A B727 FLC ACCEPTS THE WT AND BAL FUEL FIGURES AS PRODUCED BY OPS WITHOUT REGARD TO THE ACTUAL FUEL REQUIRED FOR THE FLT. ACFT IS OVERFUELED BY 10000 LBS AT ZZZ; US.

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DURING CRUISE CLB I DISCOVERED THAT THE FUEL AS REFLECTED ON THE WT AND BAL WAS INCORRECT. WE ACTUALLY HAD 10000 LBS MORE FUEL THAN WAS RECORDED ON THE WT AND BAL. WE WERE FLYING AN EMPTY ACFT THEREFORE 10000 LBS OF BALLAST FUEL WAS REQUIRED. THAT WAS REFLECTED CORRECTLY ON THE WT AND BAL. THE PREPARER OF THE WT AND BAL INCORRECTLY SUBTRACTED THE USABLE FUEL TWICE ON THE FORM. I FAILED TO CATCH THIS MISTAKE WHEN I PREPARED THE TKOF DATA. ONCE I DISCOVERED THE MISTAKE I NOTIFIED THE CAPT AND RECOMPUTED THE WT AND BAL DATA TO ENSURE WE WERE WITHIN ACFT LIMITS. WE WERE WITHIN LIMITS AND WE CONTINUED ON TO DEST. I BELIEVE THE MISTAKE WAS INITIALLY CAUSED BY THE RAMP OFFICE INCORRECTLY PREPARING THE WT AND BAL. SINCE BALLAST FUEL IS A RELATIVELY RARE OCCURRENCE; THEY OBVIOUSLY DID NOT KNOW THE PROPER PROC FOR RECORDING THE FUEL CORRECTLY AND ENTERING IT INTO THE COMPUTER. AS A REVIEWER OF THE WT AND BAL; I SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE MISTAKE. I; (ALONG WITH THE CAPT) MISREAD THE TOTAL FUEL COLUMN AS USABLE FUEL AND NOT AS USABLE AND UNUSABLE TOGETHER. WE BOTH FELL INTO THE TRAP OF SEEING ON THE FORM WHAT WE EXPECTED AND NOT WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE. TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO SOMEONE ELSE; THE TOTAL FUEL COLUMN ON THE WT AND BAL SHOULD BE CHANGED TO 'TOTAL GAUGE QUANTITY' SO THAT THE FUEL AS READ FROM THE GAUGES IS REFLECTED ON THE FORM. THAT WOULD REMIND THE PREPARER TO JUST ENTER THE QUANTITY FROM THE GAUGES AND NOT SUBTRACT OUT BALLAST FUEL. IT WOULD ALSO REMIND THE REVIEWERS (SO AND CAPT) THAT THE 'TOTAL COLUMN' INCLUDES ALL FUEL ON THE ACFT NOT JUST USABLE FUEL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 484160: THE RAMP AGENT APPARENTLY ADDED THE 20000 LBS AND THE UNUSABLE FUEL; 10000 LBS AND THOUGHT THE METHODOLOGY WAS CORRECT.