FLT CREW OF B777 IS FRUSTRATED BY INABILITY OF LOAD PLANNING TO PROVIDE TIMELY AND ACCURATE TKOF DATA. UNABLE TO OBTAIN SATISFACTORY DATA; MUST RETURN TO GATE TO UNLOAD CARGO.
Synopsis
FLT CREW OF B777 IS FRUSTRATED BY INABILITY OF LOAD PLANNING TO PROVIDE TIMELY AND ACCURATE TKOF DATA. UNABLE TO OBTAIN SATISFACTORY DATA; MUST RETURN TO GATE TO UNLOAD CARGO.
Narrative
DELAY AT DEP FOR LAST MINUTE CARGO LOADING; LATER RESULTED IN LOAD PLANNING NOTIFYING FLT OF A POSSIBLE OVERWEIGHT CONDITION. THIS NOTIFICATION CAME DURING FINAL STAGES OF TAXI TO DEP RWY. WE COMMUNICATED WITH LOAD PLANNING VIA ACARS AS TO FINAL WTS BUT DID NOT RECEIVE ANY ZERO FUEL WT UNTIL SUBSEQUENTLY CONTACTING DISPATCH. HOLDING AT RWY 32R PAD; WT WAS ESTIMATED AT 200 LBS OVER MAX TAXI; AND 2000 LBS OVER MAX TKOF. STILL NO DEFINITE COM AS TO CAUSE OR ACTUAL ERROR; WE CONTINUED TO HOLD AT PAD. IN CONVERSATION WITH DISPATCH WE DECIDED BEST COURSE WAS TO AMEND RELEASE FUEL AND BURN WT PRIOR TO TKOF. IN DISCUSSION WE CONCLUDED THAT ZERO FUEL AND TKOF COULD BE LEGALLY AND SAFELY EXECUTED AFTER A SHORT DELAY; BUT LOAD PLANNING SEEMED TO DISAGREE. DURING THIS TIME LOAD PLANNING NEVER HAD ANY DEFINITE NUMBERS AVAILABLE TO FLT DECK TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION. ALL INTERACTION OCCURRED THROUGH VOICE COM WITH DISPATCH. WE SUBSEQUENTLY TAXIED BACK TO GATE TO HAVE OFF LOADED AT 4000 LB PALLET. AFTER REFUELING FOR FLT WE DEPARTED 2.5 HRS LATE. FLT WAS PLANNED/OPERATED AT A LEGAL TAXI AND TKOF WT. CREW MADE EVERY EFFORT TO ASSURE A SAFE AND LEGAL FLT THROUGHOUT. FRUSTRATION IN THE TIMELY AND INFORMATIVE COM FROM LOAD PLANNING WAS NOT ONLY EMBARRASSING BUT UNACCEPTABLE.
More incidents for this aircraft family →
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.