FAA reconsiders passenger weight standards WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Regulators are considering a plan to raise standards for estimating airline passenger and bag weight as current assumptions apparently do not reflect trends that show people getting heavier, industry and government sources said Tuesday. The changes would mainly affect carriers that offer commuter or short-haul express service, which must carefully account for weight and balance on their small planes, many of them turboprops. The FAA's review of weight standards was prompted by the crash of an Air Midwest flight in January that killed 21 people in North Carolina. The Beech 1900D turboprop was filled to capacity with 19 passengers and two crew and luggage when it fell out of an abnormally steep takeoff climb at the Charlotte airport. Investigators are examining whether the aircraft was too heavy or improperly loaded. A National Transportation Safety Board hearing on the crash is scheduled for May 20. Investigators are also exploring possible mechanical problems. The FAA issues weight standards for airlines to ensure that aircraft are safe to operate. After the accident it ordered 15 airlines to conduct new weight tests for passengers and bags on planes carrying between 10 and 19 passengers. The survey covered 6,100 passengers and the results found generally that actual passenger and bag weights were higher than current FAA standards. Specific figures were not available. Current estimates, which have been in place since 1995 and appear to be outdated, assume the average passenger weighs 180 pounds in summer and 185 pounds in winter. The estimate for checked luggage is 25 pounds for each bag. The new concern about weight averages for passengers, at least on domestic flights, coincides with research showing that most Americans are overweight. Experts say changes in passenger and bag weight estimates are less of a factor for jetliners, but could seriously impact airlines that fly express or commuter service. Each airline has its own program for measuring passenger and baggage weight with the FAA standard serving as a minimum. Those airlines that showed higher weights in the FAA survey have already increased their averages, industry and government officials said. Deborah McElory, president of the Regional Airline Association, said a few carriers have reduced their passenger loads on certain planes to compensate for higher weight estimates. The FAA is likely to propose updated weight standards on an interim basis that would cover passengers, checked bags and carry-on luggage. The agency may create a special committee to consider permanent changes, an agency official said. McElory, whose trade group represents smaller carriers, said the survey was too small and unscientific to base a new policy around. "This needs to be a data-driven decision, and they just don't have the data," she said. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.pscutt.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************