I dont know everything there is too know about the md-80, but I once recall a captain running over to stop the fueling of one after he realised he would be over weight on landing, during a flight from MAN - EDI on to somewhere else. All this a while back now when I was dispatching. (i am of course not surgesting that a over weight landing due to a mix up of figures is anything like landing over weight after a donkey stops!
at the end of the day, an engine failed as they sometimes do, the crew (who at the moment are the only ones who really now what happenend) did what they thought was required to get the ac back on the ground, remember a captain can break any rule or reg he wants (broadly speaking) if he feels the a/c is an danger.
job well done.
