Aviation Safety: Qantas Boeing 737 takes off with miscalculated weight, 51 passengers missing onboard

*A Qantas Boeing 737-800 aircraft has departed from Canberra, using take-off performance numbers based on an incorrect loadsheet after the aircraft diverted from Perth to Sydney, resulting in 51 passengers being listed as not onboard, says report

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

A Qantas Boeing 737-800 aircraft departed from Canberra using take-off performance numbers based on an incorrect loadsheet after the aircraft diverted from Perth to Sydney.

ConsumerConnect learnt that an input error in Qantas’ departure control systems ultimately, resulted in 51 passengers being listed as not onboard, which produced a calculated weight that was approximately 9,460 lbs (4,291 kg) below the aircraft’s actual weight, and take-off speeds were also slightly lower than expected.

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Report indicated that there were attempts to warn the flight crew before the departure, but they ultimately failed.

The crew later learned of this discrepancy after takeoff, and they coordinated with operations teams and placed the aircraft in a holding pattern until they were able to confirm the correct weights, agency report said.

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The flight later continued and landed safely at Sydney Airport (SYD).

How the operational error occurred through staff

It was learnt that the incident ultimately, began when a staff member created the Canberra to Sydney additional stop, and entered a configuration code for a Boeing 717 instead of the Boeing 737, which ultimately prompted the system to mechanically offload 11 business-class passengers and over a dozen economy passengers that were on standby, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) reports also said.

It is noted though the code was corrected, the system did not automatically reallocate those passengers, and the flight itself was later closed, using this flawed data.

Load control was then issued into a load sheet that showed 51 passengers as not onboard, and resulted in the massive fuel underread, report stated.

Before pushback, load control was quickly identified as the problem, and teams on the ground attempted to reach the crew by phone and were unsuccessful.

Authorities later reached out to the crew by radio through movement control, but the message itself was not effectively delivered, according to reports.

The aircraft then departed, and the crew was alerted, and the correct figures were quickly verified in flight.

Invisible, far-reaching implications for air passengers 

For air travellers, the most direct impact of the incident was effectively invisible in the cabin but meaningful in overall risk terms.

The aircraft was rotated using inappropriate take-off speeds that were originally calculated for a significantly lighter type of aircraft.

The ATSB found the incorrect weight ultimately produced speeds that were a bit lower than necessary, ultimately increasing the risk of degraded performance and unanticipated handling during take-off.

From the perspective of an air traveller, the development came after an already-disruptive day. The service between Perth and Sydney was diverted to Canberra due to storms, and some consumers left the flight there, report noted.

Once airborne, the crew received an air traffic control message that load control had to be corrected, and that the aircraft was to quickly enter a holding pattern while accurate weights were confirmed.

Despite that actually resulting in a safe outcome, these are the kinds of incidents that can ultimately erode consumer confidence, as passenger accountability is also a major security issue; knowing who is actually onboard matters more than where they sit.

Ultimately, no injuries were reported, but the event underscores why headcounts and cross-checks are ultimately reassuring in the aviation environment.

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