Narrative:

I was serving as copilot on the company's small transport for a morning scheduled flight. I was removing frost from the aircraft's wings as my captain instructed the ground crew on how to load the aircraft, and load it quickly, as our scheduled flight was being delayed by our freight people. Before the captain returned to dispatch to finish the paperwork for the flight, I heard him instruct the ground crew that the last pallet of freight should not be put on. The captain and I returned to dispatch. Thinking the loading of freight on our aircraft to be completed, my captain escorted the passenger to the aircraft with me in trail. The passenger boarded the aircraft followed by the captain, then myself, as the freight handler closed the door behind me. I checked that the door was secured and turned to proceed to my seat. I noticed that freight had been loaded in the cabin that was not supposed to be there, and it was unsecured. I proceeded to the front informing the captain and he instructed me to have it off-loaded. I went to the back door and instructed freight personnel to help me with the freight. We hurriedly unloaded the freight and I reboarded and secured the door. Presuming the freight remaining in the back of the cabin was secured I proceeded to my seat checking seatbelts and giving the required passenger briefing for our aircraft. We departed VFR 20 mins behind schedule and continued with our flight. As we prepared for descent to our first scheduled stop, we realized that the cargo that remained in the cabin was improperly secured. Discussing the situation with my captain we decided that the freight was to be off- loaded at our first stop, at that point we would check the rest of the load for proper securing. When we arrived at the airport the ground visibility had significantly decreased due to blowing snow. We passed over the airport and continued to our next scheduled destination. At 40 DME from the airport, we found that the WX had deteriorated there also. At that point we turned around and headed back to home base where we terminated the flight. After landing we off- loaded our freight and passenger. The entire flight was without incident, but the fact remains that as we left our home base, there was cargo on board that was not properly secured. I feel there are a few factors that contributed to this situation. First of all, our freight personnel are very inexperienced and must be closely monitored while they load our airplanes. They need more training, however, we still have, as pilots, the responsibility of supervising the loading of our airplane and assuring that the load is properly secured. Due to the abnormally slow loading of cargo by our ground crew, the flight was forced to be late. I feel being hurried to leave contributed to us overlooking a very basic preflight item: assuring that the aircraft load is properly secured. To prevent this situation from recurring, I intend to more closely monitor the loading and securing of my aircraft's cargo, and not to allow myself to be rushed in performing my normal pilot duties.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT COMBINED PAX AND CARGO FLT HAS UNSECURED CARGO, DISCOVERED AFTER UNABLE TO LAND AND RETURN.

Narrative: I WAS SERVING AS COPLT ON THE COMPANY'S SMT FOR A MORNING SCHEDULED FLT. I WAS REMOVING FROST FROM THE ACFT'S WINGS AS MY CAPT INSTRUCTED THE GND CREW ON HOW TO LOAD THE ACFT, AND LOAD IT QUICKLY, AS OUR SCHEDULED FLT WAS BEING DELAYED BY OUR FREIGHT PEOPLE. BEFORE THE CAPT RETURNED TO DISPATCH TO FINISH THE PAPERWORK FOR THE FLT, I HEARD HIM INSTRUCT THE GND CREW THAT THE LAST PALLET OF FREIGHT SHOULD NOT BE PUT ON. THE CAPT AND I RETURNED TO DISPATCH. THINKING THE LOADING OF FREIGHT ON OUR ACFT TO BE COMPLETED, MY CAPT ESCORTED THE PAX TO THE ACFT WITH ME IN TRAIL. THE PAX BOARDED THE ACFT FOLLOWED BY THE CAPT, THEN MYSELF, AS THE FREIGHT HANDLER CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND ME. I CHKED THAT THE DOOR WAS SECURED AND TURNED TO PROCEED TO MY SEAT. I NOTICED THAT FREIGHT HAD BEEN LOADED IN THE CABIN THAT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, AND IT WAS UNSECURED. I PROCEEDED TO THE FRONT INFORMING THE CAPT AND HE INSTRUCTED ME TO HAVE IT OFF-LOADED. I WENT TO THE BACK DOOR AND INSTRUCTED FREIGHT PERSONNEL TO HELP ME WITH THE FREIGHT. WE HURRIEDLY UNLOADED THE FREIGHT AND I REBOARDED AND SECURED THE DOOR. PRESUMING THE FREIGHT REMAINING IN THE BACK OF THE CABIN WAS SECURED I PROCEEDED TO MY SEAT CHKING SEATBELTS AND GIVING THE REQUIRED PAX BRIEFING FOR OUR ACFT. WE DEPARTED VFR 20 MINS BEHIND SCHEDULE AND CONTINUED WITH OUR FLT. AS WE PREPARED FOR DSCNT TO OUR FIRST SCHEDULED STOP, WE REALIZED THAT THE CARGO THAT REMAINED IN THE CABIN WAS IMPROPERLY SECURED. DISCUSSING THE SITUATION WITH MY CAPT WE DECIDED THAT THE FREIGHT WAS TO BE OFF- LOADED AT OUR FIRST STOP, AT THAT POINT WE WOULD CHK THE REST OF THE LOAD FOR PROPER SECURING. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT THE GND VISIBILITY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED DUE TO BLOWING SNOW. WE PASSED OVER THE ARPT AND CONTINUED TO OUR NEXT SCHEDULED DEST. AT 40 DME FROM THE ARPT, WE FOUND THAT THE WX HAD DETERIORATED THERE ALSO. AT THAT POINT WE TURNED AROUND AND HEADED BACK TO HOME BASE WHERE WE TERMINATED THE FLT. AFTER LNDG WE OFF- LOADED OUR FREIGHT AND PAX. THE ENTIRE FLT WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT AS WE LEFT OUR HOME BASE, THERE WAS CARGO ON BOARD THAT WAS NOT PROPERLY SECURED. I FEEL THERE ARE A FEW FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SITUATION. FIRST OF ALL, OUR FREIGHT PERSONNEL ARE VERY INEXPERIENCED AND MUST BE CLOSELY MONITORED WHILE THEY LOAD OUR AIRPLANES. THEY NEED MORE TRAINING, HOWEVER, WE STILL HAVE, AS PLTS, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SUPERVISING THE LOADING OF OUR AIRPLANE AND ASSURING THAT THE LOAD IS PROPERLY SECURED. DUE TO THE ABNORMALLY SLOW LOADING OF CARGO BY OUR GND CREW, THE FLT WAS FORCED TO BE LATE. I FEEL BEING HURRIED TO LEAVE CONTRIBUTED TO US OVERLOOKING A VERY BASIC PREFLT ITEM: ASSURING THAT THE ACFT LOAD IS PROPERLY SECURED. TO PREVENT THIS SITUATION FROM RECURRING, I INTEND TO MORE CLOSELY MONITOR THE LOADING AND SECURING OF MY ACFT'S CARGO, AND NOT TO ALLOW MYSELF TO BE RUSHED IN PERFORMING MY NORMAL PLT DUTIES.

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.