WT AND BAL PROB -- GROSS WT CALCULATION.

Narrative

ON NOV/WED/94 MY COMPANY; ACR X; INFORMED ME THAT AN ERROR WAS MADE ON A WT AND BAL FORM WE HAD FILLED OUT PRIOR TO OUR DEP FROM SHV TO HOUSTON; TX. THE COMPANY CLAIMS THAT MY CAPT AND I TOOK OFF 100 LBS OVER MAX ALLOWABLE TKOF WT. IT APPEARS THAT A MISTAKE WAS MADE ON THE WT AND BAL FORM IN THAT THE NUMBERS DO NOT ADD UP TO THE WT MAX ALLOWED; HOWEVER; AFTER RECALCULATION OF THE ACTUAL WTS AT THE TIME OF DEP; I FIND THAT WE TOOK OFF 13 LBS UNDER THE MAX ALLOWABLE TKOF WT. I FEEL THIS ERROR WAS MADE AT THE TIME DUE TO THE CONSTANT 'RUSH RUSH' PHILOSOPHY PREVALENT THROUGHOUT THE COMMUTER AIRLINE INDUSTRY. LATELY; AT MY COMPANY; AND ON THE DATE OF THIS INCIDENT; WE HAD TO DO A 20 MIN TURN ACCOMPANIED BY AN ACFT SWAP; WITH A FULL LOAD OF 30 PEOPLE AND A LAST SECOND ADDITION OF A JUMPSEATER. THESE LAST MIN CHANGES HAD TO BE RECALCULATED ON THE WT AND BAL FORM IN QUESTION; NOTWITHSTANDING THE PRESSURE PLACED ON ALL FLCS TO BE 'ON TIME' OF COURSE THIS INVITES FUTURE ERRORS UNTIL MORE TIME IS ALLOWED BTWN FLTS. ADDRESSING THIS FLT IN QUESTION; FOR WT AND BAL PURPOSES OUR COMPANY USES ADJUSTED WTS AND STATISTICAL AVERAGES TO COMPUTE WT AND BAL -- NOT ACTUAL WTS. USING THE ACTUAL WT OF OUR JUMPSEATER AND THE NUMBER OF BAGS IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT YIELDS A WT 13 LBS UNDER THE MAX ALLOWABLE TKOF WT. HOW YOU CAN BE ACTUALLY UNDER GROSS WT BUT STATISTICALLY OVER GROSS WT IS A QUESTION I FEEL OUR COMPANY SHOULD ADDRESS AND CHANGE SINCE THIS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR ERROR. THERE ALSO IS A DISCREPANCY BTWN WHAT THE FUELER READ OUR FUEL GAUGES AT AND WHAT OUR DIGITAL FUEL TOTALIZER READ IN THE COCKPIT PRIOR TO LEAVING THE RAMP AREA. BECAUSE OUR COCKPIT GAUGES ARE ANALOG AND DIGITAL (HIGHLY ACCURATE) AND THE GAUGES ON THE WING ARE MERELY REPEATERS. I MAINTAIN AND STAND BY WHAT I WROTE ON THE WT AND BAL FORM...THAT WE HAD NO MORE THAN 2400 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD. FUEL INVOICES SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON TO BE ACCURATE; ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF ERROR IN READING BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN A FLC MEMBER.