Washington: There are days when paperwork weighs you down - and there are days when you are weighed down by so much paperwork your flight can't take off.

Monday was such a day, when American Airlines Flight 163 bound for Los Angeles found itself literally grounded by 1400 pounds (635 kg) of what the pilot termed "government documents." The excess weight had to be unloaded before the flight could take off from Reagan National Airport in suburban Arlington, Virginia.

American Airlines Boeing 777

It seemed fitting for Washington, a town where documents - shredded or not - figure prominently in the daily narrative.

Robert Hernandez, an associate professor of professional practice at the University of Southern California, couldn't help but chuckle when he heard the announcement.