Narrative:

Upon blocking into rfd, flight efd-rfd, on jun/sat/97 the flight engineer, mr X, advised me of the following. When he had just opened the main cargo door, and the female load supervisor, informed him that the main cargo door was damaged, and that it would cause problems with the operation of the cargo door. Mr X came to me at that time and was upset and reported the cargo door damage. He said that he had heard the manager in efd, the person last responsible for closing the main cargo door, talking in a demanding, threatening, intimidating, and unprofessional manner to a loader trainee, trying to close the door. The manager telling the trainee that there was a problem, and that the door was damaged, and to just keep trying to close it. Mr X tried to find out what the manager was talking about, but the manager indicated nothing. Mr X told me that the trainee seemed upset with what was happening. The damaged cargo door problem, is in an area that mr X has no access to, it requires a k-loader, after aircraft is loaded, which it was, and could not be inspected. This same manager, several weeks earlier, wrote up a bad report on the flight crew, which mr X was assigned to. He indicated that the crew was intentionally delaying the scheduled block time by taking too long in performing the preflight duties. From my understanding the flight crew had many mechanical, and deferral items that needed to be inspected, and of course this takes time, but is required for safe and legal flight. With the information as told to me, leads me to believe the efd manager intentionally lied to the flight crew about the condition, and safety of the aircraft, we flew on jun/sat/97. That either his shift had damaged the aircraft, or he at least knew that the aircraft was damaged, and did not report it to the flight crew, and to my knowledge, no one else. It is further believed by the previous actions of the efd manager, that he is intentionally interfering with the performance of a flight crew's duties, and is attempting to intimidate, and threaten flcs into accepting unsafe, and illegal aircraft, to meet a scheduled departure time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR PIC RPT ON A DAMAGED CARGO DOOR THAT WAS FORCED CLOSED AT DEP ARPT BY THE GND CREW SUPVR. SUPVR, KNOWN FOR HIS PUSHING FLTS OUT FOR ON TIME PERFORMANCE, WOULD NOT DISCUSS ACFT STATUS WITH THE SO PRIOR TO DEP AND THE SO HAD NO WAY TO CHK THE DOOR WITHOUT A FORK LIFT. THE DOOR WAS FOUND TO BE DAMAGED UPON ARR AT RFD THAT NIGHT.

Narrative: UPON BLOCKING INTO RFD, FLT EFD-RFD, ON JUN/SAT/97 THE FE, MR X, ADVISED ME OF THE FOLLOWING. WHEN HE HAD JUST OPENED THE MAIN CARGO DOOR, AND THE FEMALE LOAD SUPVR, INFORMED HIM THAT THE MAIN CARGO DOOR WAS DAMAGED, AND THAT IT WOULD CAUSE PROBS WITH THE OP OF THE CARGO DOOR. MR X CAME TO ME AT THAT TIME AND WAS UPSET AND RPTED THE CARGO DOOR DAMAGE. HE SAID THAT HE HAD HEARD THE MGR IN EFD, THE PERSON LAST RESPONSIBLE FOR CLOSING THE MAIN CARGO DOOR, TALKING IN A DEMANDING, THREATENING, INTIMIDATING, AND UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER TO A LOADER TRAINEE, TRYING TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE MGR TELLING THE TRAINEE THAT THERE WAS A PROB, AND THAT THE DOOR WAS DAMAGED, AND TO JUST KEEP TRYING TO CLOSE IT. MR X TRIED TO FIND OUT WHAT THE MGR WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT THE MGR INDICATED NOTHING. MR X TOLD ME THAT THE TRAINEE SEEMED UPSET WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THE DAMAGED CARGO DOOR PROB, IS IN AN AREA THAT MR X HAS NO ACCESS TO, IT REQUIRES A K-LOADER, AFTER ACFT IS LOADED, WHICH IT WAS, AND COULD NOT BE INSPECTED. THIS SAME MGR, SEVERAL WKS EARLIER, WROTE UP A BAD RPT ON THE FLC, WHICH MR X WAS ASSIGNED TO. HE INDICATED THAT THE CREW WAS INTENTIONALLY DELAYING THE SCHEDULED BLOCK TIME BY TAKING TOO LONG IN PERFORMING THE PREFLT DUTIES. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING THE FLC HAD MANY MECHANICAL, AND DEFERRAL ITEMS THAT NEEDED TO BE INSPECTED, AND OF COURSE THIS TAKES TIME, BUT IS REQUIRED FOR SAFE AND LEGAL FLT. WITH THE INFO AS TOLD TO ME, LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THE EFD MGR INTENTIONALLY LIED TO THE FLC ABOUT THE CONDITION, AND SAFETY OF THE ACFT, WE FLEW ON JUN/SAT/97. THAT EITHER HIS SHIFT HAD DAMAGED THE ACFT, OR HE AT LEAST KNEW THAT THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED, AND DID NOT RPT IT TO THE FLC, AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO ONE ELSE. IT IS FURTHER BELIEVED BY THE PREVIOUS ACTIONS OF THE EFD MGR, THAT HE IS INTENTIONALLY INTERFERING WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF A FLC'S DUTIES, AND IS ATTEMPTING TO INTIMIDATE, AND THREATEN FLCS INTO ACCEPTING UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL ACFT, TO MEET A SCHEDULED DEP TIME.

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.