AN ACR E120 FLC DEPARTS ON A REVENUE PAX FLT APPROX 407 LBS OVER THEIR ACFT'S GROSS WT LIMIT. THE FLC CAUGHT THE ERROR BEFORE DEP AND THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD CORRECTED IT; BUT THE GND PERSONNEL SIMPLY PUT THE CHKED BAGS IN THE PAX CABIN AND REMOVED THEM FROM THE FREIGHT WT TOTAL.

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I'M CAPT ON AN E120 BRASILIA FOR AN ACR. ON A FLT FROM MEI TO LFT TO DFW; I HAD A PROB WITH THE GND CREW AT LFT THAT; UPON INSPECTION IN DFW; ALLOWED ME TO TKOF 407 LBS ABOVE MAX TKOF WT. LFT LOADED THE PLANE WITH 26 PEOPLE; 30 BAGS; 1 MIL BAG; 149 LBS AND 13 CARRYONS. MY FO DID THE WT AND BAL AND FOUND WE WERE 407 LBS OVER MAX TKOF WT. LFT GND CREW ASKED HOW MANY BAGS THAT WOULD BE; WE SAID 17. THEY ASKED IF THEY COULD PUT A FEW CARRYONS IN THE CABIN. I AGREED. THEN HE BROUGHT THE LOAD MANIFEST WORKSHEET BACK WITH 24 BAGS INSTEAD OF 30. IT SAID; 'NO; YOU HAVE TO TAKE 17 BAGS OFF; NOT 6.' HE SAID; 'OH THAT'S 14 NOT 24 BAGS; AND 12 CARRYONS.' WE DID THE WT AND BAL; IT WAS WITHIN LIMITS AND WE TOOK OFF. I GOT SUSPICIOUS THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND REQUESTED A BAG COUNT IN DFW. WE WERE 9 BAGS OVER 14 IN THE BACK AND THEY HAD PUT CHKED LUGGAGE IN THE CABIN NOT CARRYONS. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS NEW SO SHE DIDN'T NOTICE THEY WERE CHKED BAGS. I SHOULD HAVE GONE OUTSIDE AND COUNTED THE BAGS THEY PULLED OFF; BUT I TRUSTED THEM. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY COULD SEND US OFF KNOWING THEY'D LIED AND WE WERE OVER MAX TKOF WT.