About how often is it that a passenger jet plane is flying overweight?

Question

About how often is it that a passenger jet plane is flying overweight?

Answer 1

It should never happen.  Airlines have strict policies about weight limits, and everybody pitches in to make sure the applicable weight restrictions are not exceeded.  If an incident involving weight occurs, there is an investigation.  A staff or crew member could lose his or her job, or even face criminal charges in certain circumstances.

Standard estimates are used for passenger weight, based on statistics from public agencies (in the US, it's the Center for Disease Control and the Bureau of Labor Statistics); the estimates have risen over the years as the average person has gotten heavier.

Also, a certain "fudge factor" is added in, just to be on the safe side.  Please recognize that your crew and the support staff are trained professionals who have your safety as their first concern.

Have a great flight!

Answer 2

It is an interesting question and one no one can really answer.

The company answer will be never.

In actuality it occurs a lot I believe.  Passenger weights are pre-determinted.  In the summertime, for example a person and their assumed carry on is 190 lbs.  Their bag is 30... for a grand total of 220lbs.

Now, I am 235lbs and maybe I have a 5-10lb carry on with me and maybe my checked bag is 25.  Either way, it seems to me I am a lot heavier than the "standard".

Of course there will be those lighter, but on some flights this may not be the case.

Now... on many flights the fuel load is planned so that with the amount of seats sold (assuming standard weights mind you) the plan will depart very near max takeoff weight.  You can see how a deveation of only a few lbs above standard could put the aircraft above max takeoff weight.

The bigger question is does that pose imminent danger to you.  My answer would be no.  All structural weights are based on 150% of the published numbers so there is quite a room for margin in there.  In smaller aircraft, this can be a bigger concern but by percentage in large commerical aircraft it is not so much of an issue.

Keep in mind, pilots are not in a big rush to get killed and will not knowingly put you... or them... in harms way.

I am not aware of any commercial aircraft that crashed due to weight.  Even the US Airways crash in Charlotte which had issues with CG (the ballance of the load inside the aircraft), that was not the only factor in the crash.

When you look at general aviation aircraft, these issues can be contributing factors in many accidents.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Answer 3

Its not a practiced that is done knowingly, the aircraft suffers, because it works harder to get off the ground, let alone you need more runway for lift off, etc.  Its not safe and will cause disasters.    Generally an aircraft taking off weighs too heavy to land again, so aircraft has to actually (A) fly around and burn fuel or (B) Jettison fuel

Answer 4

This happens most likely every time a plane is fully loaded, because in the aviation industry there is whats called standard masses, meaning that an average male represents a certain weight and a female an other and a kid a other again, this is done to avoid weighing everybody´and to save time. as you know time is money - especially in the aviation industry.Now the problem with standard masses is that they were decided a long time ago and people has sins gotten fatter and fatter considerations are made to raise the standard masses to counter act the effect of this eroding tendency. but on paper it is ALWAYS under the weight limit

However you should not worry about this the millions of flights has shown that we a still safe and as with everything in aviation there is always an additionally safety margin to make sure.

Answer 5

Never plane follow restrictions and if they are too heavy they could destroy the runway, or if they are way too heavy they might not make it off the ground killing lots of people.

Answer 6

NEVER!

a plane can not get off the ground if the plane is overweight. The pilot will ALWAYS off load something if the plane is overweight...often freight.

The aircraft must have the exact amount of feul for the flight and many airlines do not like putting in extra feul for extra weight.....

so even without you knowing it, the airlines will off load something.....freight most of the time.

Answer 7

yes alot of the time planes become overweight. how much? depending on they amount of over weight people are the plane the weight varies hope this helps

Answer 8

Should not happen. There are a lot of ways a aircraft can be overweight thou. Max weight does not necessary mean the max weight the aircraft can take. It is limited by altitude and temperature as well, when it is very hot and you are at high altitude your max weight is reduced and this can be a lot. There are massive safety factors build into the load sheets for weight per pax. Aircraft are also build with big safety factors into it for when it is accidentally done.

There was a case that Piper gave a 4 seat-er aircraft permission to take-off at more than double its legal weight, it was for a ferry flight to South-Africa from the States.

In the case that you talk about landing it happens maybe one in one million landings. All large aircraft has the ability to dump fuel. They don't like doing this due to cost so fuel is carefully calculated. By law you have to carry flight time + missed approach + fuel to alternate + 5% + 30 min reserves.

Answer 9

The limitations on modern jets is more often due to VOLUME than to weight.   They can load the plane with passengers,  load the cargo area with baggage and not be over weight because they ran out of room to put people and cargo.    

There are some planes that take advantage of this fact.  Look up the SUPER GUPPY for example.   They enlarge the plane so it can carry more VOLUME.    

As far as taking off over weight,  that is illegal because it is extremely dangerous.    It is most likely to occur on a hot hot day at a high altitude airport such as Denver.   Quite often they have to reduce the cargo load and take off at a higher rate of speed.   If you are in the plane,  it will seem like you are on a take off roll that just keeps going and going.    

The old Concorde quite often had to limit operations due to the tight restrictions it had on take off weight.   Often it had to take off with passengers only due to the weight limit.   Also,  it sometimes had to delay takeoff until evening when it cooled off or even the next morning when the air is denser.    

Also there is a design factor into the plane.   Whatever the plane is designed for,  there is an additional 10% safety factor,  just in case the scales are not correct.   Add to that the fact that a plane rarely takes off with a full load of fuel.

Answer 10

NEVER.

Answer 11

overweight for what?  you mean too heavy to land?  Well- each time an aircraft is fully loaded (passengers and fuel), its probably too heavy to land.

If its too heavy to take off, aircraft can't take off. They'll remove passengers before removing fuel to lighten the load.

Answer 12

There was an Air Crash investigation laately about a plane being over weight and all people on plane died.

Potentially everyplane could be overweight and the co-pilot goes on average weights for people!

Answer 13

The airplane I fly will not LET me take off if it is overloaded.  It simply will not return takeoff numbers to plug into the performance computer, thereby making it extremely obvious that the plane is overweight.  

Not to mention the giant MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT EXCEEDED message on the FMS.

Answer 14

Every time a plane is fully booked.

With all the passengers, which some may be over weight, and all the luggage and other stuff in the cargo bay, it's a wonder that they even get off the ground!