Narrative:

In hindsight, the events preceding the incident on the last day were enough to constitute ample warning that captain was capable of arrogant and willful violation of company and FAA regulations. At dca, it was snowing pretty hard. The WX was 300 and 1/2, ice and packed snow on the runway, braking fair-poor. At XA25 pm we were boarding passenger when ground control broadcasted the airport was going to close at XB00 hours. The runway condition was deteriorating and the ground crews needed to replow and put down chemicals. We were scheduled to push back at XA45. Getting fueled, boarded and bags loaded, we'd never read the takeoff end of runway 36 by XB00. Ground control frequency was jammed. Captain K instructed the tug driver to 'push back real slow.' he pestered dca ground for clearance to push back. Finally ground told us to halt--the airport was closed--no more departures. Captain K relented and told the tug driver to tow us back in. We sat tight, waiting for the airport to open. The airport would open in around 1 hour at XC00. But at XB40, operations came over the radio and said, 'all company flts are cancelled until XD00.' the jet next to us deplaned its passenger. Systems must be regrouping, rerouting passenger. Meanwhile, captain K has been continually pestering the ground controller about when we can push back, what our position is, the need for giving us the lead time for deicing. Captain K turned the #2 radio off of 130.1, our company frequency, so he wouldn't have to hear operations insist that we were cancelled. Someone came out and told the tug driver that we were cancelled, but when he relayed the message to us, captain K said, 'no, no, no; it's all a big mistake. We are going!' the driver replied, 'ok, captain; you want me to push you back, I'll push you back.' now it was must me, captain K and the poor jump seater (an first officer with our company). His eyes were the size of silver dollars. I was about to repeat my reservations to captain K when an incoming message flashed on the ACARS screen: 'flight is cancelled. Return to gate. Dispatcher. Acknowledge.' incredibly, captain K wasn't swayed in the least by the ACARS message--he was still going to go! I stated that we were no longer legally dispatched, that to go would be in violation of FARS. Captain K launched in on me, saying that he's the captain, he has absolute authority, I must obey him, etc. Besides, other aircraft are taking off in front of us--there was nothing unsafe about it--pittsburgh WX was legal. I reiterated my objections: we didn't have final weight and balance, we were not legally dispatched, the company had ordered us to return to the gate! Meanwhile, 'ack' continued to flash on the ACARS screen. My arguments fell on deaf ears; captain K continued to taxi toward runway 36. I took stock of the situation. Our jet was properly deiced. Our gross weight was probably legal. I didn't think there was any chance that we were going to crash on takeoff. The WX at dca and at pit was legal. We were in violation of company regulations, FAA regulations and explicit company orders,but we were safe, in a strict airmanship sense. I said I was only obeying the captain because I didn't think flight safety was being violated. The jump seat rider acknowledged this statement and agreed with me that the message was explicit. Airborne, I changed to departure control. On the ground, after an uneventful approach and landing, I took the name and # of my jump seater witness. I went directly to the head of our professional standards committee and filed a report. Later, the lead of standards learned that the supervisor of systems control during the shift had filed a report to our flight department. As of this writing, I don't now if it was really all a big misunderstanding or not--whether systems control really intended to cancel us or not. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the report was given to the person who is a leader in the CRM field and the overall effect on the airline has been positive toward CRM acceptance. The captain was disciplined and retrained and the reporter given the job of writing corrections to company SOP. Reporter says the incident has been used as a benchmark for why CRM is needed as part of good airline training.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG MADE TKOF FROM DCA WITHOUT PROPER DISPATCH RELEASE ON WEIGHT AND BALANCE.

Narrative: IN HINDSIGHT, THE EVENTS PRECEDING THE INCIDENT ON THE LAST DAY WERE ENOUGH TO CONSTITUTE AMPLE WARNING THAT CAPT WAS CAPABLE OF ARROGANT AND WILLFUL VIOLATION OF COMPANY AND FAA REGS. AT DCA, IT WAS SNOWING PRETTY HARD. THE WX WAS 300 AND 1/2, ICE AND PACKED SNOW ON THE RWY, BRAKING FAIR-POOR. AT XA25 PM WE WERE BOARDING PAX WHEN GND CTL BROADCASTED THE ARPT WAS GOING TO CLOSE AT XB00 HRS. THE RWY CONDITION WAS DETERIORATING AND THE GND CREWS NEEDED TO REPLOW AND PUT DOWN CHEMICALS. WE WERE SCHEDULED TO PUSH BACK AT XA45. GETTING FUELED, BOARDED AND BAGS LOADED, WE'D NEVER READ THE TKOF END OF RWY 36 BY XB00. GND CTL FREQ WAS JAMMED. CAPT K INSTRUCTED THE TUG DRIVER TO 'PUSH BACK REAL SLOW.' HE PESTERED DCA GND FOR CLRNC TO PUSH BACK. FINALLY GND TOLD US TO HALT--THE ARPT WAS CLOSED--NO MORE DEPS. CAPT K RELENTED AND TOLD THE TUG DRIVER TO TOW US BACK IN. WE SAT TIGHT, WAITING FOR THE ARPT TO OPEN. THE ARPT WOULD OPEN IN AROUND 1 HR AT XC00. BUT AT XB40, OPS CAME OVER THE RADIO AND SAID, 'ALL COMPANY FLTS ARE CANCELLED UNTIL XD00.' THE JET NEXT TO US DEPLANED ITS PAX. SYSTEMS MUST BE REGROUPING, REROUTING PAX. MEANWHILE, CAPT K HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY PESTERING THE GND CTLR ABOUT WHEN WE CAN PUSH BACK, WHAT OUR POS IS, THE NEED FOR GIVING US THE LEAD TIME FOR DEICING. CAPT K TURNED THE #2 RADIO OFF OF 130.1, OUR COMPANY FREQ, SO HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO HEAR OPS INSIST THAT WE WERE CANCELLED. SOMEONE CAME OUT AND TOLD THE TUG DRIVER THAT WE WERE CANCELLED, BUT WHEN HE RELAYED THE MESSAGE TO US, CAPT K SAID, 'NO, NO, NO; IT'S ALL A BIG MISTAKE. WE ARE GOING!' THE DRIVER REPLIED, 'OK, CAPT; YOU WANT ME TO PUSH YOU BACK, I'LL PUSH YOU BACK.' NOW IT WAS MUST ME, CAPT K AND THE POOR JUMP SEATER (AN F/O WITH OUR COMPANY). HIS EYES WERE THE SIZE OF SILVER DOLLARS. I WAS ABOUT TO REPEAT MY RESERVATIONS TO CAPT K WHEN AN INCOMING MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE ACARS SCREEN: 'FLT IS CANCELLED. RETURN TO GATE. DISPATCHER. ACKNOWLEDGE.' INCREDIBLY, CAPT K WASN'T SWAYED IN THE LEAST BY THE ACARS MESSAGE--HE WAS STILL GOING TO GO! I STATED THAT WE WERE NO LONGER LEGALLY DISPATCHED, THAT TO GO WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF FARS. CAPT K LAUNCHED IN ON ME, SAYING THAT HE'S THE CAPT, HE HAS ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY, I MUST OBEY HIM, ETC. BESIDES, OTHER ACFT ARE TAKING OFF IN FRONT OF US--THERE WAS NOTHING UNSAFE ABOUT IT--PITTSBURGH WX WAS LEGAL. I REITERATED MY OBJECTIONS: WE DIDN'T HAVE FINAL WT AND BAL, WE WERE NOT LEGALLY DISPATCHED, THE COMPANY HAD ORDERED US TO RETURN TO THE GATE! MEANWHILE, 'ACK' CONTINUED TO FLASH ON THE ACARS SCREEN. MY ARGUMENTS FELL ON DEAF EARS; CAPT K CONTINUED TO TAXI TOWARD RWY 36. I TOOK STOCK OF THE SITUATION. OUR JET WAS PROPERLY DEICED. OUR GROSS WT WAS PROBABLY LEGAL. I DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS ANY CHANCE THAT WE WERE GOING TO CRASH ON TKOF. THE WX AT DCA AND AT PIT WAS LEGAL. WE WERE IN VIOLATION OF COMPANY REGS, FAA REGS AND EXPLICIT COMPANY ORDERS,BUT WE WERE SAFE, IN A STRICT AIRMANSHIP SENSE. I SAID I WAS ONLY OBEYING THE CAPT BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK FLT SAFETY WAS BEING VIOLATED. THE JUMP SEAT RIDER ACKNOWLEDGED THIS STATEMENT AND AGREED WITH ME THAT THE MESSAGE WAS EXPLICIT. AIRBORNE, I CHANGED TO DEP CTL. ON THE GND, AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG, I TOOK THE NAME AND # OF MY JUMP SEATER WITNESS. I WENT DIRECTLY TO THE HEAD OF OUR PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE AND FILED A RPT. LATER, THE LEAD OF STANDARDS LEARNED THAT THE SUPVR OF SYSTEMS CTL DURING THE SHIFT HAD FILED A RPT TO OUR FLT DEPT. AS OF THIS WRITING, I DON'T NOW IF IT WAS REALLY ALL A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING OR NOT--WHETHER SYSTEMS CTL REALLY INTENDED TO CANCEL US OR NOT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPT WAS GIVEN TO THE PERSON WHO IS A LEADER IN THE CRM FIELD AND THE OVERALL EFFECT ON THE AIRLINE HAS BEEN POSITIVE TOWARD CRM ACCEPTANCE. THE CAPT WAS DISCIPLINED AND RETRAINED AND THE RPTR GIVEN THE JOB OF WRITING CORRECTIONS TO COMPANY SOP. RPTR SAYS THE INCIDENT HAS BEEN USED AS A BENCHMARK FOR WHY CRM IS NEEDED AS PART OF GOOD AIRLINE TRNING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.