Definition
A state in which an aircraft's loading falls outside one or more of the limits published in the Pilot's Operating Handbook or weight and balance documents — typically meaning the gross weight exceeds the maximum allowed, or the center of gravity sits forward of the forward limit or aft of the aft limit. An aircraft in an out-of-limit condition is not legal or safe to fly until the loading is corrected.
Plain English
The aircraft is loaded in a way the manufacturer says is not allowed — it is too heavy, or the weight is positioned too far forward or too far back. Something has to be moved, removed, or added before the flight can take place.
Context Anchor
Seen in weight-and-balance calculations when adding, removing, or moving passengers, fuel, baggage, or cargo.
Derivation
Limit comes from a Latin word meaning a boundary or border. In this term, the limit is the approved boundary the aircraft must stay within.
Why Pilots Care
An out-of-limit condition can result in loss of control or structural overload.
Analogy
It is like putting too much weight on one end of a small boat. The boat may still float, but it is no longer sitting the way it is meant to sit.
Intuition Check
Do not read out-of-limit as meaning only “not ideal” or “a little unusual.” Here it means outside an approved boundary, and the loading must be fixed before flight.
Example Sentence 1
After running the numbers, the pilot found the aircraft was in an out-of-limit condition with the center of gravity 0.4 inches aft of the rear limit, so he moved a bag from the rear baggage compartment to the back seat.
Example Sentence 2
Moving baggage forward corrected the out-of-limit condition and brought the center of gravity back into range.