ALL INDICATORS POINTED TO THE ACFT BEING OVERWT FOR TKOF. RPTR NOTES THAT THE MIAMI MARKET AVERAGE PERSON AND CARRYON ESTIMATED WTS ARE NOT ACCURATE AND SHOULD BE WEIGHED ACCURATELY; ESPECIALLY WHEN CLOSE TO MAX WT ANYWAY. RPTR CAPT SAYS THAT PLTS CAN BE LIED TO; BUT THE ACFT AERODYNAMICS CAN'T.

Narrative

AFTER INITIATING PUSH BACK WE CAME TO A HALT AND THE FORWARD BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT WAS OPENED. WE WERE NOT INFORMED PRIOR. I ASKED THE TUG DRIVER. HE SAID LATE BAGS THEN TOLD US THAT SOME THINGS WERE BEING TAKEN OFF. DOORS CLOSED AND WE RESUMED PUSH BACK. THE DRIVER UPON FURTHER QUESTIONING SAID I GUESS YOU WERE OVERWT FOR TAXI. WE RECEIVED OUR CLOSEOUT NUMBERS AND I CALLED MIA LOAD TO VERIFY WHAT HAD OCCURRED. HE SAID THAT EVERYTHING WAS OK; THAT HE HAD CHKED. I CHOSE TO USE MAX PWR FROM RWY 9L. IT WAS CLR THAT AT ROTATION THE PLANE WAS NOT ITS USUAL SELF. ON CLBOUT WE HAD SUBSTANDARD CLB. AT FL270 TO FL290 WE HAD ABOUT 300 FPM CLB. I CHOSE TO LEVEL AT FL290. THE PLANE HAD TROUBLE GETTING UP TO CRUISE MACH SPD. WHAT HAPPENED. I THINK THAT THE NUMBERS THAT WE WERE GIVEN WERE FICTITIOUS. JUDGING FROM CARRYON LUGGAGE THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON HAS; ESPECIALLY IN THE MIAMI MARKET; WE NEED TO REVIEW THE AVERAGE PERSON AND CARRYON ESTIMATED WT NUMBERS USED IN COMPUTING TKOF NUMBERS. I FURTHER FEEL THAT WHEN AN AIRPLANE IS PUSHED UP TO A WT LIMIT LIKE OURS WAS ANTICIPATED TO BE THAT ON SIGHT WEIGHING OF LUGGAGE; CARGO; FREIGHT AND MAIL SHOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WEIGH A B727 BUT I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE ROLLED IT UP ON A SCALE SATURDAY NIGHT. AS MIAMI FEEDS NUMBERS TO LOAD IN DALLAS I THINK THAT IS WHERE THE PROB LIES. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WORD GETS OUT THAT AN ACFT CAN'T BE LIED TO AERODYNAMICALLY. OBVIOUSLY PLTS CAN BE LIED TO; BUT WE RELY ON NUMBERS TO MAKE SAFE DECISION. I FEEL THAT MY PAX; CREW; AND ACFT WERE COMPROMISED SATURDAY NIGHT. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE CREW CHIEF DID NOT THINK THAT THE PLANE WAS LOADED PROPERLY. BY TRYING TO CONTACT HIM THROUGH MIAMI OPS TWICE I DID MY BEST TO VALIDATE WHAT WE HAD BEEN TOLD. BETTER COM IS NECESSARY. I DON'T WANT TO END UP IN A FIREBALL AND HAVE THE EVIDENCE BURNED UP AND HAVE IT MUST HAVE BEEN PLT ERROR; SPLASHED ON TV AND EVERY HEADLINE ACROSS AMERICA. IF BAG WTS AND PAX WTS DIFFER DEPENDING ON TIME OF YR AND DEST; ESPECIALLY THE CARIBBEAN AND MIAMI IS THAT SPECIFIC HUB THERE NEEDS TO BE A STRONG EXAMINATION OF CURRENT PRACTICES. ALSO I WOULD LIKE A DETERMINATION OF WHAT A B727 WEIGHS TO BARELY MAKE FL290 AT CLB PWR; 44 DEGS BELOW 0 DEG C AND .780 MACH INDICATED; JUST FOR MY CURIOSITY.