Narrative:

I was notified by mr X at the gate before pushback that the aft pit could not be loaded due to a MEL item. All bags would have to go in the fwd pits. Mr X stated he would make an announcement to the passenger that not all their bags would make it. We had a load of military personnel with their duffel bags that would be the priority since they were connecting. Percent mac was forecast to be 28.8 with 8190 pounds in the front pit. Trim was 3.7 during the takeoff roll and at V1 it took an extraordinary amount of control force to rotate. I had to trim the aircraft in the rotation to help get off the ground. Once airborne I contacted dispatch to have him contact load planning about the fwd cg I had noticed and to recheck the numbers. It took hours to get the information. Dispatch informed me that they were having some trouble getting the information out of bwi. Evidently the station manager was uncooperative until he was notified of a bag audit being done upon arrival. There seemed to be a lot of confusion about whether the duffle bags were actually weighed. Originally; bwi said they weren't because they didn't have heavy tags on it; later during the audit; the bags had heavy tags. The bag count was within two. I just couldn't get a straight answer from load planning or bwi. I consulted with the duty manager to ascertain the following: 1) did he believe the aircraft was in cg. 2) would the cg stay within limits during the fuel burnout to destination. Duty manager said he thought going to destination would be the correct decision so we continued. Everything appeared within limits. On landing I had to add a lot of nose up trim; my final trim setting at landing flaps 25; reference 147; was 9.6 anu. Way above normal. Landing was uneventful. This aircraft was incorrectly loaded and the trim was not right for takeoff. Bwi was not forthcoming about its errors and both dispatch and myself could not accurately assess the safety and status of the aircraft. Final weights indicated trim requirement of 4.2; with 4380 loaded in the front pits; mac was 25. Basically the front pit weight fell off 4000 pounds from planned; and the trim moved aft from 3.7 to 4.2 with a full airplane. Unlikely. These were bad numbers; from where I don't know.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLT CREW IS ISSUED INCORRECT WT AND BALANCE FIGURES FOR THE FLT.

Narrative: I WAS NOTIFIED BY MR X AT THE GATE BEFORE PUSHBACK THAT THE AFT PIT COULD NOT BE LOADED DUE TO A MEL ITEM. ALL BAGS WOULD HAVE TO GO IN THE FWD PITS. MR X STATED HE WOULD MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX THAT NOT ALL THEIR BAGS WOULD MAKE IT. WE HAD A LOAD OF MILITARY PERSONNEL WITH THEIR DUFFEL BAGS THAT WOULD BE THE PRIORITY SINCE THEY WERE CONNECTING. PERCENT MAC WAS FORECAST TO BE 28.8 WITH 8190 LBS IN THE FRONT PIT. TRIM WAS 3.7 DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL AND AT V1 IT TOOK AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF CONTROL FORCE TO ROTATE. I HAD TO TRIM THE AIRCRAFT IN THE ROTATION TO HELP GET OFF THE GROUND. ONCE AIRBORNE I CONTACTED DISPATCH TO HAVE HIM CONTACT LOAD PLANNING ABOUT THE FWD CG I HAD NOTICED AND TO RECHECK THE NUMBERS. IT TOOK HOURS TO GET THE INFORMATION. DISPATCH INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE HAVING SOME TROUBLE GETTING THE INFORMATION OUT OF BWI. EVIDENTLY THE STATION MGR WAS UNCOOPERATIVE UNTIL HE WAS NOTIFIED OF A BAG AUDIT BEING DONE UPON ARRIVAL. THERE SEEMED TO BE A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT WHETHER THE DUFFLE BAGS WERE ACTUALLY WEIGHED. ORIGINALLY; BWI SAID THEY WEREN'T BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE HEAVY TAGS ON IT; LATER DURING THE AUDIT; THE BAGS HAD HEAVY TAGS. THE BAG COUNT WAS WITHIN TWO. I JUST COULDN'T GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM LOAD PLANNING OR BWI. I CONSULTED WITH THE DUTY MANAGER TO ASCERTAIN THE FOLLOWING: 1) DID HE BELIEVE THE ACFT WAS IN CG. 2) WOULD THE CG STAY WITHIN LIMITS DURING THE FUEL BURNOUT TO DEST. DUTY MANAGER SAID HE THOUGHT GOING TO DEST WOULD BE THE CORRECT DECISION SO WE CONTINUED. EVERYTHING APPEARED WITHIN LIMITS. ON LANDING I HAD TO ADD A LOT OF NOSE UP TRIM; MY FINAL TRIM SETTING AT LANDING FLAPS 25; REF 147; WAS 9.6 ANU. WAY ABOVE NORMAL. LANDING WAS UNEVENTFUL. THIS AIRCRAFT WAS INCORRECTLY LOADED AND THE TRIM WAS NOT RIGHT FOR TAKEOFF. BWI WAS NOT FORTHCOMING ABOUT ITS ERRORS AND BOTH DISPATCH AND MYSELF COULD NOT ACCURATELY ASSESS THE SAFETY AND STATUS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FINAL WEIGHTS INDICATED TRIM REQUIREMENT OF 4.2; WITH 4380 LOADED IN THE FRONT PITS; MAC WAS 25. BASICALLY THE FRONT PIT WEIGHT FELL OFF 4000 LBS FROM PLANNED; AND THE TRIM MOVED AFT FROM 3.7 TO 4.2 WITH A FULL AIRPLANE. UNLIKELY. THESE WERE BAD NUMBERS; FROM WHERE I DON'T KNOW.

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.