FAA proposes to fine Southwest Airlines $3.9m

[Longtimer]

Weight and Balance infractions. The story can be read at: https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/faa-proposes-to-fine-southwest-airlines-39m-for-incorrect-weight-and-balance-data/136101.article

[Pilot DAR]

Weight and balance calculations on any aircraft are critical to flight safety. Faulty or incomplete calculations can compromise the aircraft’s structural integrity, and lead to tail strikes upon take-off or control difficulty in the air

Gee, will this mean that the FAA wants all passengers actually weighed, to assure that the crew's W&B calculations are correct?

[Maninthebar]

Gee, will this mean that the FAA wants all passengers actually weighed, to assure that the crew's W&B calculations are correct?

Er no?

https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=24575

Incorrect empty weights, CoG data in contravention of their own approved W&B prog. Across 21,505 flights I can only assume that the base data built into the s/w supplied by SWA must be faulty.

Or have I missed irony? I am not good with this internet stuff

[UltraFan]

$181 per affected flight. That'll leave a dent, I'm sure.

[Lord Farringdon]

"The incorrect data included empty weight, centre of gravity or moment data".

Nothing to do with passenger weights. This is at an engineering level rather than operational level. Presumably aircraft have been reweighed incorrectly after servicing phases which require the aircraft Empty Weight CoG to be recalculated. Wonder how they messed that up and by how much?


Edit: By $3.9M dollars I guess.