Narrative:

Level 5000 ft behind an air carrier B737 approximately 6 mi. We got hit by wake turbulence, rolled more than 30 degrees right, then +/-30 degrees back to the left. First officer flying. I immediately ordered him to initiate a climb. I also simultaneously called approach and told them that we were getting wake turbulence and initiating a climb. Scared the hell out of the passenger. Went up to 5400 ft. Controller copped immediate attitude, 'why are you getting wake turbulence, you're 6 mi behind the air carrier,' he asked. I said I don't know, but we're climbing. At 5400 ft we were out of it. We leveled there and asked controller what he wanted us to do. He continued with sarcastic, caustic attitude and asked us what altitude we wanted. I said anything but 5000 ft because we got hammered there. He gave us some grief about the wake again ('why did we get it?' -- he seemed more concerned about why we got it instead of what we did to get out). He did not offer a turn 20-30 degrees left or right of course, which would have eliminated problem. He did tell us to copy a phone number and call approach on the ground. We eventually went back to 5000 ft, had uneventful landing. Called ATC on land line. Supervisor was initially full of attitude also. 'We need to hear that you're climbing before you climb,' he said. I told him that we were being rolled 30 degrees left and right, and that it was my responsibility as aircraft commander to ensure the safety of this flight by getting us out of the wake right freakin' now, and as my first officer initiated the climb, simultaneously I keyed up and advised ATC as to what we were doing. If that isn't good enough -- too bad. Dfw TRACON is in the middle of a job action and they're all doing this 'work to rules' thing. As a result, turboprops are being kept down much further on departure and are being descended earlier on arrival. The attitude of the controllers has taken a turn for the worse. Evidently this stems from a pay dispute. This 'work to rules' thing that they're doing is detrimental to the safety of flight. Someone needs to do something about this job action! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter participated in the wake turbulence structured callback program. This reporter was in an aircraft that was rolling in 30 degrees bank, left and right from the wake of a B737- 200. Because approach was insisting that they could not be getting any wake, the controller was telling the reporter that it was unnecessary to change altitude. Reporter felt he was getting no respect from the controller and there were heavy exchanges of harsh words over what seemed unreasonable by the pilot and controller. When on the ground, the pilot called the controller by phone and tempers were still strong. Controller simply did not want the reporter to change altitude without proper clearance and the pilot knows he couldn't keep the aircraft in that amount of turbulence.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ATR42 ENCOUNTERS WAKE TURB FROM A PRECEDING B737 FLYING INTO DFW. THE ATR42 CLBS TO GET OUT OF THE WAKE AND THE CTLR CHASTISES THE ATR42 FOR LEAVING ALT UNAUTH.

Narrative: LEVEL 5000 FT BEHIND AN ACR B737 APPROX 6 MI. WE GOT HIT BY WAKE TURB, ROLLED MORE THAN 30 DEGS R, THEN +/-30 DEGS BACK TO THE L. FO FLYING. I IMMEDIATELY ORDERED HIM TO INITIATE A CLB. I ALSO SIMULTANEOUSLY CALLED APCH AND TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE GETTING WAKE TURB AND INITIATING A CLB. SCARED THE HELL OUT OF THE PAX. WENT UP TO 5400 FT. CTLR COPPED IMMEDIATE ATTITUDE, 'WHY ARE YOU GETTING WAKE TURB, YOU'RE 6 MI BEHIND THE ACR,' HE ASKED. I SAID I DON'T KNOW, BUT WE'RE CLBING. AT 5400 FT WE WERE OUT OF IT. WE LEVELED THERE AND ASKED CTLR WHAT HE WANTED US TO DO. HE CONTINUED WITH SARCASTIC, CAUSTIC ATTITUDE AND ASKED US WHAT ALT WE WANTED. I SAID ANYTHING BUT 5000 FT BECAUSE WE GOT HAMMERED THERE. HE GAVE US SOME GRIEF ABOUT THE WAKE AGAIN ('WHY DID WE GET IT?' -- HE SEEMED MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHY WE GOT IT INSTEAD OF WHAT WE DID TO GET OUT). HE DID NOT OFFER A TURN 20-30 DEGS L OR R OF COURSE, WHICH WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED PROB. HE DID TELL US TO COPY A PHONE NUMBER AND CALL APCH ON THE GND. WE EVENTUALLY WENT BACK TO 5000 FT, HAD UNEVENTFUL LNDG. CALLED ATC ON LAND LINE. SUPVR WAS INITIALLY FULL OF ATTITUDE ALSO. 'WE NEED TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE CLBING BEFORE YOU CLB,' HE SAID. I TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE BEING ROLLED 30 DEGS L AND R, AND THAT IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY AS ACFT COMMANDER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS FLT BY GETTING US OUT OF THE WAKE RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW, AND AS MY FO INITIATED THE CLB, SIMULTANEOUSLY I KEYED UP AND ADVISED ATC AS TO WHAT WE WERE DOING. IF THAT ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH -- TOO BAD. DFW TRACON IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A JOB ACTION AND THEY'RE ALL DOING THIS 'WORK TO RULES' THING. AS A RESULT, TURBOPROPS ARE BEING KEPT DOWN MUCH FURTHER ON DEP AND ARE BEING DSNDED EARLIER ON ARR. THE ATTITUDE OF THE CTLRS HAS TAKEN A TURN FOR THE WORSE. EVIDENTLY THIS STEMS FROM A PAY DISPUTE. THIS 'WORK TO RULES' THING THAT THEY'RE DOING IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE SAFETY OF FLT. SOMEONE NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS JOB ACTION! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR PARTICIPATED IN THE WAKE TURB STRUCTURED CALLBACK PROGRAM. THIS RPTR WAS IN AN ACFT THAT WAS ROLLING IN 30 DEGS BANK, L AND R FROM THE WAKE OF A B737- 200. BECAUSE APCH WAS INSISTING THAT THEY COULD NOT BE GETTING ANY WAKE, THE CTLR WAS TELLING THE RPTR THAT IT WAS UNNECESSARY TO CHANGE ALT. RPTR FELT HE WAS GETTING NO RESPECT FROM THE CTLR AND THERE WERE HVY EXCHANGES OF HARSH WORDS OVER WHAT SEEMED UNREASONABLE BY THE PLT AND CTLR. WHEN ON THE GND, THE PLT CALLED THE CTLR BY PHONE AND TEMPERS WERE STILL STRONG. CTLR SIMPLY DID NOT WANT THE RPTR TO CHANGE ALT WITHOUT PROPER CLRNC AND THE PLT KNOWS HE COULDN'T KEEP THE ACFT IN THAT AMOUNT OF TURB.

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.