EMB145 flight crew reports inadvertently setting airspeed bugs for a 37;000 LBS aircraft; when in fact the aircraft weighs 47;000 LBS. At the rotate call the aircraft will not rotate and the Captain rejects the takeoff.
Synopsis
EMB145 flight crew reports inadvertently setting airspeed bugs for a 37;000 LBS aircraft; when in fact the aircraft weighs 47;000 LBS. At the rotate call the aircraft will not rotate and the Captain rejects the takeoff.
Narrative
After pushback we ran the after start checklist and the First Officer pulled out the flip cards and read the speeds from the card and I repeated the speeds at the appropriate time during the checklist. We were cleared for takeoff and I began the takeoff roll. During the beginning of the takeoff roll I moved the yoke forward and aft and it felt a little light; however we had flown the aircraft several times that day and I didn't give it much thought. At V1 the First Officer called V1 then rotate and I began the rotation process; by pulling back on the yoke. I pulled the yoke full aft and was not getting any rotation. With my initial light feel of the yoke early in the takeoff roll and then no rotation; I immediately called for an abort and began the abort at approximately 120 KTS. The runway is over 13;000 FT long and at the time of the abort we were approximately 4;000 FT down the runway. At no time was the safety of the passengers; crew or the aircraft jeopardized during the abort. We returned to the gate and I turned the aircraft over to Maintenance with the event written into the aircraft maintenance log. We were tail swapped and we began the preparation for departure. While loading all passengers and bags; the First Officer and I ran our checklists. Once we completed our checklists; we pushed back off the gate. After starting the engine; we ran the after start checklist. It was at this time that I realized that we had had bugged the wrong speeds for the previous takeoff. Our takeoff weight for both flights was 47;000; on the first takeoff we had bugged the speeds for 37;000. This is the reason why; when I attempted to rotate; I was not getting any rotation and we aborted. Have both the Captain and First Officer verify the aircraft weight with the flip card.
Second reporter narrative
After engine start we ran the after start checklist. Per the checklist I pulled out the flip cards and read the speeds with the Captain following. We taxied up to the runway and were cleared for takeoff. After running the appropriate Before Takeoff Checklist which included the electromechanical gustlock test we rolled onto the runway. During takeoff roll the Captain checked the control yolk movement and at V1 I called 'V1' 'Rotate'. The Captain had moved the controls full aft and we had noticed no rotation. The Captain called for 'Abort' and began the abort at about 120 KTS. After the abort; we exited the runway and returned to the gate notifying maintenance of the issue and to have them meet us at the gate. We were given another aircraft and began preparing for the next departure. We ran all appropriate checklists and began pushback. It was when we began to run our second After Start checklist that the Captain had realized that we had bugged the wrong speeds for the previous takeoff. For every flight following this I will hold the flip cards out and ask the Captain to hold the electronic weight and balance and compare the speeds so that a mistake like this will never happen again.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.