Narrative:

I was performing the duties as an MD80 first officer for a trip which was originating in iah and scheduled to fly iah- sat-iah-sfo. The first leg, iah-sat was flight and scheduled to depart at YY00 local. I arrived at operations at XA00, checked the MD80 notices book, took care of some business in chief pilot's office, picked up my mail and proceeded to the WX room to check the flight plan, got something to eat, and proceeded to the gate. Arrived at the airplane at XA30, put my bags in their place in the cockpit and performed the walk around inspection, returned to the cockpit approximately XA40. Just as I sat down to perform the cockpit receiving checks, an FAA inspector comes into the cockpit and asks to see my certificates, medical, and commercial chart manuals. He notices that the last revision I had entered was #3, I had just picked up #6 15 mins before. Apparently, I didn't have #4 and #5. The FAA inspector then asked the last time I flew, I explained that I had been off since jan/xx/95 and had flown an iah- bos-iah turn on the day before so I had been off from jan/xx-feb/yy/95. His comment was 'you're revisions are way behind, I'll give you a choice. You can enter the 3 missing revisions or find a current set before departure or get violated.' there were only 15 mins before departure and I told him I would go to the chief pilot's office and borrow a set that was up-to-date. I ran to chief pilot's office, borrowed a set which was missing #6 because it had just come out, entered #6, ran back to the gate and the FAA inspector says, 'I'm going to violate you anyway because you flew yesterday with revisions #4 and #5 not having been entered.' I tried to explain that somehow I had not been given revisions #4 or #5 or they would have been entered. We departed 1 min late and flew to sat. In sat we encountered another FAA inspector and told him what had happened. His comment was that the inspector in iah was way out of line and that his behavior was harassing and unjustified. While in sat I called the head of our safety department and explained the situation. We flew back to iah 30 mins later for a 1 hour situation time before departing for sfo. While in iah I entered revisions #4, #5, and #6 before we departed for sfo. None of the revisions had anything to do with the flight to bos. I feel that a violation is completely unnecessary and unjustified. In any case the captain's commercial charts were up-to-date -- safety was never in doubt. Supplemental information from acn 295983: I arrived at aircraft approximately 30 mins before departure. An FAA air carrier inspector was talking with the first officer then asked me for my license and medical for inspection and then asked to see my commercial chart manual. I complied and he said my commercial chart manual needed a revision which I just received that afternoon, 30 mins earlier. He said if I didn't get that revision installed before flight that he would violate me. I installed revision before departure. I feel that this was approaching harassing behavior and created a hostile and upset attitude on the crew members immediately before flight which could be a safety issue. The revision had nothing to do with our particular flight segments. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter was extremely upset over conduct of aci. He was counseled what his options were should a violation be filed. Fortunately, no violation has been filed. But the aci was very threatening. The flight crew member expected a violation, as the aci said he would be filing one against him. As the flight crew member returned from updating and obtaining current manuals he saw the aci in the jetway of the aircraft and reported to him that current manuals were in his possession. However, the aci said he would violate him anyway because he flew the day before without the manuals being updated. The reporter stated that in all of his 26 yrs of flying, he has never been treated as he was being treated. The aci warned him not to say anything more. At that time the reporter asked the aci if he was being threatened and the aci stated, 'yes.' the captain also told the aci he hadnever been treated in such a poor way. Both crew members were so emotionally upset about the incident that reporter feels safety was compromised for the remaining flts for that day. Earlier in the day, the aci inspected the flight attendant manual and found them uncurrent and dismissed the flight attendant from that flight. The aci also asked safety related questions of another flight attendant and dismissed that flight attendant from the flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RAMP SAFETY CHK BY AN ACR INSPECTOR.

Narrative: I WAS PERFORMING THE DUTIES AS AN MD80 FO FOR A TRIP WHICH WAS ORIGINATING IN IAH AND SCHEDULED TO FLY IAH- SAT-IAH-SFO. THE FIRST LEG, IAH-SAT WAS FLT AND SCHEDULED TO DEPART AT YY00 LCL. I ARRIVED AT OPS AT XA00, CHKED THE MD80 NOTICES BOOK, TOOK CARE OF SOME BUSINESS IN CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE, PICKED UP MY MAIL AND PROCEEDED TO THE WX ROOM TO CHK THE FLT PLAN, GOT SOMETHING TO EAT, AND PROCEEDED TO THE GATE. ARRIVED AT THE AIRPLANE AT XA30, PUT MY BAGS IN THEIR PLACE IN THE COCKPIT AND PERFORMED THE WALK AROUND INSPECTION, RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT APPROX XA40. JUST AS I SAT DOWN TO PERFORM THE COCKPIT RECEIVING CHKS, AN FAA INSPECTOR COMES INTO THE COCKPIT AND ASKS TO SEE MY CERTIFICATES, MEDICAL, AND COMMERCIAL CHART MANUALS. HE NOTICES THAT THE LAST REVISION I HAD ENTERED WAS #3, I HAD JUST PICKED UP #6 15 MINS BEFORE. APPARENTLY, I DIDN'T HAVE #4 AND #5. THE FAA INSPECTOR THEN ASKED THE LAST TIME I FLEW, I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD BEEN OFF SINCE JAN/XX/95 AND HAD FLOWN AN IAH- BOS-IAH TURN ON THE DAY BEFORE SO I HAD BEEN OFF FROM JAN/XX-FEB/YY/95. HIS COMMENT WAS 'YOU'RE REVISIONS ARE WAY BEHIND, I'LL GIVE YOU A CHOICE. YOU CAN ENTER THE 3 MISSING REVISIONS OR FIND A CURRENT SET BEFORE DEP OR GET VIOLATED.' THERE WERE ONLY 15 MINS BEFORE DEP AND I TOLD HIM I WOULD GO TO THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE AND BORROW A SET THAT WAS UP-TO-DATE. I RAN TO CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE, BORROWED A SET WHICH WAS MISSING #6 BECAUSE IT HAD JUST COME OUT, ENTERED #6, RAN BACK TO THE GATE AND THE FAA INSPECTOR SAYS, 'I'M GOING TO VIOLATE YOU ANYWAY BECAUSE YOU FLEW YESTERDAY WITH REVISIONS #4 AND #5 NOT HAVING BEEN ENTERED.' I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT SOMEHOW I HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN REVISIONS #4 OR #5 OR THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ENTERED. WE DEPARTED 1 MIN LATE AND FLEW TO SAT. IN SAT WE ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER FAA INSPECTOR AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HIS COMMENT WAS THAT THE INSPECTOR IN IAH WAS WAY OUT OF LINE AND THAT HIS BEHAVIOR WAS HARASSING AND UNJUSTIFIED. WHILE IN SAT I CALLED THE HEAD OF OUR SAFETY DEPT AND EXPLAINED THE SIT. WE FLEW BACK TO IAH 30 MINS LATER FOR A 1 HR SIT TIME BEFORE DEPARTING FOR SFO. WHILE IN IAH I ENTERED REVISIONS #4, #5, AND #6 BEFORE WE DEPARTED FOR SFO. NONE OF THE REVISIONS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FLT TO BOS. I FEEL THAT A VIOLATION IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY AND UNJUSTIFIED. IN ANY CASE THE CAPT'S COMMERCIAL CHARTS WERE UP-TO-DATE -- SAFETY WAS NEVER IN DOUBT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 295983: I ARRIVED AT ACFT APPROX 30 MINS BEFORE DEP. AN FAA ACR INSPECTOR WAS TALKING WITH THE FO THEN ASKED ME FOR MY LICENSE AND MEDICAL FOR INSPECTION AND THEN ASKED TO SEE MY COMMERCIAL CHART MANUAL. I COMPLIED AND HE SAID MY COMMERCIAL CHART MANUAL NEEDED A REVISION WHICH I JUST RECEIVED THAT AFTERNOON, 30 MINS EARLIER. HE SAID IF I DIDN'T GET THAT REVISION INSTALLED BEFORE FLT THAT HE WOULD VIOLATE ME. I INSTALLED REVISION BEFORE DEP. I FEEL THAT THIS WAS APCHING HARASSING BEHAVIOR AND CREATED A HOSTILE AND UPSET ATTITUDE ON THE CREW MEMBERS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE FLT WHICH COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE. THE REVISION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR PARTICULAR FLT SEGMENTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS EXTREMELY UPSET OVER CONDUCT OF ACI. HE WAS COUNSELED WHAT HIS OPTIONS WERE SHOULD A VIOLATION BE FILED. FORTUNATELY, NO VIOLATION HAS BEEN FILED. BUT THE ACI WAS VERY THREATENING. THE FLC MEMBER EXPECTED A VIOLATION, AS THE ACI SAID HE WOULD BE FILING ONE AGAINST HIM. AS THE FLC MEMBER RETURNED FROM UPDATING AND OBTAINING CURRENT MANUALS HE SAW THE ACI IN THE JETWAY OF THE ACFT AND RPTED TO HIM THAT CURRENT MANUALS WERE IN HIS POSSESSION. HOWEVER, THE ACI SAID HE WOULD VIOLATE HIM ANYWAY BECAUSE HE FLEW THE DAY BEFORE WITHOUT THE MANUALS BEING UPDATED. THE RPTR STATED THAT IN ALL OF HIS 26 YRS OF FLYING, HE HAS NEVER BEEN TREATED AS HE WAS BEING TREATED. THE ACI WARNED HIM NOT TO SAY ANYTHING MORE. AT THAT TIME THE RPTR ASKED THE ACI IF HE WAS BEING THREATENED AND THE ACI STATED, 'YES.' THE CAPT ALSO TOLD THE ACI HE HADNEVER BEEN TREATED IN SUCH A POOR WAY. BOTH CREW MEMBERS WERE SO EMOTIONALLY UPSET ABOUT THE INCIDENT THAT RPTR FEELS SAFETY WAS COMPROMISED FOR THE REMAINING FLTS FOR THAT DAY. EARLIER IN THE DAY, THE ACI INSPECTED THE FLT ATTENDANT MANUAL AND FOUND THEM UNCURRENT AND DISMISSED THE FLT ATTENDANT FROM THAT FLT. THE ACI ALSO ASKED SAFETY RELATED QUESTIONS OF ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT AND DISMISSED THAT FLT ATTENDANT FROM THE FLT.

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.