A Q400 DEPARTED WITH THE CARGO AND BAGGAGE LOADED AFT SO THAT IMMEDIATE FORWARD TRIM WAS REQUIRED AFTER TKOF.

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DURING A FLAPS 10 DEG TKOF; FULL LENGTH; AT VR; THE ACFT ROTATED RAPIDLY WITH ALMOST NO BACK PRESSURE INPUT FROM ME. THE ACFT ROTATED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO APPROX 5 DEGS AND I APPLIED AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF FORWARD PRESSURE TO RETARD ROTATION UNTIL AIRBORNE. ONCE AIRBORNE; A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FORWARD PRESSURE AND NOSE-DOWN TRIMMING WAS NECESSARY TO PREVENT THE ACFT FROM OVER-PITCHING. ONCE I HAD APPLIED ENOUGH NOSE-DOWN TRIM; THE ACFT CLBED NORMALLY. ELEVATOR TRIM WAS IN THE CTR OF THE TKOF RANGE DURING TKOF. ELEVATOR TRIM INDICATIONS WERE ABOUT 2 BAR WIDTHS FORWARD OF THE TKOF RANGE DURING THE SUBSEQUENT 5 DEG CLB AT 230 KTS. THE CAPT AND I SUSPECTED THAT THE CARGO WAS LOADED PREDOMINANTLY AFT INSTEAD OF SPREAD EVENLY BTWN THE 2 AFT CARGO ZONES. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY WAS THAT A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE NORMAL BAGS WERE IN FACT HVY. AFTER LNDG; I QUICKLY DEPLANED TO EXAMINE THE CARGO PIT PRIOR TO BAG DOWNLOAD. IT APPEARED THAT VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE NORMAL BAGS WERE LOADED IN THE AFT ZONE (UPPER SHELF) OF THE CARGO PIT; THOUGH IT APPEARED THAT SOME HAD FALLEN OFF THE STACK AND LANDED ON TOP OF THE CARRY-OUTS IN THE FORWARD ZONE. I BASE THIS ASSUMPTION ON THE FACT THAT THE BAGS DID NOT APPEAR STACKED -- THEY WERE ARRANGED AT ODD ANGLES WITH LARGE VOIDS UNDERNEATH. IT APPEARED THAT MOST OF THE 'OTHER' CARGO (CARDBOARD BOXES; IT APPEARED) WAS IN THE FORWARD ZONE; ALONG WITH 2 LABELED HVY BAGS I COULD SEE; ALONG WITH MOST OF THE CARRY-OUTS. FROM THIS EXAM OF THE CARGO PIT; I WAS SATISFIED THAT THE TKOF ROTATION/PITCH CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ACFT WAS DUE TO THE WAY THE CARGO WAS LOADED AND DID NOT INDICATED A PROB WITH THE ACFT. IT IS COMMON TO SEE RAMPERS LOAD ALL OR MOST CHKED BAGS ON THE AFT SHELF; LEAVING THE FRONT ZONE OF THE CARGO PIT FOR QUICK AND EASY LAST MIN LOADING OF CARRY-OUT BAGS. I SUSPECT THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS CASE; ALTHOUGH I BELIEVE OUR PROCS REQUIRE THAT THE LOAD BE EQUALIZED BTWN THE 2 ZONES SO THAT THE TOP OF THE LOAD IS LEVEL. I'M CONFIDENT FROM MY OBSERVATION OF THE CARGO PIT AFTER LNDG THAT THE LOAD IN OUR CASE WAS NOT EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED BTWN THE 2 ZONES.