Narrative:

Aircraft was at the gate ready to push. Completed and captain verified weight and balance sheet was in the possession of the ground crew. Weight and balance had been completed approximately 4 minutes earlier. We called for and received clearance to push back from gate. As I was stating to the push back crew to commence the push back; a baggage handler approached the airplane and gave me the hand signal indicating that he had one more bag. I shook my head no. He looked at me again and signaled for one more bag. Again shook my head no. This exchange happened 2 more times. The push back tug master then talked to the guy and came back and asked me if they could put one more bag on. I told them no as the weight and balance paperwork was already handed out and we were past departure time. The supervisor then came over and said it had to go on the plane. I told him I have push clearance; the weight and balance is done; and we are past departure; no more loading. He stated it was company policy. I stated to him unfortunately it is not my policy; nor the FAA's policy; nor the operations manual policy. He walked away and I thought that was the end of it. (When this started with the first baggage handler; I instructed the first officer to watch the mfd screen and to let me know if the cargo door opens; as I pulled up the takeoff page to monitor the aircraft doors.) we then received an indication that the cargo door had been opened. At that time I instructed the flight attendant to open the main cabin door; and exited the airplane. The supervisor met me at the bottom of the stairs. At this time I must admit that I had been controling any emotional outburst very well. I asked the supervisor if anything had been placed on my airplane. He stated no; empathetically no. I explained the weight and balance issues and he stated that he understood. He then re-stated that no extra bags had been placed on my airplane. At this point; I did not trust his statements; so I walked back to the cargo door where 2 baggage handlers were shoving some bags on the aircraft. I asked them; in a very supervisory demeanor; how many bags they just put on my aircraft. You can imagine my surprise when each of them gave me a different answer neither of which was 'one.' one of them said 3; the other said 4! At first I told them to take them off the airplane. After a couple of seconds to think about it; I then told them to put them on the airplane and give me an accurate count of bags. That decision is the reason for this report. At this point; another supervisor had been called in. I explained to him the preceding story and then told him I needed an accurate count; and I would redo the weight and balance. The baggage handlers insisted that only 3 more bags were placed on the airplane; so I went with that number. My first officer completed an entirely new weight and balance; we double checked that all of the paperwork was correct; and continued with the flight. The supervisor told me that company policy dictates that if a boarded passenger's bags show up; and the flight is still there; the bag has to go on the plane. This policy may be fine for larger aircraft (737 and larger); but with our aircraft and smaller; where weight and balance comes into play; this is bad policy. In retrospect; due to my distrust of the bag count; I should have pulled all of the bags off and had them do a re-count of the bags. (Again; this is the reason for this report.) also; possibly retraining the ground personnel on how sensitive our aircraft are to weight and balance issues will help them understand why they can't be throwing on bags at the last minute. I understand that the likelihood of 1 bag making a difference to safety is unlikely; but; what if that one bag is a heavy bag; or like in this instance; it wasn't 1 bag; but 3 or 4!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF E145 ADVISES THE GND PERSONNEL LOADED ADDITIONAL BAGS AFTER PUSHBACK WITHOUT HIS CONCURRENCE. HE WAS TOLD BY GND PERSONNEL THAT NO BAGS HAD BEEN ADDED.

Narrative: ACFT WAS AT THE GATE READY TO PUSH. COMPLETED AND CAPT VERIFIED WT AND BAL SHEET WAS IN THE POSSESSION OF THE GND CREW. WT AND BAL HAD BEEN COMPLETED APPROX 4 MINUTES EARLIER. WE CALLED FOR AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO PUSH BACK FROM GATE. AS I WAS STATING TO THE PUSH BACK CREW TO COMMENCE THE PUSH BACK; A BAGGAGE HANDLER APCHED THE AIRPLANE AND GAVE ME THE HAND SIGNAL INDICATING THAT HE HAD ONE MORE BAG. I SHOOK MY HEAD NO. HE LOOKED AT ME AGAIN AND SIGNALED FOR ONE MORE BAG. AGAIN SHOOK MY HEAD NO. THIS EXCHANGE HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES. THE PUSH BACK TUG MASTER THEN TALKED TO THE GUY AND CAME BACK AND ASKED ME IF THEY COULD PUT ONE MORE BAG ON. I TOLD THEM NO AS THE WT AND BAL PAPERWORK WAS ALREADY HANDED OUT AND WE WERE PAST DEP TIME. THE SUPVR THEN CAME OVER AND SAID IT HAD TO GO ON THE PLANE. I TOLD HIM I HAVE PUSH CLRNC; THE WT AND BAL IS DONE; AND WE ARE PAST DEP; NO MORE LOADING. HE STATED IT WAS COMPANY POLICY. I STATED TO HIM UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT MY POLICY; NOR THE FAA'S POLICY; NOR THE OPS MANUAL POLICY. HE WALKED AWAY AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE END OF IT. (WHEN THIS STARTED WITH THE FIRST BAGGAGE HANDLER; I INSTRUCTED THE FO TO WATCH THE MFD SCREEN AND TO LET ME KNOW IF THE CARGO DOOR OPENS; AS I PULLED UP THE TKOF PAGE TO MONITOR THE ACFT DOORS.) WE THEN RECEIVED AN INDICATION THAT THE CARGO DOOR HAD BEEN OPENED. AT THAT TIME I INSTRUCTED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO OPEN THE MAIN CABIN DOOR; AND EXITED THE AIRPLANE. THE SUPVR MET ME AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS. AT THIS TIME I MUST ADMIT THAT I HAD BEEN CTLING ANY EMOTIONAL OUTBURST VERY WELL. I ASKED THE SUPVR IF ANYTHING HAD BEEN PLACED ON MY AIRPLANE. HE STATED NO; EMPATHETICALLY NO. I EXPLAINED THE WT AND BAL ISSUES AND HE STATED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD. HE THEN RE-STATED THAT NO EXTRA BAGS HAD BEEN PLACED ON MY AIRPLANE. AT THIS POINT; I DID NOT TRUST HIS STATEMENTS; SO I WALKED BACK TO THE CARGO DOOR WHERE 2 BAGGAGE HANDLERS WERE SHOVING SOME BAGS ON THE ACFT. I ASKED THEM; IN A VERY SUPERVISORY DEMEANOR; HOW MANY BAGS THEY JUST PUT ON MY ACFT. YOU CAN IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN EACH OF THEM GAVE ME A DIFFERENT ANSWER NEITHER OF WHICH WAS 'ONE.' ONE OF THEM SAID 3; THE OTHER SAID 4! AT FIRST I TOLD THEM TO TAKE THEM OFF THE AIRPLANE. AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS TO THINK ABOUT IT; I THEN TOLD THEM TO PUT THEM ON THE AIRPLANE AND GIVE ME AN ACCURATE COUNT OF BAGS. THAT DECISION IS THE REASON FOR THIS RPT. AT THIS POINT; ANOTHER SUPVR HAD BEEN CALLED IN. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THE PRECEDING STORY AND THEN TOLD HIM I NEEDED AN ACCURATE COUNT; AND I WOULD REDO THE WT AND BAL. THE BAGGAGE HANDLERS INSISTED THAT ONLY 3 MORE BAGS WERE PLACED ON THE AIRPLANE; SO I WENT WITH THAT NUMBER. MY FO COMPLETED AN ENTIRELY NEW WT AND BAL; WE DOUBLE CHKED THAT ALL OF THE PAPERWORK WAS CORRECT; AND CONTINUED WITH THE FLT. THE SUPVR TOLD ME THAT COMPANY POLICY DICTATES THAT IF A BOARDED PAX'S BAGS SHOW UP; AND THE FLT IS STILL THERE; THE BAG HAS TO GO ON THE PLANE. THIS POLICY MAY BE FINE FOR LARGER ACFT (737 AND LARGER); BUT WITH OUR ACFT AND SMALLER; WHERE WT AND BAL COMES INTO PLAY; THIS IS BAD POLICY. IN RETROSPECT; DUE TO MY DISTRUST OF THE BAG COUNT; I SHOULD HAVE PULLED ALL OF THE BAGS OFF AND HAD THEM DO A RE-COUNT OF THE BAGS. (AGAIN; THIS IS THE REASON FOR THIS RPT.) ALSO; POSSIBLY RETRAINING THE GND PERSONNEL ON HOW SENSITIVE OUR ACFT ARE TO WT AND BAL ISSUES WILL HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHY THEY CAN'T BE THROWING ON BAGS AT THE LAST MINUTE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF 1 BAG MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO SAFETY IS UNLIKELY; BUT; WHAT IF THAT ONE BAG IS A HEAVY BAG; OR LIKE IN THIS INSTANCE; IT WASN'T 1 BAG; BUT 3 OR 4!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.