Date: 201203
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Night
Aircraft: B737-700
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Parked
ATC / advisory: Ramp ZZZ
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Distraction; Time Pressure; Workload; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Second reporter function: Dispatcher
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Weight And Balance
Detector: Person Dispatch; Person Flight Crew; Person Ground Personnel
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Company Policy; Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Ambiguous

Narrative: After having an aircraft swap due to mechanical issues we were running about 2 hours behind schedule. During final cockpit prep and just prior to pushback from the gate we received the weight and balance from a ramp agent. Upon review of the form we realized that our ground crew had omitted the forward cargo compartment bag count and weight. I left the cockpit and proceeded down stairs to the ramp where I spoke to 2 ramp agents. I asked them twice if we had ANY bag in the forward cargo compartment and both times they answered NO. They corrected the form to show 0 bags forward and 38 bags in the aft cargo. With the form properly completed we accomplished our preflight; taxied to the runway and executed an uneventful takeoff and climb. Later; while at cruise altitude; we received an ACARS message from Dispatch advising us that Operations had contacted them to alert that the bag count on our form was incorrect and that in reality we had 32 bags in the forward compartment which weighed 990 LBS. With that information at hand we completed a manual weight and balance form and verified that; even with the weight difference; we were within the required ZFW; takeoff weight as well as landing weight limits. The flight progressed normally and our landing was uneventful. Once at the gate I called the departure airport Operations and was told that the forward bin was thought to be empty and that the bags were mistakenly left in the aircraft from the previous flight. The company needs to emphasize to ground crew the importance of attention to detail even when pressured by time.


Second narrative: Duty Manager received a phone call that the airport ramp had not made the front end crew aware that 32 bags had been loaded in forward bin. I sent the flight an ACARS that he had 960 LBS of bags in the forward bin so he could adjust his weight and balance before landing. All changes were made to the release with my time and initials. He then subsequently asked if we needed a new weight and balance done. I incorrectly advised him to coordinate with the station to make sure that weight and balance numbers matched. That was an incorrect message. It was not important that numbers matched. It was important that the crew had updated information. They did. The crew departed with incorrect weight and balance number due to incorrect info from the Station Operations; lack of communication between station and flight crew.


Synopsis: A B737-700 crew was notified in flight about a weight and balance error after 960 LBS of luggage from a previous flight was mistakenly left in the aft compartment.