Narrative:

On taxi out to runway 16R at slc we had a delay due to a takeoff weight discrepancy. The first officer went to company frequency to resolve the problem. While she was off tower frequency, the tower told me to park on intersection M12, which I did. After the weight problem was solved, the first officer returned to tower frequency and requested takeoff clearance for air carrier a. In doing so, she apparently cut out a tower call to an air carrier B flight behind us who was taxiing to runway 16R via intersection M13. First officer called again and we were told to hold short. My first officer then replied, 'oh, for the aircraft behind us.' after air carrier B took off, we (air carrier a) were cleared, given into position and hold on runway 16R at intersection M12. As we were pulling onto the runway from intersection M12, running our checklist and recomputing takeoff data from intersection M12, the tower called and said, 'if you want to talk this over we can give you a phone number!' I replied, quite irritably, 'aw, let's just forget it' because I was quite put out at my first officer for her out of place comment and because the tower interrupted our takeoff procedures. Once in position on runway 16R, the tower called again and said the tower supervisor wanted to talk to us. At this I said something like, 'all right, give us the damn number if you want to do it that way.' we then received takeoff clearance and took off. In the subsequent call to slc tower after our arrival in sfo, I apologized for my first officer's comment. I also told the supervisor that I was very unhappy with the 2 calls from the tower about making telephone calls because they were not safety related and violated the sterile cockpit concept. The supervisor and I made no progress in resolving the issue. The supervisor indicated the big problem involved was my using the word damn on the radio. I said the problem was 2 non-safety related radio calls from the tower in a critical phase of flight. The supervisor then said that further action on the matter was pending. Callback conversation with first officer reporter revealed the following information: the reporting first officer states that the captain tried to apologize to the tower supervisor in his initial phone call. No resolution was made, and the tower supervisor sent a write-up on to the local quality control supervisor. When the captain called the quality control supervisor, an understanding was reached and the captain was advised to forget the whole thing. The quality control supervisor agreed that the talk on the radio when the aircraft was on the runway was out of line. Supplemental information from acn 246390: the captain called the supervisor. She was very evasive with him, but was considering sending the tapes to air carrier training department. She didn't care at all about what I had said, only that he had used the word damn. This type of power wielding mind game is not professional behavior on the supervisor's part and only furthers the mistrust and frustration that is fostered in today's unsure aviation climate. We all made mistakes.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG CREW GOT INTO A VERBAL DISPUTE OVER THE AIR WHILE TAKING THE RWY FOR TKOF.

Narrative: ON TAXI OUT TO RWY 16R AT SLC WE HAD A DELAY DUE TO A TKOF WT DISCREPANCY. THE FO WENT TO COMPANY FREQ TO RESOLVE THE PROB. WHILE SHE WAS OFF TWR FREQ, THE TWR TOLD ME TO PARK ON INTXN M12, WHICH I DID. AFTER THE WT PROB WAS SOLVED, THE FO RETURNED TO TWR FREQ AND REQUESTED TKOF CLRNC FOR ACR A. IN DOING SO, SHE APPARENTLY CUT OUT A TWR CALL TO AN ACR B FLT BEHIND US WHO WAS TAXIING TO RWY 16R VIA INTXN M13. FO CALLED AGAIN AND WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT. MY FO THEN REPLIED, 'OH, FOR THE ACFT BEHIND US.' AFTER ACR B TOOK OFF, WE (ACR A) WERE CLRED, GIVEN INTO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 16R AT INTXN M12. AS WE WERE PULLING ONTO THE RWY FROM INTXN M12, RUNNING OUR CHKLIST AND RECOMPUTING TKOF DATA FROM INTXN M12, THE TWR CALLED AND SAID, 'IF YOU WANT TO TALK THIS OVER WE CAN GIVE YOU A PHONE NUMBER!' I REPLIED, QUITE IRRITABLY, 'AW, LET'S JUST FORGET IT' BECAUSE I WAS QUITE PUT OUT AT MY FO FOR HER OUT OF PLACE COMMENT AND BECAUSE THE TWR INTERRUPTED OUR TKOF PROCS. ONCE IN POS ON RWY 16R, THE TWR CALLED AGAIN AND SAID THE TWR SUPVR WANTED TO TALK TO US. AT THIS I SAID SOMETHING LIKE, 'ALL RIGHT, GIVE US THE DAMN NUMBER IF YOU WANT TO DO IT THAT WAY.' WE THEN RECEIVED TKOF CLRNC AND TOOK OFF. IN THE SUBSEQUENT CALL TO SLC TWR AFTER OUR ARR IN SFO, I APOLOGIZED FOR MY FO'S COMMENT. I ALSO TOLD THE SUPVR THAT I WAS VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE 2 CALLS FROM THE TWR ABOUT MAKING TELEPHONE CALLS BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT SAFETY RELATED AND VIOLATED THE STERILE COCKPIT CONCEPT. THE SUPVR AND I MADE NO PROGRESS IN RESOLVING THE ISSUE. THE SUPVR INDICATED THE BIG PROB INVOLVED WAS MY USING THE WORD DAMN ON THE RADIO. I SAID THE PROB WAS 2 NON-SAFETY RELATED RADIO CALLS FROM THE TWR IN A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT. THE SUPVR THEN SAID THAT FURTHER ACTION ON THE MATTER WAS PENDING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH FO RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING FO STATES THAT THE CAPT TRIED TO APOLOGIZE TO THE TWR SUPVR IN HIS INITIAL PHONE CALL. NO RESOLUTION WAS MADE, AND THE TWR SUPVR SENT A WRITE-UP ON TO THE LCL QUALITY CTL SUPVR. WHEN THE CAPT CALLED THE QUALITY CTL SUPVR, AN UNDERSTANDING WAS REACHED AND THE CAPT WAS ADVISED TO FORGET THE WHOLE THING. THE QUALITY CTL SUPVR AGREED THAT THE TALK ON THE RADIO WHEN THE ACFT WAS ON THE RWY WAS OUT OF LINE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 246390: THE CAPT CALLED THE SUPVR. SHE WAS VERY EVASIVE WITH HIM, BUT WAS CONSIDERING SENDING THE TAPES TO ACR TRAINING DEPT. SHE DIDN'T CARE AT ALL ABOUT WHAT I HAD SAID, ONLY THAT HE HAD USED THE WORD DAMN. THIS TYPE OF PWR WIELDING MIND GAME IS NOT PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR ON THE SUPVR'S PART AND ONLY FURTHERS THE MISTRUST AND FRUSTRATION THAT IS FOSTERED IN TODAY'S UNSURE AVIATION CLIMATE. WE ALL MADE MISTAKES.

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.