As much as it pains me to say that. The NTSB and the FAA typically try every trick to make sure that the "majors" (major airline carriers) are not at fault.

But, W/B computations are supposed to be done prior to every flight. The facts are these: your large jets (737, 747, 757, 767, 777, Airbuses, etc.) have on-board computers that calculate (as some one posted) w/b and C.G. These computers do a pretty good job. The problem with most of the smaller aircraft (mine included) is that the FAA standard "average weight" of a passenger, pilot or co-pilot is 170 pounds (coincidentally, the weight of one keg of beer). This weight for all us McDonald's fans in the US is way too low. The crash in Charlotte was on a small regional aircraft that would not have had the on-board computer to calculate w/b and c.g. So, it's entirely likely that the c.g. was aft of the c.g. limit. That's bad. Because if/when you stall, you can't get the nose down and you plummet back to earth.

The truth is, most piston powered aircraft can fly at about 20% above the published take-off weight on a day that is not-too-hot, not-too-humid. (Aside: before I bought my own airplane, I trained in a Cessna 150. With my instructor and me on board, we were already "overweight" by 10 pounds. Put full fuel in - as we did on several occasions - and we were about 130 pounds - roughly 25% - over gross. We never had a problem.). Most jets can fly WELL above the published take-off numbers.

If you're flying over-gross, you've got to be mighty damned careful. You simply cannot expect the rate-of-climb that you're used to, and your stall speed will increase. That might have contributed in this case - Charlotte has got all kinds of "noise-abatement" rules that cause aircraft to climb out at a steep angle. If you're flying out of there significantly over-gross and with an aft c.g., you could easily stall and be unable to recover.

So, who fscked up? If the pilots used "standard FAA passenger weight" they probably underestimated their true load. If most of the lardies were seated towards the back of the plane, this exacerbated the problem by shifting the c.g. aft, perhaps beyond the limit.

W/B computations are not at all difficult. The difficulty is that the "FAA standard passenger weight" is way too low. And, at least up until now, no one suggests making passengers "weigh in" before they board a small regional aircraft.

Again, the big, multi-million dollar jets DO NOT have this problem. So, don't be scared the next time you board a big jet and see a bunch of fat people. However, if you're flying a small (<20 passenger) turbo-prop and you see a lot of "big-un's", make damned sure they're all sitting towards the front of the plane. If they aren't, and they aren't being moved, take another flight! ;-)

IFR flights require flight to destination, then alternate, with 30 minutes of fuel left when you land. You land a plane with less than 30 minutes left, you've got hell to pay - and maybe lose your ticket.