Narrative:

On 9/91, myself as captain, and another captain acting as my first officer, was the flight crew on flight victoria to iah. As is SOP the first officer filled out the weight and balance. We had 30 people, a good load of bags and a little more than release fuel. As always when there is a full aircraft, by the time all the people are put on it is real close to flight time. So once we get the paperwork from the ramp with the number of bags and people, we, or I should say the first officer adds all of the numbers up. By the time he has done that it is at or past flight time, so if the numbers all add up, the captain usually just has time to glance over it to make sure the numbers fall within limits and signs it. Which is what I did. The first officer is senior to me, he is a check airman, and another captain, so I didn't check the paperwork as well as I should have and that's basically what happened for that flight. Some weight was added on to operations after I signed the original copy. We had no way of controling that. According to the form we had in the cockpit we were within limits. Learning a valuable lesson from this, no matter what the outcome is, I have learned that when my career is at stake when I sign something, I am going to be doing the paperwork myself. I can't go through something like this again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER MDT MADE A TKOF WITH THE WRONG WT AND BAL INFO.

Narrative: ON 9/91, MYSELF AS CAPT, AND ANOTHER CAPT ACTING AS MY FO, WAS THE FLT CREW ON FLT VICTORIA TO IAH. AS IS SOP THE FO FILLED OUT THE WT AND BAL. WE HAD 30 PEOPLE, A GOOD LOAD OF BAGS AND A LITTLE MORE THAN RELEASE FUEL. AS ALWAYS WHEN THERE IS A FULL ACFT, BY THE TIME ALL THE PEOPLE ARE PUT ON IT IS REAL CLOSE TO FLT TIME. SO ONCE WE GET THE PAPERWORK FROM THE RAMP WITH THE NUMBER OF BAGS AND PEOPLE, WE, OR I SHOULD SAY THE FO ADDS ALL OF THE NUMBERS UP. BY THE TIME HE HAS DONE THAT IT IS AT OR PAST FLT TIME, SO IF THE NUMBERS ALL ADD UP, THE CAPT USUALLY JUST HAS TIME TO GLANCE OVER IT TO MAKE SURE THE NUMBERS FALL WITHIN LIMITS AND SIGNS IT. WHICH IS WHAT I DID. THE FO IS SENIOR TO ME, HE IS A CHK AIRMAN, AND ANOTHER CAPT, SO I DIDN'T CHK THE PAPERWORK AS WELL AS I SHOULD HAVE AND THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENED FOR THAT FLT. SOME WT WAS ADDED ON TO OPS AFTER I SIGNED THE ORIGINAL COPY. WE HAD NO WAY OF CTLING THAT. ACCORDING TO THE FORM WE HAD IN THE COCKPIT WE WERE WITHIN LIMITS. LEARNING A VALUABLE LESSON FROM THIS, NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME IS, I HAVE LEARNED THAT WHEN MY CAREER IS AT STAKE WHEN I SIGN SOMETHING, I AM GOING TO BE DOING THE PAPERWORK MYSELF. I CAN'T GO THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.