Flight crew is told after the flight that required ballast was not on board.

Attributes
ACN	308010
Time
Date	199506
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : hya
State Reference	MA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 8400 flight time type : 210
ASRS Report	308010
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 175 flight time total : 2100 flight time type : 175
ASRS Report	308011
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

After aircraft was loaded the ramp supervisor notified me that (1) 150 pound ballast bag was missing. These are required to be moved from the aircraft cargo to the forward cargo area for weight and balance computations. I instructed him to remove some baggage so as to keep the aircraft balanced and within center of gravity limits. After departing and discussing the situation with the first officer I realized that the ballast was missing before our arrival and therefore the weight and balance was incorrect for the previous flight. I also instructed him to be more thorough in his preflts. And I may have illegally changed the basic operating weight of the aircraft by simply subtracting the weight of the ballast in order to comply with the actual weight of the aircraft for computations to be legal and safe.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC IS TOLD AFTER THE FLT THAT REQUIRED BALLAST WAS NOT ON BOARD.

Narrative: AFTER ACFT WAS LOADED THE RAMP SUPVR NOTIFIED ME THAT (1) 150 LB BALLAST BAG WAS MISSING. THESE ARE REQUIRED TO BE MOVED FROM THE ACFT CARGO TO THE FORWARD CARGO AREA FOR WT AND BAL COMPUTATIONS. I INSTRUCTED HIM TO REMOVE SOME BAGGAGE SO AS TO KEEP THE ACFT BALANCED AND WITHIN CTR OF GRAVITY LIMITS. AFTER DEPARTING AND DISCUSSING THE SIT WITH THE FO I REALIZED THAT THE BALLAST WAS MISSING BEFORE OUR ARR AND THEREFORE THE WT AND BAL WAS INCORRECT FOR THE PREVIOUS FLT. I ALSO INSTRUCTED HIM TO BE MORE THOROUGH IN HIS PREFLTS. AND I MAY HAVE ILLEGALLY CHANGED THE BASIC OPERATING WT OF THE ACFT BY SIMPLY SUBTRACTING THE WT OF THE BALLAST IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE ACTUAL WT OF THE ACFT FOR COMPUTATIONS TO BE LEGAL AND SAFE.

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.