DURING A RAMP INSPECTION OF A CARGO FLT OP; AN ACI FOUND A WT AND BAL ERROR. A PART 135 METRO II'S AFT SECTION HAD BEEN WEIGHED INCORRECTLY BY GND PERSONNEL.

Narrative

THE ACFT FLOWN IS AN SA-226; WHICH WE FLY FOR CARGO ONLY. THERE ARE 3 CARGO SECTIONS FOR WT AND BAL PURPOSES (A; B; C). WHEN THE FREIGHT IS LOADED ONTO THE ACFT IT IS DIVIDED BTWN THE 3 SECTIONS DEPENDING ON ITS DEST. WT SLIPS ARE GIVEN TO US TO ACCOUNT FOR ITS POS ON THE ACFT. ON A MAY/WED/95 AT APPROX XA45 LCL TIME; AN FAA AGENT ASKED US TO EMPTY SECTION C SO IT COULD BE WEIGHTED; JUST AFTER ENG SHUTDOWN IN MINOT; ND. THE WT SLIP THAT WE RECEIVED SAID SECTION C CONTAINED 160 LBS. AFTER BEING WEIGHED THE TOTAL AMOUNT IN SECTION C WAS 262 LBS; 102 LBS OVER THE AMOUNT GIVEN US. THE ACFT WAS STILL WELL WITHIN GROSS WT LIMITS AND WELL WITHIN CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS. THE PROB WAS A RESULT OF GND PERSONNEL'S INCORRECT WT SLIPS; WHICH AT THE TIME; WE HAD NO WAY TO VERIFY. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION HAS BEEN FOR THE COMPANY TO BUY SCALES WHICH ARE KEPT ON EACH ACFT. THE CREW PERSONALLY WEIGHS EACH BOX AND PLACES IT IN THE PROPER SECTION PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE WT AND BAL MANIFEST. WE WILL CONTINUE THIS PRACTICE UNTIL WE CAN VERIFY THAT THE WTS GIVEN TO US CAN BE TRUSTED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 303317: THE COMPANY SOLD THE GND DIVISION TO ANOTHER COMPANY BUT THEY STILL USED OUR FLT DEPT. WE ALWAYS HAD THE CARGO WEIGHTED ON A HUGE GND SCALE SO THERE WAS NEVER DOUBT ON WT OF THE CARGO. IN FARGO; ND; WE STOPPED TO PICK UP CARGO C FROM THE NEW COMPANY. OUR NEXT STOP WAS BISMARCK THEN ON TO MINO.