DC9 FLC HAS DIFFICULTY WITH WT AND BAL DUE TO 3 MISSING CARTS. FLT DELAY.

Narrative

ACFT WAS FOUND TO HAVE 3 GALLEY CARTS MISSING UPON ACCEPTANCE INSPECTION/PREFLT. THESE CARTS ARE PART OF BASIC OPERATING WT AND BAL CALCULATION. COMPANY HAD TO BE SPECIFICALLY INSTRUCTED TO CALCULATE WT AND BAL DATA PRIOR TO DEP. FLT OPERATED NORMALLY; NO MEL/CDL RELIEF SPECIFICALLY FOUND. USED DOUGLAS DC9 OPERATIONAL LETTER FROM COMPANY ENGINEER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THERE HAS BEEN NO FOLLOW UP REGARDING THIS INCIDENT. RPTR STATES THAT HIS COMPANY WAS CREATING A NEW INTERIOR REPLACING A GALLEY AREA AND PLACING ALL CARTS IN THE REAR. THESE CARTS ARE VERY LARGE AND MAKE A MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN WT AND BAL. RPTR HAD A RECENT EXPERIENCE WITH AN UNCOMMANDED ROTATION JUST PRIOR TO VR ON ANOTHER FLT RESULTING IN A TAIL STRIKE. THIS WAS DETERMINED TO BE DUE TO THE CART REPLACEMENT. OF COURSE NEITHER MAINT NOR WT AND BAL PEOPLE NOR DISPATCH WOULD ACCEPT BLAME FOR THE PROB. SINCE RPTR WOULD NOT ACCEPT PLT ERROR AS THE PROB THERE WAS QUITE A DELAY. THIS CAUSED A DELAY RPT TO WHICH THERE MUST BE A RESPONSE. HOPEFULLY THIS INVESTIGATION WILL HELP TO CORRECT THE PROB. RPTR STATES THAT DUE TO THIS EXPERIENCE HE HAS LOST CONFIDENCE IN MAINT AND WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY ACFT THAT IS NOT ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THIS IS WHY HE WAITED UNTIL HE HAD ALL THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION IN THIS RPTED INCIDENT BEFORE HE WOULD ACCEPT THE ACFT AND MAKE THE FLT. THE MCDONALD DOUGLAS LETTER INDICATING THE CARTS WERE NOT PART OF THE MEL IS WHAT RPTR BASED HIS DECISION UPON TO ACCEPT THE FLT. THERE ARE 8 OR 9 CARTS ON THE ACFT AND THEIR WT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.