MADPhil

There seem to be a few cases of aircraft going down on their tails as the pax disembark and the cargo doesn't.

atp

In short, we get our final load closeout, or numbers when we are taxiing to the runway. There is a planning department in Dallas that figures out exactly how much weight the aircraft can take depending on the current weather, runways in use, planned fuel routing, and passenger load. Any of these things can change up to the moment of departure - i.e. - tower doesn't allow you to use the planned runway and needs you to take a shorter or more restrictive runway. One you push back from the gate, ramp and customer service enter their final number in their computers. These numbers are combined with everything else to produce the final weight and balance.

Absolutely nothing here was unsafe. We cannot under any circumstances take off without the final load closeout. We can't even program our onboard computers without these final numbers.

Let me give you an extreme example of a change that could significantly change your numbers - you are pushing back from the gate and can carry the full planned load and fuel. On taxi out, you are assigned a new runway due to shifting winds. This new runway also has a obstacle at the end of the runway which requires a higher climb gradient to avoid the big buildings or mountains at the end. During taxi out it also starts to rain and the temperature dips below 10C, requiring the use of wet runway numbers and the use of engine anti-ice which reduces available engine power unless you are in a bleed-less 787. Suddenly, the entire weight plan is tossed out the window. If more engine thrust than planned isn't available and the use of a different less restrictive runway isn't available, you have to return to the gate. The FAA and our company do not allow you to take off overweight by even 1 pound. This example happens occasionally in airports such as Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, etc....

In the end, everything worked as planned. It's a complicated juggling act and sometimes the planners get the numbers wrong, but the final numbers are always correct and verified by the flight crew - which often times happens just a few minutes before takeoff. We always know our maximum allowable takeoff weight for the runway we will actually be using. There is nothing unique about the 737 compared to the rest of the fleet.

Science Goy

Seems like the real problem was the flight crew discussing utterly mundane and routine (but marginally scary-sounding) business within earshot of jumpy pax.

Collierkr

Interesting post as written (in title). PLanes leave gates ALL THE TIME with pending items as it helps them get in line to have a better chance of making planned schedule. The key is Take Off, not pushback.

FriscoHeavy

You're all up in arms over nothing. Getting the final numbers on taxi out is done very frequently. There was no 'unsafe takeoff weight in the wrong part of the plane'. The final performance numbers dictated that a few pounds needed to come off (a couple people and their bags). The plane would have had no issue actually taking off with these people on, but it would have been illegal to do so, which meant they had to go back to reduce the load a bit. You're freaking out over absolutely nothing.

Trident 3B

As a former Airline Pilot and Flight Dispatcher ( I have recently retired after almost 40 years in the industry) "Tail Tipping" as it is called is far more of a risk particularly on the A321 series (but also on the A320 as well) aircraft than nose tipping as mentioned by CWS although under certain circumstances that could happen. For this reason I would often instruct the head loader to only load two or three containers in the aft hold and then load the front hold prior to continuing to load the aft hold in order to avoid tail tipping whilst passengers are boarding and, when unloading an arriving aircraft, the reverse would be true ie unload two or three containers from the aft hold first especially if the containers in the rear are particularly heavy ( for this reason we often loaded baggage in the rear hold as this would automatically be offloaded first on arrival). There are specific weight limits that are calculated not just by the aircraft manufacturer but also by the airline itself ( with a built in margin) to avoid this scenario. Also, it was not uncommon for the Ops dept at departure to contact Ops at the arrival station to advise of the tail tipping potential in order that correct unloading was performed.

Raymoland

You are making a mountain out of a molehill. Nothing unusual happened here.
I am a pilot flying for a major US airline.

If near take off weight, pilots will make an estimate to give to the baggage handlers and gate agents as to how many passengers and freight/bags can be carried.

As others have stated, final weights are calculated by computer remotely as the pilots taxi out and sent to the airplane. In this case, the pilots discovered they were over weight which can happen because the gate agent put on one or two more pax, the rampers put on one or two more bags, the fueler added a couple hundred extra pounds that they thought, the temp at the airport went up slightly, the wind changed direction or decreased in intensity or it started raining. All these factors are out of control of the pilots. Yet they returned, made the changes and then took off. No rules were violated nor were they nearly violated. No pilot will take off overweight. All these details are stored for every flight and subject to audit by the FAA, a pilot would have his license suspended for taking off overweight.
Now lets consider a few things.
1. The calculations are all based on losing an engine at the most critical time so unless that happens, even IF you tried to take off overweight you would be perfectly fine unless you are also unfortunate enough to lose an engine at just that critical point..
2. Often the weight that restricts the takeoff has nothing to do with taking off or not, but has to do with the weight upon landing, the weight to clear enroute obstacles in the event of an engine failure or the established structural limits of the airplane rather than whether there is enough runway or not.
3. And most significantly, did anyone weigh you or your bags? Unless you weight 165lbs and every other passenger on the plane weighed the same, the airplane WAS significantly heavier than the calculated weight on takeoff and yet you survived. This is because, in the eyes of the FAA, each passenger weighs 195lbs WHICH INCLUDES THEIR CARRYONS and each checked bag weighs 30lbs. Any calculations made are just estimates and there to satisfy regulations rather than being accurate calculations of the airplanes weight. For example, when I flew smaller jets, we couldn't bring carryons on board as there was rarely room. They were gate checked so they weighed 30lbs. Sometimes, if overweight, the rampers would bring gate checked bags into the cabin and cram them into the overheads or strap them into seats. They magically went from weighing 30lbs to weighing nothing. Make sense? Of course not, but the FAA was happy.

So you are blowing an unfortunate but routine incident out of all proportion.

sevastras

Minus the rain, this happened on one of my flights out of SJO. Winds increased and the captain came on while taxiing and announced we are now over weight and wont make it over the mountain if we dont offload some weight. Now that sounds a tad scarier than what the OP posted.
First we offloaded 6 non revs. Waited 30 minutes. Offloaded all baggage. Waited 30 minutes, then they needed 24 volunteers. I took the free hotel and voucher and spent another day in Costa Rica. Point is, this stuff happens and really isnt a big deal.

Redwood839

Hah, classic.

Thankfully the now existing RNAV departures get rid of most of these issues. Before, if you didn't make it you flew into a volcano.

Now even the heavies take off into the mountain and make the turns.

Michael D

And if it is time for them to take off and they haven't received the information yet do they wait with everyone behind them, step out of line, go to the end of the line, ... ?

I guess anything to push off in time.

How easy is it to return to the gate when you are at the end of the taxi way?

boboqui

Did you crap your pants?

nancypants

choklit

As a prior C-130 loamaster, I am GLAD the pilot caught this! I was also at Bagram when the 747 crashed a few years ago. Loads MUST be thoroughly checked for weight and balance. Although retired, I still like flying in military aircraft, and although any thing can happen, it gives me a sense of security.

2P or not 2P

If they don't have the numbers they'll usually go to one side, a holding area, another taxiway that isn't being used, the infamous 'penalty box', etc. Most airports have the capability to handle this. If they're in the line for departure and don't have numbers and there isn't a way out they just enter the runway and continue taxying to turn off at the first suitable exit. Happens every day.

USFlyerUS

I believe ground control would put the aircraft in the penalty box if the flight isn't ready to take off.