Narrative:

Upon receipt of the load planning sheet; I found the aircraft to be loaded in excess of 2 units aft of the manufacturers -- FAA center of gravity envelope. After visually checking the status of the cargo pits; I found pits 2 and 4 filled to cubic capacity and pit 3 nearly filled to cubic capacity. With this confign; I calculated on the operations computer that it was not possible to bring the aircraft into a safe center of gravity status by manipulating the cargo load alone. The one possibility I did not calculate was to fill pit 1 with as much mail as we could from pit 4 and determine the split weights of the 2 pits. Rather than initiate that time consuming (pushback time +10 mins at this point) solution; (the outcome of which was still in doubt); I contacted operation control and informed them of our situation. At this point; operation control directed me to move coach passenger forward to first class to alleviate the problem. I found that moving 5 passenger from coach to first class put the aircraft in a safe center of gravity confign. However; ZZZ is fully aware; or should be; that it is regularly loading aircraft X in an unsafe and illegal center of gravity confign. Immediate steps should be taken to eliminate this situation from ever happening again. At no time should the flight deck crew be presented a load sheet of an aircraft that is out of its center of gravity envelope. The outstation practice of asking the crew how the aircraft should be loaded before the pits are filled is one method to do this. Operation control staff members in ZZZ are trained in proper loading of the aircraft and an essential and elementary task that they are assigned with is the proper loading of the aircraft. Allowing the flight deck crew to be the last line of defense in determining a safe center of gravity for any ZZZ flight is an unsafe situation. Steps should be immediately taken to foster communication between operation control; the united states postal service; cargo services; passenger service; and the flight deck crew to prevent the presentation to the crew of a load sheet that represents an aircraft that is currently unsafe for flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF B737-700 DETERMINES LOAD PLANNING HAS LOADED ACFT WITH CG BEYOND THE AFT MOST LIMIT. FEELS LOAD PLANNERS SHOULD BE TRAINED TO PROPERLY DISTRIBUTE WEIGHT TO ARRIVE AT LEGAL CG LOCATIONS FOR FLT. FURTHER; THAT FLT CREWS SHOULD NOT BE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST UNDISCIPLINED AND INACCURATE WEIGHT AND BALANCE DOCUMENTATION.

Narrative: UPON RECEIPT OF THE LOAD PLANNING SHEET; I FOUND THE ACFT TO BE LOADED IN EXCESS OF 2 UNITS AFT OF THE MANUFACTURERS -- FAA CTR OF GRAVITY ENVELOPE. AFTER VISUALLY CHKING THE STATUS OF THE CARGO PITS; I FOUND PITS 2 AND 4 FILLED TO CUBIC CAPACITY AND PIT 3 NEARLY FILLED TO CUBIC CAPACITY. WITH THIS CONFIGN; I CALCULATED ON THE OPS COMPUTER THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO BRING THE ACFT INTO A SAFE CTR OF GRAVITY STATUS BY MANIPULATING THE CARGO LOAD ALONE. THE ONE POSSIBILITY I DID NOT CALCULATE WAS TO FILL PIT 1 WITH AS MUCH MAIL AS WE COULD FROM PIT 4 AND DETERMINE THE SPLIT WTS OF THE 2 PITS. RATHER THAN INITIATE THAT TIME CONSUMING (PUSHBACK TIME +10 MINS AT THIS POINT) SOLUTION; (THE OUTCOME OF WHICH WAS STILL IN DOUBT); I CONTACTED OP CTL AND INFORMED THEM OF OUR SITUATION. AT THIS POINT; OP CTL DIRECTED ME TO MOVE COACH PAX FORWARD TO FIRST CLASS TO ALLEVIATE THE PROB. I FOUND THAT MOVING 5 PAX FROM COACH TO FIRST CLASS PUT THE ACFT IN A SAFE CTR OF GRAVITY CONFIGN. HOWEVER; ZZZ IS FULLY AWARE; OR SHOULD BE; THAT IT IS REGULARLY LOADING ACFT X IN AN UNSAFE AND ILLEGAL CTR OF GRAVITY CONFIGN. IMMEDIATE STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ELIMINATE THIS SITUATION FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN. AT NO TIME SHOULD THE FLT DECK CREW BE PRESENTED A LOAD SHEET OF AN ACFT THAT IS OUT OF ITS CTR OF GRAVITY ENVELOPE. THE OUTSTATION PRACTICE OF ASKING THE CREW HOW THE ACFT SHOULD BE LOADED BEFORE THE PITS ARE FILLED IS ONE METHOD TO DO THIS. OP CTL STAFF MEMBERS IN ZZZ ARE TRAINED IN PROPER LOADING OF THE ACFT AND AN ESSENTIAL AND ELEMENTARY TASK THAT THEY ARE ASSIGNED WITH IS THE PROPER LOADING OF THE ACFT. ALLOWING THE FLT DECK CREW TO BE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE IN DETERMINING A SAFE CTR OF GRAVITY FOR ANY ZZZ FLT IS AN UNSAFE SITUATION. STEPS SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN TO FOSTER COM BTWN OP CTL; THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SVC; CARGO SVCS; PAX SVC; AND THE FLT DECK CREW TO PREVENT THE PRESENTATION TO THE CREW OF A LOAD SHEET THAT REPRESENTS AN ACFT THAT IS CURRENTLY UNSAFE FOR FLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.