DHC-8 PLT CONCERNED ABOUT WT AND BAL DUE TO CARGO LOADING.

Narrative

PRIOR TO FLT; IT WAS NOTED THAT THE CARGO COMPARTMENT WAS BULKED OUT. I TWICE ASKED RAMP AGENTS; INCLUDING THE LOAD COORDINATOR IF THE COMPARTMENT WAS BEYOND LIMITS. THE ANSWER WAS NO BOTH TIMES. UPON ROTATION; THE ACFT REQUIRED LESS THAN NORMAL BACK FORCE BUT OTHERWISE HAD NORMAL FLT CHARACTERISTICS. WE CONTINUED TO OUR DEST AND HAD A NORMAL LNDG. I HAD THE CONTENTS OF THE COMPARTMENT WEIGHED AND IT WAS OVER BY +30% OR 257 LBS. LATER COMPANY INVESTIGATION SHOWED A CLAIM BY THE LOAD COORDINATOR THAT I WAS NOTIFIED OF A SPORTS TEAM AND THEIR BAGGAGE WOULD BE ON BOARD. COMPANY MAY CLAIM THAT I DID NOT FOLLOW PROC FOR A SPORTS TEAM. I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THE SPORTS TEAM WAS NOT ABOARD; BUT SOME OF THEIR BAGGAGE WAS. THE OVERALL LIMITS; IE; MAX WT; LNDG WT; ZERO FUEL WTS; WERE NOT EXCEEDED -- ONLY THE CARGO WT. I WAS NOT GIVEN ANY WRITTEN OR VERBAL CONFIRMATION OF A SPORTS TEAM. THE LOADING WORKSHEET SHOWED 32+27 AVERAGE WT BAGS (33 LBS) FOR A TOTAL OF 1947 LBS. THIS NUMBER WAS USED TO CALCULATE WT AND BAL. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT DUE TO OVERSIZE BAGS. THERE IS A BIG HOLE IN THE SYS. ON SOME DAYS; ON SOME RTES; BAGS ARE HEAVIER THAN AVERAGE. RAMP WORKERS SAY THAT THE BAGS SEEM TO BE GETTING HEAVIER AS A RESULT OF INCREASED SECURITY (IE; BIGGER HASSLE TO CARRY STUFF THROUGH SECURITY). ALSO; THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PAX HAVE CHANGED. RAMPERS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO DOUBLE WT HVY BAGS. RAMPERS ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE TO NOT HAVE MISCONNECTED BAGS. INCREASING THE AVERAGE BAG WT WILL SHOW ON THE BOTTOM LINE FINANCIALLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE CHIEF PLT HAD LOOKED INTO THE SIT AND FOUND THIS TO BE THE ONLY COMPLAINT RECEIVED FROM A PLT CONCERNING BAG WTS. THE COMPANY USES 33 LBS FOR BAG WT; AS PER PUBLISHED PROCS. IT IS THIS ANALYST'S OPINION THAT THE PLT WAS BEING A LITTLE OVERZEALOUS AND MAY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PUT THE COMPANY ON RPT BY USING THIS SIT. ADDITIONALLY; IF THE PLT THOUGHT THE ACFT WAS OUT OF LIMITS; HE SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCEPTED IT FOR FLT.