Page:CAB Accident Report, TWA Flight 3 (January 1942).pdf/9

 load Due to the heavy passenger and cargo load, the airplane was fueled to depart from Albuquerque with only 350 gallons of gasoline. It appears that the weight of the airplane, on departure from Albuquerque and also on departure from Las Vegas, was not within the permissible gross weight according to the regular method of computation. It is not possible to determine precisely the amount of the excess, but in all probability it was less than 500 pounds. The excess was due principally to the method which was used to assign passenger weights in computing the load at Albuquerque. The regular method of computation calls for the use of an average weight of 170 pounds per passenger, exclusive of baggage. TWA's passenger agent at Albuquerque testified that since computation on this basis resulted in a weight which was greater than the permissible weight, he requested the officer in charge of the 12 Army men getting on at Albuquerque to state the weights of these men. An average weight of 130 pounds was assigned to each of the 12 men. Finding that the total weight was still too heavy, the agent contacted the three women passengers and obtained and used their actual weights. Since the computation then indicated that the gross weight of the airplane precisely equaled the provisional weight permissible for take-off, the remaining passengers were figured at 170 pounds each without inquiry as to their actual weights. Army records show that the Army personnel actually weighted substantially more than the amount assigned for them. The overweight would not seem to have had any bearing on the accident. The method used for computing the load, and, therefore, of ascertaining the location of the c.g., however, is an example of loose practice, and of a ready acceptance (where such acceptance served to avoid interference with the handling of traffic) of an intrinsically improbable statement (that a considerable group of adult men would have an average weight as low as 150 lbs. each). and reported head winds over the airways. Provision for these stops was included in the flight plan filed at Albuquerque.

The flight was cleared from Albuquerque to Winslow, the standard TWA clearance form having been completed at Albuquerque upon receipt of a radio message from TWA'S flight superintendent at Burbank releasing the flight to Winslow. The airplane departed from Albuquerque at 4:40 p.m. (MST) At 5:38 Captain Williams transmitted the following radio message to Burbank