Widebody Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Training / Qualification
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Hazardous Material Violation; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Work Refused
Human Factors
[Hazardous material] was loaded in an unsafe manner. A 50-100 pound bottle of flammable gas was 'held in place' by a loose fitting cargo net. Even after tightened; the bottle easily fell over with the slightest lateral force applied. Taxiing the aircraft and turning; takeoff and landing would have easily sent bottle of flammable gas crashing into surrounding hazardous material with potentially deadly consequences. Re-attempt demonstrated that Hazardous material technician was trained poorly and had little understanding of the risks he was passing on to us. His attitude was pleasant; but the only reason the aircraft did not experience a significant hazard is because of the exemplary attention to detail by First Officer. After unsuccessful loading attempts; bottle was removed and flight was accomplished uneventfully. Poor training and/or poor execution of Hazardous Materials Procedures. Retrain; or replace individual involved. Teach technicians about the forces that impact cargo during flight.
Captain of a widebody cargo aircraft reported a large bottle of flammable gas was improperly secured and could have posed a hazard if the First Officer had not caught the irregularity prior to departure.