Narrative:

On mar/fri/95 I was the first officer on a flight from MMMX to mmaa to svmi to kmia, when the company reviewed the paperwork of this series of flts, it was noted that the aircraft landed and took-off overweight in mmaa, 4 pallet position exceeded the maximum weight for their position, and the zero fuel weight was out of limits on 1 of the legs. First: the fact that 4 pallets exceeded their maximum weight by 700 pounds was picked up by me immediately and brought to the attention of the captain. He advised me to take 1000 pounds off each of these position and put it in the belly. I made note to him that this would still exceed the 700 pound compartment limit, but he was under the impression that it pertained to only the main cargo compartment and not the belly. I subsequently did this, finished the paperwork, he signed it and it was put in the trip envelope. Second: on the leg mmaa to svmi, the zero fuel weight center of gravity fell above 1/10 of an inch within a shaded, boxed area. Once again, I brought this to the attention of the captain, he looked at it, said that it looked like it was on the edge or just outside the shaded area. He then signed it and handed it back to the flight engineer to be put in the trip envelope. Third: regarding the overweight takeoff and landing: at no time was I ever aware of the fact that the aircraft was overweight. All takeoff fuel figures given to me by the flight engineer for use on the weight and balance forms were used and at no time did any of them indicate that we were overweight. Also, all takeoff and landing cards handed to us by the flight engineer indicated we were within limits. Never again will I deviate from the published company procedures in order to expedite the movement of an aircraft. Supplemental information from acn 298297: the company noted overweight landing and compartment maximum weight exceeded during this leg MMMX to mmaa. I was totally responsible, but did not know of this condition. Leg #2 MMMA to svmi took off over gross weight/weight balance compartment maximum weight exceeded and out of center of gravity limits. Leg #3 empty aircraft svmi to kmia was out of center of gravity limits, due to not carrying enough ballast, extra fuel for weight and balance purposes. The company will give this information to the FAA for action against all 3 crewmembers. I should have reviewed the first officer's weight and balance figures more carefully and checked the flight engineer's fuel condition of extra fuel on aircraft. I had bad judgement and made poor decisions on fully depending on my other crewmembers to do their assigned duties without my proper supervision. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter was called to determine degree of weight and balance problem. Load was placed on board aircraft in mexico. Weight and balance papers were given to the flight crew, so did the paperwork. The load figures were high and the fuel load was high which the so did not catch. The captain reporter knows he is the final authority/authorized but always had very competent flight crew members so he let down his guard to catch such a mistake. The mistake was not determined until several days after the flight when a line check airman was examining the paperwork of previous flts. The reporter was notified of the error and placed on a status of 90 days without pay and can come back only as a first officer. The original first officer received a check ride after some days off without pay. The so received a discipline of 30 days off without pay, took 2 check rides, failed each of them, and was terminated from the company. The reporter captain accepts full responsibility for the error, but feels disciplinary action is too severe. The dc-8-61 freighter was 2000 pounds too heavy for takeoff and landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WT AND BAL PROBS. WT MANIFEST PROBS.

Narrative: ON MAR/FRI/95 I WAS THE FO ON A FLT FROM MMMX TO MMAA TO SVMI TO KMIA, WHEN THE COMPANY REVIEWED THE PAPERWORK OF THIS SERIES OF FLTS, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE ACFT LANDED AND TOOK-OFF OVERWT IN MMAA, 4 PALLET POS EXCEEDED THE MAX WT FOR THEIR POS, AND THE ZERO FUEL WT WAS OUT OF LIMITS ON 1 OF THE LEGS. FIRST: THE FACT THAT 4 PALLETS EXCEEDED THEIR MAX WT BY 700 LBS WAS PICKED UP BY ME IMMEDIATELY AND BROUGHT TO THE ATTN OF THE CAPT. HE ADVISED ME TO TAKE 1000 LBS OFF EACH OF THESE POS AND PUT IT IN THE BELLY. I MADE NOTE TO HIM THAT THIS WOULD STILL EXCEED THE 700 LB COMPARTMENT LIMIT, BUT HE WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT IT PERTAINED TO ONLY THE MAIN CARGO COMPARTMENT AND NOT THE BELLY. I SUBSEQUENTLY DID THIS, FINISHED THE PAPERWORK, HE SIGNED IT AND IT WAS PUT IN THE TRIP ENVELOPE. SECOND: ON THE LEG MMAA TO SVMI, THE ZERO FUEL WT CTR OF GRAVITY FELL ABOVE 1/10 OF AN INCH WITHIN A SHADED, BOXED AREA. ONCE AGAIN, I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTN OF THE CAPT, HE LOOKED AT IT, SAID THAT IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS ON THE EDGE OR JUST OUTSIDE THE SHADED AREA. HE THEN SIGNED IT AND HANDED IT BACK TO THE FE TO BE PUT IN THE TRIP ENVELOPE. THIRD: REGARDING THE OVERWT TKOF AND LNDG: AT NO TIME WAS I EVER AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THE ACFT WAS OVERWT. ALL TKOF FUEL FIGURES GIVEN TO ME BY THE FE FOR USE ON THE WT AND BAL FORMS WERE USED AND AT NO TIME DID ANY OF THEM INDICATE THAT WE WERE OVERWT. ALSO, ALL TKOF AND LNDG CARDS HANDED TO US BY THE FE INDICATED WE WERE WITHIN LIMITS. NEVER AGAIN WILL I DEVIATE FROM THE PUBLISHED COMPANY PROCS IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE THE MOVEMENT OF AN ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 298297: THE COMPANY NOTED OVERWT LNDG AND COMPARTMENT MAX WT EXCEEDED DURING THIS LEG MMMX TO MMAA. I WAS TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE, BUT DID NOT KNOW OF THIS CONDITION. LEG #2 MMMA TO SVMI TOOK OFF OVER GROSS WT/WT BAL COMPARTMENT MAX WT EXCEEDED AND OUT OF CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS. LEG #3 EMPTY ACFT SVMI TO KMIA WAS OUT OF CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS, DUE TO NOT CARRYING ENOUGH BALLAST, EXTRA FUEL FOR WT AND BAL PURPOSES. THE COMPANY WILL GIVE THIS INFO TO THE FAA FOR ACTION AGAINST ALL 3 CREWMEMBERS. I SHOULD HAVE REVIEWED THE FO'S WT AND BAL FIGURES MORE CAREFULLY AND CHKED THE FE'S FUEL CONDITION OF EXTRA FUEL ON ACFT. I HAD BAD JUDGEMENT AND MADE POOR DECISIONS ON FULLY DEPENDING ON MY OTHER CREWMEMBERS TO DO THEIR ASSIGNED DUTIES WITHOUT MY PROPER SUPERVISION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS CALLED TO DETERMINE DEGREE OF WT AND BAL PROB. LOAD WAS PLACED ON BOARD ACFT IN MEXICO. WT AND BAL PAPERS WERE GIVEN TO THE FLC, SO DID THE PAPERWORK. THE LOAD FIGURES WERE HIGH AND THE FUEL LOAD WAS HIGH WHICH THE SO DID NOT CATCH. THE CAPT RPTR KNOWS HE IS THE FINAL AUTH BUT ALWAYS HAD VERY COMPETENT FLC MEMBERS SO HE LET DOWN HIS GUARD TO CATCH SUCH A MISTAKE. THE MISTAKE WAS NOT DETERMINED UNTIL SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE FLT WHEN A LINE CHK AIRMAN WAS EXAMINING THE PAPERWORK OF PREVIOUS FLTS. THE RPTR WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ERROR AND PLACED ON A STATUS OF 90 DAYS WITHOUT PAY AND CAN COME BACK ONLY AS A FO. THE ORIGINAL FO RECEIVED A CHK RIDE AFTER SOME DAYS OFF WITHOUT PAY. THE SO RECEIVED A DISCIPLINE OF 30 DAYS OFF WITHOUT PAY, TOOK 2 CHK RIDES, FAILED EACH OF THEM, AND WAS TERMINATED FROM THE COMPANY. THE RPTR CAPT ACCEPTS FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ERROR, BUT FEELS DISCIPLINARY ACTION IS TOO SEVERE. THE DC-8-61 FREIGHTER WAS 2000 LBS TOO HEAVY FOR TKOF AND LNDG.

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.