What happened

On 27 September 2016, at about 0030 Eastern Standard Time (EST), an Avions de Transport Regional ATR42-300 aircraft, registered VH-TOX (Figure 1), was being loaded at Sydney Airport, New South Wales, for a freight charter flight to Brisbane, Queensland.

The freight had arrived from a freight facility where it had been weighed and a load plan completed, with a total freight weight of 2,281 kg.

Prior to loading the freight, a representative from the aircraft operator was unsure of the accuracy of the provided weights and requested ground staff reweigh the freight using calibrated scales at the airport. The measured total weight was 3,215 kg, which was 934 kg more than stated on the load plan.

The flight crew, consisting of a captain and first officer, completed the trim sheet using the actual weights, and the aircraft was within its weight limitations and the allowable centre of gravity envelope. The aircraft operated to Brisbane without incident.

Figure 1: VH-TOX

Source: Daniel Vorbach edited by ATSB

Freight weighing

The freight was weighed at the freight facility using a forklift fitted with scales. Each item of freight was then allocated to a loading position on the aircraft using a spreadsheet from which the aircraft load plan was derived.

The aircraft operator commented that they had previously advised the freight company that forklifts should not be used for the weighing of freight when intended for carriage by air, as they were not sufficiently accurate. The loading supervisor, who was employed by the freight company and responsible for loading the aircraft in accordance with the load plan, was not aware that the weights recorded on the load plan were inaccurate.

The ground handling agreement between the aircraft operator and freight company did not include Sydney as a port of service at the time of the incident. Until recently, the operator’s Sydney operations were based at Bankstown Airport, where calibrated floor scales were used to weigh the freight.

Findings

These findings should not be read as apportioning blame or liability to any particular organisation or individual.

• The freight company weighed the freight using inaccurate (forklift) scales, resulting in a discrepancy of 934 kg from the actual freight weight. The aircraft load plan was derived from the inaccurate freight weights.
• The aircraft operator discovered the inaccuracy before loading and the aircraft was subsequently loaded within its weight and balance limitations.

Safety action

Whether or not the ATSB identifies safety issues in the course of an investigation, relevant organisations may proactively initiate safety action in order to reduce their safety risk. The ATSB has been advised of the following proactive safety action in response to this occurrence.

Aircraft operator

As a result of this occurrence, the aircraft operator has advised the ATSB that they are taking the following safety actions:

Change of port

The operator ceased operations into and out of Sydney Airport and reverted to Bankstown Airport, where calibrated floor scales are used to determine the freight weight for the load plan.

Safety message

Accurate aircraft weight and balance information is vital for the safety of flight, particularly during take-off. Inaccurate weight of freight items can lead to incorrect flight management selections such as power and trim settings. Discrepancies in these can result in reduced take-off performance and incidents such as tail strikes and runway overruns.