RPTR BELIEVES WT AND BAL BAGGAGE COUNT WAS FALSIFIED.

Narrative

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON MAR/XA/95 AT THE MSP ARPT AROUND XA00 TO XA30 LCL. THE FLC WAS PREPARING FOR PUSHBACK AND DEP WHEN THE GATE AGENT HANDED ME (THE FO) THE PAX AND BAG COUNTS. I THEN PREPARED THE WT AND BAL FORM WITH THE COUNTS GIVEN TO ME. I DETERMINED THAT WE WERE OVER OUR MAX ZERO FUEL WT AND OUR MAX TKOF WT SO I CALCULATED THAT WE MUST REMOVE EITHER 7 PAX OR 45 BAGS. I TOLD THIS TO THE CAPT AND HE TOLD THE GATE AGENT TO REMOVE 45 BAGS. ABOUT 2 MINS LATER; A DIFFERENT GATE AGENT CAME BACK AND SAID 'HERE ARE YOUR NEW COUNTS.' I NOTICED THAT 56 BAGS HAD BEEN REMOVED (SUPPOSEDLY). I SAID 'WE ONLY NEED TO REMOVE 45; NOT 56.' I INSTRUCTED HIM TO PLACE 5 BAGS IN THE AFT AND 5 BAGS IN THE FORWARD CARGO BINS. THE GATE AGENT THEN TOLD ME THAT HE HAD MISCOUNTED AND THAT MY '5 AFT/5 FORWARD' REQUEST WAS ACTUALLY COMPLIED WITH. I SUSPECTED THAT MAYBE THE 45 BAGS HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED BECAUSE IT ONLY TOOK 2 MINS FROM OUR FIRST REQUEST - SO I ASKED IF THEY REALLY DID REMOVE THE BAGS - THE AGENT SAID YES. WE THEN DEPARTED FOR ACAPULCO; MX. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN MEXICO; WE HAD A DELAY AND SPENT PART OF THAT TIME IN VERY CLOSE PROX TO THE PAX AS THEY CLAIMED THEIR BAGS. IT SEEMED THAT NO ONE WAS MISSING ANY BAGS. 1 WK LATER WE WERE PREPARING TO TAKE ANOTHER FLT TO MEXICO WHEN BOTH THE FE AND MYSELF ASKED THE GATE AGENTS IF THEY REALLY REMOVED THE BAGS - THEY 'SMILED' AND SAID 'YES' - WINK; WINK. WE THEN ASKED AGAIN AND SAID 'SERIOUSLY GUYS; DID YOU OR NOT?' AND THEY SAID 'NO' WE DIDN'T. WE THEN DEPARTED FOR ACAPULCO TO PICK UP THE SAME PAX FROM THIS INCIDENT 1 WK EARLIER. WHEN THE PAX AND BAG COUNT WAS GIVEN TO ME; IT WAS APPROX THE SAME OVERWT COUNT THAT WE HAD BEEN GIVEN 1 WK EARLIER IN MSP. WE INSTRUCTED THE MEXICAN GATE AGENT TO REMOVE APPROX 50 BAGS PRIOR TO DEP. THEY COMPLIED. NOW; WHENEVER I FLY ACFT ABC AND DEF I ALWAYS GET OUT OF THE PLANE AND COUNT BAGS AS THEY ARE LOADED. I WILL NOT FLY OUTSIDE THE REGS OR LIMITS. WE; THE CREWMEMBERS; SUSPECT THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED QUITE OFTEN DUE TO: 1) FEAR OF HAVING TO EXPLAIN TO THE COMPANY WHY BAGS WERE LEFT AND COSTS WERE INCURRED; 2) AGENTS TRYING TO BE 'TEAM PLAYERS' FOR THE COMPANY'S SAKE; 3) LAZY AGENTS - NOT WANTING TO DEAL WITH ALL THE ITEMS INVOLVED IN SUCH A TRIVIAL PROB. AIRPLANE NUMBERS HAVE AUX FUEL TANKS IN THE AFT CARGO AREA THUS REDUCING THE NUMBER OF BAGS THAT CAN BE PLACED THERE. I ASKED THE BAG LOADERS IF THEY COUNT AS THEY PUT BAGS ON; THEY SAID NO. I ASKED IF THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO ONLY LOAD A CERTAIN NUMBER IN THE AFT OR FORWARD; THEY SAID NO. SO; WHERE DO THE AFT AND FORWARD BACK NUMBERS COME FROM? THEY ARE MADE UP AND SPLIT UP FROM A TOTAL GIVEN TO THE AGENT FROM THE 'CHK-IN' PROCESS. TYPICALLY THE 'AFT' COUNTS GIVEN TO ME WERE AROUND 165-195. WHEN I WATCH AND COUNT IT IS APPARENT THAT ONLY 130-150 WILL FIT IN THE AFT. THIS SEVERELY EFFECTS OUR WT AND BAL AND CTR OF GRAVITY. SOLUTION - COUNT THEM AS THEY GO ON THE ACFT!! AND DON'T LIE.