CONF iture;
:
My first inclination is to believe that the weight & balance data was correct as those processes are normally highly automated and highly accurate
... as long as the correct data are entered ...
Clearly.
My point was, in observing this over a 34+ year career, I saw amost no errors in the process. It is trivially obvious that any process is open to error but I suspect not, here.
Your estimate of 310k kgs seems reasonable for 10hrs - I see there are higher estimates - it'll come out soon enough. As I say, not likely near the MTOW, if the MTOW is like other - 500's, around 372k kgs. Reduced thrust would likely have been possible.
Emersome:
Cargo was much heavier than what was shown on manifest
Yes, possible - seen it, and on a 340.
That said, unlike the A340-300 with hair-dryers for engines and, like the DC8-61, always made you wonder, the -500 is a very powerful aircraft and a) given that it is a serious error in calculations, would still hardly notice an extra 20k kgs and b) would not, even at all-up gross, take all of a 12,000ft runway. If the type is rotating in the reds, somethings's seriously wrong.