Weight & balance
ATR 72 weight and balance records review
This review confirms that an ATR 72's current weight and balance statement traces to a valid weighing and that every configuration change since then is reflected in the running record. A records specialist runs it before a transaction, after a modification that alters weight or moment, or when the last weighing date is in doubt. It checks the weighing report, the equipment changes and modifications applied afterward, and the loading documents against the type basis. You receive a reconciled weight and balance position, a list of unaccounted changes, and the source references behind the current empty weight and center of gravity.
When this review is needed
- The current weight and balance statement cites a weighing whose report cannot be located.
- A cabin or role modification changed the empty weight and the running record has to catch up.
- A buyer needs the empty weight and center of gravity confirmed from source before pricing payload.
- The aircraft is being reconfigured for a new operator and the loading basis has to be re-established.
The problem
Weight and balance is a running record, and it only stays honest if every change that moves weight or moment gets entered as it happens. A weighing sets the baseline, then years of equipment swaps, cabin changes, and modifications accrue, and any one that skips the record leaves the statement wrong by exactly that amount. On an ATR 72 that trades between regional operators with different cabins, the reconfigurations are frequent and each is a chance for the running weight to drift from the aircraft.
What gets reviewed
- The current weight and balance statement traced to the weighing report it derives from
- The weighing report checked for validity, method, and date against the type basis
- Equipment changes and modifications since the weighing captured in the running record
- Loading documents and moment data reconciled to the current empty weight and center of gravity
- Ballast or role-equipment changes accounted for in the running weight
- Amendment entries checked for the sequence and arithmetic that carry weight forward
Scope this review
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What gets validated
- The current statement derives from a weighing report present in the records
- The weighing method and date meet the interval the operating basis requires
- Each post-weighing modification that moves weight or moment appears in the running record
- The running arithmetic carries empty weight and center of gravity forward without error
- Loading and moment data agree with the current empty weight the statement asserts
Evidence normally required
- The current weight and balance statement for the aircraft
- The weighing report the statement derives from
- Records of equipment changes and modifications since the last weighing
- Loading documents and moment or arm data for the configuration
Common discrepancies
- A current statement whose supporting weighing report is not in the records
- A modification that changed weight or moment but never entered the running record
- Running arithmetic that carries an error forward across several amendments
- Ballast or role equipment reflected on the aircraft but absent from the weight record
What is at stake
An empty weight that does not match the aircraft understates or overstates payload, which directly affects revenue and operating limits. A statement that cannot trace to a valid weighing leaves the operator unable to prove the loading basis, and at transaction the discrepancy becomes a payload dispute the buyer prices conservatively.
Move from findings to resolution
Move from findings to a documented resolution path.
How the work runs
Find the weighing
Trace the current statement back to the weighing report it should derive from.
Check validity
Confirm the weighing method and date meet the interval the operating basis requires.
Reconcile the changes
Match every post-weighing modification that moves weight against the running record.
Verify the arithmetic
Carry empty weight and center of gravity forward and reference the current figures to source.
What the buyer receives
- A reconciled weight and balance position tied to a valid weighing
- A list of configuration changes unaccounted for in the running record
- The source references behind the current empty weight and center of gravity
Who uses the output
- Records teams establishing a defensible weight basis for the aircraft
- Asset and commercial teams pricing payload against a confirmed empty weight
- CAMO and operations leads relying on the loading basis for the configuration
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The weight record depends on the modification and equipment history, so it is reconciled after those are confirmed. A verified weight and balance position then feeds payload pricing and the operator's loading basis, and any unaccounted change routes back to the modification record it should have entered.
Aircraft-specific considerations
ATR 72 cabins get reconfigured often as the aircraft moves between passenger, combi, and freighter roles, and each reconfiguration shifts empty weight and center of gravity. That role churn makes the running weight record drift faster than on a fixed-configuration narrowbody, so the review pays close attention to whether each cabin change entered the record and whether a fresh weighing was triggered where the change required one.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
Weighing interval and statement conventions differ between FAA and EASA operating rules, so an ATR 72 changing register may need a re-weigh or a reformatted statement to satisfy the receiving system even where the current record is internally sound.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms the weight and balance record is internally consistent and traces to a valid weighing. It does not perform a weighing, approve a loading system, or determine that the aircraft may be operated at the recorded weights.
What this review does not cover
- Performing a physical weighing of the aircraft
- Approving or issuing a loading or trim system
- Any operational or airworthiness determination on the loading limits
Specific to this review
- Weight and balance is only as current as the last change entered, so one skipped modification makes the whole statement wrong.
- Role reconfiguration on the ATR 72 shifts weight often, so the record drifts faster than on a fixed-cabin type.
- A statement that cannot trace to a weighing leaves payload unprovable, which is a direct revenue exposure at sale.
Sources
U.S. Government (eCFR). Maintenance recordkeeping content and approval-for-return-to-service requirements, including 43.9, 43.11, and Appendix B.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Records an owner or operator must keep, including total time in service, current status of life-limited parts, and AD compliance.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
Frequently asked questions
Do you re-weigh the aircraft as part of this review?
No. The review works from the records: it confirms the current statement traces to a valid weighing and that later changes are captured. Where a weighing is missing, out of interval, or contradicted by unrecorded changes, the review recommends a fresh weighing rather than performing one.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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