Flight Training - March/April 2022 - 45

because of the approaching weather.
I explained that the lengthy routing
would delay our arrival to the point
that the weather would meet or beat
us to Washington, thereby defeating
the purpose of this so-called weather
reroute. She agreed but said she
couldn't do anything about it on her
end. This was the only approved route.
Next, I pleaded for relief with
clearance delivery at our departure
airport while the airplane was filled
with the extra fuel required for the
long routing. If we were going to be
stuck at 8,000 feet, why couldn't we fly
via tower en route control, a relatively
direct routing that would get us back
on schedule ahead of the weather,
despite being capped at 250 knots
below 10,000 feet? Again, we were
stymied and told by clearance delivery
that we could try to get revised routing
but only after we were airborne.
After takeoff, heading south along
coastal New Jersey, we pleaded with
McGuire Approach, which threw us
some sanity. We were rerouted westward
near Atlantic City, New Jersey,
crossed north of Dover, Delaware,
continued across Maryland's Eastern
Shore, then north of Baltimore for an
arrival that would get us back on time,
ahead of the weather and protecting
our passengers' connections. We were
also cleared to climb to 14,000 feet,
allowing us to accelerate above 250
knots. The plan was working, although
we were a busy crew programming in
the multiple reroutes in addition to our
normal flight tasks.
We could see the menacing skies to
the west as we slid down final in Washington,
D.C. I was feeling great that
we completed the task and gave our
passengers the time needed to make
their connections. We taxied to the
gate and after the parking brake was
set, a message scrolled off the printer
telling us we had landed overweight.
Ugh, it all came flooding back to me.
The full cabin, the long original route
requiring a lot of fuel, the subsequent
huge shortcut that saved thousands of
pounds of fuel, the multiple reroutes
that distracted us on an already very
busy flight all contributed to this blunder.
While we went to great lengths to
keep a schedule, beat the weather, and
preserve passenger connections, we
JARGON
Tower en route
control
Tower en route control is a series of
preapproved routes and altitudes
published in the applicable chart
supplement that makes it easier to
operate when flying entirely within
approach control airspace.
3%
Cash Back1
completely dropped the ball when it
came to honoring our maximum landing
weight. Had we noticed this detail
we could have burned the extra 1,300
pounds by any number of processes
and still arrived on time.
Soon after patting ourselves on
the back for the efforts we made, we
sheepishly had to confess our crime
to maintenance who were now tasked
with an overweight landing inspection
prior to the next scheduled flight
of the airplane. I also had to break
the bad news to the next crew waiting
on the jetway. Turns out the line
of weather we were racing had now
moved in and shut down the airport for
them anyway.
While filling out all the required
paperwork confessions to the airline,
FAA, and NASA, I strategized how to
avoid this type of mishap in the future.
I wrote some notes on my briefing
cards and am now spring-loaded to
check landing-weight limitations any
time there is a significant short cut
thrown my way. Boeing's new 737
Max jets now have maximum landing
weight displayed right on the primary
flight display-a feature that I, for one,
will appreciate. FT
PETER A. BEDELL is a pilot for a major airline
and is co-owner of a Cessna 172 and Beechcraft
Baron.
FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2022 45
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Flight Training - March/April 2022

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