Narrative:

For many yrs a minority collection of pilots at a major air carrier has been the target of a serious and effective harassment campaign from the majority group. This campaign has had a negative effect on flight safety, but management has failed to take an active, direct approach to address this problem. Many serious, reported incidents have been diminished and swept under the carpet. Much of this harassment occurs in conspicuous actions of disrespect in the cockpit that have detrimental, psychological effects on the offended pilot, giving rise to emotions such as anger and defensiveness, and resulting in lack of concentration, shaken confidence, and degraded performance. The harassment is a direct violation of corporate policy, the flight operations manual, and the established CRM program, but continues unabated. On several recent flts, I was the recipient of this form of harassment and can testify to the deleterious effects on performance. In the most recent incident, as captain, I had decided to remove the offending first officer, but a series of events prevented me from exercising my decision. My preoccupation with his behavior and the resulting emotional impairment seriously affected my ability to safely conduct flight operations. Many major errors were committed, including: 1) turning off the wrong boost pumps when trying to balance fuel. 2) executing a sloppy STAR into a major airport. 3) releasing the parking brake prior to completion of required checklist items. 4) entering the runway environment prior to completion of the taxi checklist. 5) numerous FMS CDU entry errors. The primary error was, obviously, not exercising my decision to remove the first officer from the flight. In the future, I will exercise that option without question, regardless of convenience or interrupting events. However, the overall problem of harassment in the cockpit still remains at my air carrier. Senior corporate and flight operations management, aware of the problem and its disastrous potential, have merely addressed it with generic corporate policy statements of 'treat each other with respect as individuals.' reported incidents are investigated and dismissed with little or no punitive action, while communications from professional, loyal employees requesting relief invoke replies from the senior vice president for flight operations like, 'I see no basis for your concerns.' these actions (or inaction) have been and are ineffective in addressing the problem. Possibly, the lack of substance in this approach may have nurtured the problem more than impeded it. A direct, effective approach must be initiated, one with some bite to the bark! The potential for catastrophic loss of life is too great! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that his small group has attempted to make peace with the majority group and that some progress had been made with the older population of flight crew personnel, but the lower seniority group has mounted a program of severe harassment -- apparently intended to drive his group out of the company in order to improve their own chances for advancement. He has written letters to the management and union leaders about specific acts and language and has received some responses, but no action designed to discourage the perpetrators.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B767 CAPT COMPLAINS THAT HE HAS BEEN HARASSED BY HIS FELLOW CREW MEMBERS TO THE POINT THAT HIS PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN ADVERSELY AFFECTED CAUSING HIM TO MAKE OPERATIONAL ERRORS. HE STATES THAT HE HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS MISTREATMENT A NUMBER OF TIMES, BUT ALLEGEDLY HIS MGMNT TAKES NO EFFECTIVE ACTION.

Narrative: FOR MANY YRS A MINORITY COLLECTION OF PLTS AT A MAJOR ACR HAS BEEN THE TARGET OF A SERIOUS AND EFFECTIVE HARASSMENT CAMPAIGN FROM THE MAJORITY GROUP. THIS CAMPAIGN HAS HAD A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON FLT SAFETY, BUT MGMNT HAS FAILED TO TAKE AN ACTIVE, DIRECT APCH TO ADDRESS THIS PROB. MANY SERIOUS, RPTED INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN DIMINISHED AND SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET. MUCH OF THIS HARASSMENT OCCURS IN CONSPICUOUS ACTIONS OF DISRESPECT IN THE COCKPIT THAT HAVE DETRIMENTAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON THE OFFENDED PLT, GIVING RISE TO EMOTIONS SUCH AS ANGER AND DEFENSIVENESS, AND RESULTING IN LACK OF CONCENTRATION, SHAKEN CONFIDENCE, AND DEGRADED PERFORMANCE. THE HARASSMENT IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF CORPORATE POLICY, THE FLT OPS MANUAL, AND THE ESTABLISHED CRM PROGRAM, BUT CONTINUES UNABATED. ON SEVERAL RECENT FLTS, I WAS THE RECIPIENT OF THIS FORM OF HARASSMENT AND CAN TESTIFY TO THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON PERFORMANCE. IN THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT, AS CAPT, I HAD DECIDED TO REMOVE THE OFFENDING FO, BUT A SERIES OF EVENTS PREVENTED ME FROM EXERCISING MY DECISION. MY PREOCCUPATION WITH HIS BEHAVIOR AND THE RESULTING EMOTIONAL IMPAIRMENT SERIOUSLY AFFECTED MY ABILITY TO SAFELY CONDUCT FLT OPS. MANY MAJOR ERRORS WERE COMMITTED, INCLUDING: 1) TURNING OFF THE WRONG BOOST PUMPS WHEN TRYING TO BAL FUEL. 2) EXECUTING A SLOPPY STAR INTO A MAJOR ARPT. 3) RELEASING THE PARKING BRAKE PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF REQUIRED CHKLIST ITEMS. 4) ENTERING THE RWY ENVIRONMENT PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF THE TAXI CHKLIST. 5) NUMEROUS FMS CDU ENTRY ERRORS. THE PRIMARY ERROR WAS, OBVIOUSLY, NOT EXERCISING MY DECISION TO REMOVE THE FO FROM THE FLT. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL EXERCISE THAT OPTION WITHOUT QUESTION, REGARDLESS OF CONVENIENCE OR INTERRUPTING EVENTS. HOWEVER, THE OVERALL PROB OF HARASSMENT IN THE COCKPIT STILL REMAINS AT MY ACR. SENIOR CORPORATE AND FLT OPS MGMNT, AWARE OF THE PROB AND ITS DISASTROUS POTENTIAL, HAVE MERELY ADDRESSED IT WITH GENERIC CORPORATE POLICY STATEMENTS OF 'TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT AS INDIVIDUALS.' RPTED INCIDENTS ARE INVESTIGATED AND DISMISSED WITH LITTLE OR NO PUNITIVE ACTION, WHILE COMS FROM PROFESSIONAL, LOYAL EMPLOYEES REQUESTING RELIEF INVOKE REPLIES FROM THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR FLT OPS LIKE, 'I SEE NO BASIS FOR YOUR CONCERNS.' THESE ACTIONS (OR INACTION) HAVE BEEN AND ARE INEFFECTIVE IN ADDRESSING THE PROB. POSSIBLY, THE LACK OF SUBSTANCE IN THIS APCH MAY HAVE NURTURED THE PROB MORE THAN IMPEDED IT. A DIRECT, EFFECTIVE APCH MUST BE INITIATED, ONE WITH SOME BITE TO THE BARK! THE POTENTIAL FOR CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF LIFE IS TOO GREAT! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT HIS SMALL GROUP HAS ATTEMPTED TO MAKE PEACE WITH THE MAJORITY GROUP AND THAT SOME PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE WITH THE OLDER POPULATION OF FLC PERSONNEL, BUT THE LOWER SENIORITY GROUP HAS MOUNTED A PROGRAM OF SEVERE HARASSMENT -- APPARENTLY INTENDED TO DRIVE HIS GROUP OUT OF THE COMPANY IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THEIR OWN CHANCES FOR ADVANCEMENT. HE HAS WRITTEN LETTERS TO THE MGMNT AND UNION LEADERS ABOUT SPECIFIC ACTS AND LANGUAGE AND HAS RECEIVED SOME RESPONSES, BUT NO ACTION DESIGNED TO DISCOURAGE THE PERPETRATORS.

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.