Narrative:

From nov/89 to may/92 I was employed as a subordinate co- captain with a corporate be-300 operator based out of msp. I found myself in a position where I needed a stable, full- time pilot position to pay the bills. I was warned by area pilots that the chief pilot was very difficult to get along with. The previous pilot left the company because the chief pilot had a continuous alcohol problem. The chief pilot was placed in a treatment program, and I did not observe alcohol abuse after that period of time. For the next 2 1/2 yrs, I observed a continuous disregard for safety procedures and FARS. An outline of the problems include: intentionally deferring airworthiness directives and service bulletins to 150 hour inspection due months later, flying at night without a required navigation light, flying in heavy turbulence at 50-60 KTS above turbulent air penetration speed, departed in freezing rain with contaminated wings, descended over 1000 ft on a GS prior to intercepting the localizer (an illegal homemade approach), consistently dropped below visual descent point and GS -- shooting low approachs, busted altitude assignments 7 times while in IFR heavy turbulence -- he panicked and climbed 25000 ft without ATC clearance to find smooth air, intentionally ignored an immediate descent clearance causing a near midair collision, broke through a locked security door onto an airline security ramp, never gave safety briefings to passenger, did not keep VOR deviation logs, no computation of weight and balance, takeoff and climb performance, accelerate stop, and landing distance at destination, attempted to depart into an area of severe thunderstorms. Insisted on recurrent training every 2 yrs instead of recommended 6 months. I gave the corporation an ultimatum that I was in constant fear for my life and would no longer fly with the chief pilot under any circumstances. I continuously tried to rectify these problems with the pilot and the company with no result. My most disturbing problem was, I was advised by area pilots -- if I went to the FAA with this information, they would also go after me because I also flew under these conditions for 2 1/2 yrs and should have immediately turned him in for violations. The company hired an outside consultant who sided with the chief pilot. They brought in a flight safety pilot to fly with him for a week and give him an entire type ride once again. I was let go. The pilot he now flies with has now been calling me complaining about the same problems. He is afraid of losing his job and losing his ticket if he tries the same route I did. In the meantime, I have been blacklisted in the local corporate community. There should be a way to bring these horrendous sits to the feds without a threat of violations. This guy is going to kill someone in the meantime. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was working for a major retail operation in the minneapolis area. The flight department consisted of himself and the chief pilot. The reporter was let go with a severance package and an agreement that he would not go to the FAA with this problem. The company was not to mention this problem within the industry. The reporter feels that the chief pilot has talked around the industry and, in effect, blackballed the reporter. The reporter has hired legal aid to rectify the situation and feels that he may never again be able to fly in corporate aviation. The pilot that worked with this chief pilot before the reporter left his position in disgust over the actions of the chief pilot. The pilot that has replaced the reporter is having the same type of problems that the reporter mentions in this report. The reporter and his replacement are both afraid that the FAA will violate them for not turning the chief pilot in to the FAA and will receive certificate action. The FAA aviation safety hotline is not available to these pilots as the flight office is so small that the source of any call can be readily determined.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CPR FO COMPLAINS ABOUT HIS FORMER CHIEF PLT.

Narrative: FROM NOV/89 TO MAY/92 I WAS EMPLOYED AS A SUBORDINATE CO- CAPT WITH A CORPORATE BE-300 OPERATOR BASED OUT OF MSP. I FOUND MYSELF IN A POS WHERE I NEEDED A STABLE, FULL- TIME PLT POS TO PAY THE BILLS. I WAS WARNED BY AREA PLTS THAT THE CHIEF PLT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET ALONG WITH. THE PREVIOUS PLT LEFT THE COMPANY BECAUSE THE CHIEF PLT HAD A CONTINUOUS ALCOHOL PROB. THE CHIEF PLT WAS PLACED IN A TREATMENT PROGRAM, AND I DID NOT OBSERVE ALCOHOL ABUSE AFTER THAT PERIOD OF TIME. FOR THE NEXT 2 1/2 YRS, I OBSERVED A CONTINUOUS DISREGARD FOR SAFETY PROCS AND FARS. AN OUTLINE OF THE PROBS INCLUDE: INTENTIONALLY DEFERRING AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES AND SVC BULLETINS TO 150 HR INSPECTION DUE MONTHS LATER, FLYING AT NIGHT WITHOUT A REQUIRED NAV LIGHT, FLYING IN HVY TURB AT 50-60 KTS ABOVE TURBULENT AIR PENETRATION SPD, DEPARTED IN FREEZING RAIN WITH CONTAMINATED WINGS, DSNDED OVER 1000 FT ON A GS PRIOR TO INTERCEPTING THE LOC (AN ILLEGAL HOMEMADE APCH), CONSISTENTLY DROPPED BELOW VISUAL DSCNT POINT AND GS -- SHOOTING LOW APCHS, BUSTED ALT ASSIGNMENTS 7 TIMES WHILE IN IFR HVY TURB -- HE PANICKED AND CLBED 25000 FT WITHOUT ATC CLRNC TO FIND SMOOTH AIR, INTENTIONALLY IGNORED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT CLRNC CAUSING A NMAC, BROKE THROUGH A LOCKED SECURITY DOOR ONTO AN AIRLINE SECURITY RAMP, NEVER GAVE SAFETY BRIEFINGS TO PAX, DID NOT KEEP VOR DEV LOGS, NO COMPUTATION OF WT AND BAL, TKOF AND CLB PERFORMANCE, ACCELERATE STOP, AND LNDG DISTANCE AT DEST, ATTEMPTED TO DEPART INTO AN AREA OF SEVERE TSTMS. INSISTED ON RECURRENT TRAINING EVERY 2 YRS INSTEAD OF RECOMMENDED 6 MONTHS. I GAVE THE CORPORATION AN ULTIMATUM THAT I WAS IN CONSTANT FEAR FOR MY LIFE AND WOULD NO LONGER FLY WITH THE CHIEF PLT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I CONTINUOUSLY TRIED TO RECTIFY THESE PROBS WITH THE PLT AND THE COMPANY WITH NO RESULT. MY MOST DISTURBING PROB WAS, I WAS ADVISED BY AREA PLTS -- IF I WENT TO THE FAA WITH THIS INFO, THEY WOULD ALSO GO AFTER ME BECAUSE I ALSO FLEW UNDER THESE CONDITIONS FOR 2 1/2 YRS AND SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY TURNED HIM IN FOR VIOLATIONS. THE COMPANY HIRED AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT WHO SIDED WITH THE CHIEF PLT. THEY BROUGHT IN A FLT SAFETY PLT TO FLY WITH HIM FOR A WK AND GIVE HIM AN ENTIRE TYPE RIDE ONCE AGAIN. I WAS LET GO. THE PLT HE NOW FLIES WITH HAS NOW BEEN CALLING ME COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBS. HE IS AFRAID OF LOSING HIS JOB AND LOSING HIS TICKET IF HE TRIES THE SAME RTE I DID. IN THE MEANTIME, I HAVE BEEN BLACKLISTED IN THE LCL CORPORATE COMMUNITY. THERE SHOULD BE A WAY TO BRING THESE HORRENDOUS SITS TO THE FEDS WITHOUT A THREAT OF VIOLATIONS. THIS GUY IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE IN THE MEANTIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS WORKING FOR A MAJOR RETAIL OP IN THE MINNEAPOLIS AREA. THE FLT DEPT CONSISTED OF HIMSELF AND THE CHIEF PLT. THE RPTR WAS LET GO WITH A SEVERANCE PACKAGE AND AN AGREEMENT THAT HE WOULD NOT GO TO THE FAA WITH THIS PROB. THE COMPANY WAS NOT TO MENTION THIS PROB WITHIN THE INDUSTRY. THE RPTR FEELS THAT THE CHIEF PLT HAS TALKED AROUND THE INDUSTRY AND, IN EFFECT, BLACKBALLED THE RPTR. THE RPTR HAS HIRED LEGAL AID TO RECTIFY THE SIT AND FEELS THAT HE MAY NEVER AGAIN BE ABLE TO FLY IN CORPORATE AVIATION. THE PLT THAT WORKED WITH THIS CHIEF PLT BEFORE THE RPTR LEFT HIS POS IN DISGUST OVER THE ACTIONS OF THE CHIEF PLT. THE PLT THAT HAS REPLACED THE RPTR IS HAVING THE SAME TYPE OF PROBS THAT THE RPTR MENTIONS IN THIS RPT. THE RPTR AND HIS REPLACEMENT ARE BOTH AFRAID THAT THE FAA WILL VIOLATE THEM FOR NOT TURNING THE CHIEF PLT IN TO THE FAA AND WILL RECEIVE CERTIFICATE ACTION. THE FAA AVIATION SAFETY HOTLINE IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THESE PLTS AS THE FLT OFFICE IS SO SMALL THAT THE SOURCE OF ANY CALL CAN BE READILY DETERMINED.

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.