Narrative:

This was the first time that we had flown together, and I was unfamiliar with this captain and his idiosyncrasies. We had pushed back from the gate out onto the ramp near air carrier's satellite. We received our taxi instructions, which stated: '...juliet to runway 25R.' we began our taxi, and as we were transitioning from the ramp to juliet taxiway (the outer), we continued toward the runway. I thought that the captain was merely swinging wide with the nose gear to better line himself up with juliet, but in fact he was headed out on the runway. Needless to say, when we continued forward beyond what I knew was reasonable, I made a comment and applied the brakes simultaneously. We stopped the aircraft before any part of it went over the hold line, but not by much. I'm not certain that when we turned sharply to go back onto juliet that we did not exceed the hold line with our wing tip or our tail. There was an aircraft steaming down the runway at this time. No one from ATC mentioned anything to us, but I'm not certain they did not notice, anyway. I'm not patting myself on the back; I was just doing my job. The captain was a real intellectual type whose mind was not on the job. I was a bit skeptical of him by this time, but he assured me that it was a simple mistake. It could have been very deadly. Runway incursions are a fact of life, and we must have better taxiway markings!!!!!! It is absolutely ridiculous that the FAA has all that money tied up in the aviation trust fund and refuses to spend a few thousand dollars for standardized, lit and spelled out markings for airports. As I said, I was skeptical of this captain by this time. We taxied to the end of 25R west/O further incident. We were cleared for takeoff to climb to 5000'. We had been cleared via the loop 8 departure. After takeoff we flew the 250 degree heading as required. After crossing the smo 154 degree right you are supposed to turn to a heading of 235 degrees. We had just passed this radial and the captain did nothing. I was just about to say something when ATC said to turn to 235 degrees. Needless to say, ATC had not missed our noncompliance with the loop 8 SID. I certainly should have anticipated this action and spoken up sooner, but the captain made a big deal out of the fact that he was going to hand-fly the aircraft with none of the 'fancy gadgets' on to make his job easier. He said he does this once a month to keep himself current. You could have fooled me. It is vitally important that the 2 pilots in a 2-M crew act as a team. At our air carrier we are continually reminded of the importance of C/left/right training. I firmly believe in the concept and attempt to advocate my position when I feel strongly about it. I might have been slightly apprehensive because this captain had crossed a picket line in 1985 on our property, and I felt he would try to make my advocacy into a major conflict because he was defensive. It always seems like the political differences we have here at our air carrier can continue to cause problems in the cockpit. My feeling is that the company still protects the weak people because they feel they owe them that for crossing the picket line in 1985. I know it is difficult to understand how this letter has come full circle to the events at air carrier in 1985 from a potential runway incursion and an SID deviation, but when I approach our professional standards organization, they tell me they know this captain is weak, but there is nothing they can do because the company still protects these people.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR FO REPORTS ON REPORTED LACK OF PROFICIENCY OF CAPT AND CITES STRIKE RELATED POSTURE AND ACR PROTECTIVE STANCE TO COVER UP PIC'S INEPTNESS. USES 2 EXAMPLES OF FLT RELATED PERFORMANCE TO SUPPORT HIS ALLEGATION.

Narrative: THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE HAD FLOWN TOGETHER, AND I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS CAPT AND HIS IDIOSYNCRASIES. WE HAD PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE OUT ONTO THE RAMP NEAR ACR'S SATELLITE. WE RECEIVED OUR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, WHICH STATED: '...JULIET TO RWY 25R.' WE BEGAN OUR TAXI, AND AS WE WERE TRANSITIONING FROM THE RAMP TO JULIET TXWY (THE OUTER), WE CONTINUED TOWARD THE RWY. I THOUGHT THAT THE CAPT WAS MERELY SWINGING WIDE WITH THE NOSE GEAR TO BETTER LINE HIMSELF UP WITH JULIET, BUT IN FACT HE WAS HEADED OUT ON THE RWY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WHEN WE CONTINUED FORWARD BEYOND WHAT I KNEW WAS REASONABLE, I MADE A COMMENT AND APPLIED THE BRAKES SIMULTANEOUSLY. WE STOPPED THE ACFT BEFORE ANY PART OF IT WENT OVER THE HOLD LINE, BUT NOT BY MUCH. I'M NOT CERTAIN THAT WHEN WE TURNED SHARPLY TO GO BACK ONTO JULIET THAT WE DID NOT EXCEED THE HOLD LINE WITH OUR WING TIP OR OUR TAIL. THERE WAS AN ACFT STEAMING DOWN THE RWY AT THIS TIME. NO ONE FROM ATC MENTIONED ANYTHING TO US, BUT I'M NOT CERTAIN THEY DID NOT NOTICE, ANYWAY. I'M NOT PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK; I WAS JUST DOING MY JOB. THE CAPT WAS A REAL INTELLECTUAL TYPE WHOSE MIND WAS NOT ON THE JOB. I WAS A BIT SKEPTICAL OF HIM BY THIS TIME, BUT HE ASSURED ME THAT IT WAS A SIMPLE MISTAKE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DEADLY. RWY INCURSIONS ARE A FACT OF LIFE, AND WE MUST HAVE BETTER TXWY MARKINGS!!!!!! IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS THAT THE FAA HAS ALL THAT MONEY TIED UP IN THE AVIATION TRUST FUND AND REFUSES TO SPEND A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR STANDARDIZED, LIT AND SPELLED OUT MARKINGS FOR ARPTS. AS I SAID, I WAS SKEPTICAL OF THIS CAPT BY THIS TIME. WE TAXIED TO THE END OF 25R W/O FURTHER INCIDENT. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF TO CLB TO 5000'. WE HAD BEEN CLRED VIA THE LOOP 8 DEP. AFTER TKOF WE FLEW THE 250 DEG HDG AS REQUIRED. AFTER XING THE SMO 154 DEG R YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO TURN TO A HDG OF 235 DEGS. WE HAD JUST PASSED THIS RADIAL AND THE CAPT DID NOTHING. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING WHEN ATC SAID TO TURN TO 235 DEGS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, ATC HAD NOT MISSED OUR NONCOMPLIANCE WITH THE LOOP 8 SID. I CERTAINLY SHOULD HAVE ANTICIPATED THIS ACTION AND SPOKEN UP SOONER, BUT THE CAPT MADE A BIG DEAL OUT OF THE FACT THAT HE WAS GOING TO HAND-FLY THE ACFT WITH NONE OF THE 'FANCY GADGETS' ON TO MAKE HIS JOB EASIER. HE SAID HE DOES THIS ONCE A MONTH TO KEEP HIMSELF CURRENT. YOU COULD HAVE FOOLED ME. IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE 2 PLTS IN A 2-M CREW ACT AS A TEAM. AT OUR ACR WE ARE CONTINUALLY REMINDED OF THE IMPORTANCE OF C/L/R TRNING. I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN THE CONCEPT AND ATTEMPT TO ADVOCATE MY POS WHEN I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT IT. I MIGHT HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY APPREHENSIVE BECAUSE THIS CAPT HAD CROSSED A PICKET LINE IN 1985 ON OUR PROPERTY, AND I FELT HE WOULD TRY TO MAKE MY ADVOCACY INTO A MAJOR CONFLICT BECAUSE HE WAS DEFENSIVE. IT ALWAYS SEEMS LIKE THE POLITICAL DIFFERENCES WE HAVE HERE AT OUR ACR CAN CONTINUE TO CAUSE PROBS IN THE COCKPIT. MY FEELING IS THAT THE COMPANY STILL PROTECTS THE WEAK PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY FEEL THEY OWE THEM THAT FOR XING THE PICKET LINE IN 1985. I KNOW IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS LETTER HAS COME FULL CIRCLE TO THE EVENTS AT ACR IN 1985 FROM A POTENTIAL RWY INCURSION AND AN SID DEVIATION, BUT WHEN I APCH OUR PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS ORGANIZATION, THEY TELL ME THEY KNOW THIS CAPT IS WEAK, BUT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE THE COMPANY STILL PROTECTS THESE PEOPLE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.