORE ON 33 WITH NO CONSEQUENCE AND IT WAS DAYTIME VMC WITH UNRESTRICTED VISIBILITY AND A DRY RWY. WITH NO TIME TO FULLY EVALUATE THE SITUATION BECAUSE AN IMMEDIATE DECISION WAS NECESSARY I TOLD MY FO TO ACCEPT THE RWY 33 VISUAL CLRNC. I COMMENCED THE CIRCLING MANEUVER AND MADE A FIRM BUT UNEVENTFUL LNDG USING CLOSE TO MAX REVERSE AND MODERATE BRAKING SLOWING TO TAXI SPD WELL BEFORE THE END OF THE SHORT RWY. AFTER WE PARKED AT THE GATE I NOTICED THE FLIP CHART WITH OUR LNDG GROSS WT HIGHLIGHTED. I HAD A SINKING FEELING THAT I HAD NEVER CONSIDERED LNDG WT LIMITS AND 'PERHAPS' HAD MADE AN OVERWT LNDG. WE GOT OUT THE MANUALS AND AFTER APPLYING ALL THE APPROPRIATE ADJUSTMENTS CONCLUDED THAT OUR LNDG WAS WITHIN LEGAL LIMITS. HOWEVER; THAT WAS ONLY LUCK AND COULD HAVE JUST AS EASILY BEEN OUT OF LIMITS. IN OUR DISCUSSION THE FO ADMITTED THAT HE HAD BRIEFLY THOUGHT OF LNDG WT LIMITS BUT LET IT PASS WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING BECAUSE THERE WAS NO TIME TO FULLY ANALYZE THE SITUATION. IF THE SUBJECT HAD EVEN COME UP I WOULD HAVE REJECTED THE CLRNC EVEN THOUGH IT ULTIMATELY TURNED OUT TO BE A TOTALLY SAFE AND LEGAL APCH AND LNDG. MY ADVICE TO MYSELF AND OTHERS IS TO ALWAYS CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF A RWY 33 REQUEST ANYTIME YOU'RE ON A VISUAL TO 36 IN DCA. EVALUATE ALL THE FACTORS WELL AHEAD OF TIME AND MAKE YOUR DECISION EARLY WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL ACCEPT A 33 CLRNC EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT EVEN BE OFFERED OR ASKED FOR. EVEN THOUGH THE TWR HAS NEVER CRITICIZED OR EVEN APPEARED UPSET WHEN I HAVE DECLINED RWY 33 IN THE PAST (MY DECISIONS TO DECLINE HAD ALREADY BEEN WORKED OUT AHEAD OF TIME) IT WOULD BE VERY NICE AND LEAD TO A SAFER OP IF THEN COULD EITHER ASK THE QUESTION UPON FIRST CONTACT OR AT LEAST RAISE THE POSSIBILITY SO THAT YOU WOULD HAVE MORE TIME TO EVALUATE THE CONDITIONS. IT WOULD ALSO HELP TO INCLUDE IN THE ATIS TAPE A STATEMENT THAT ACR ACFT MAY BE ASKED TO LAND ON 33 WHEN A VISUAL N OP IS IN PROGRESS. THIS WOULD BE ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR THOSE PLTS WHO HADN'T BEEN THERE IN SOME TIME AND MIGHT HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THE TWR NEVER SEEMS TO BRING IT UP UNTIL THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT. I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE BUT; I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN WITHOUT PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERING ALL THE FACTORS.