Narrative:

I was the captain on a B727-100 bound for pia. Flight taxied from the north ramp of the mem hub and contacted mem ground for taxi clearance approaching entry/exit point 1N. The ground controller cleared us to taxi to runway 18L via taxiway C, hold short of runway 27. The first officer read back the clearance, 'taxi runway 18L via C, hold short of 27.' I make it a habit to say aloud the runway hold short clearance so the crew knows that I understand the hold short point. (This was not an unusual clearance as I have been given this clearance many times in the past to sequence aircraft for runway 18L departures.) approaching runway 27 on taxiway C, the controller cleared another company flight and our flight to cross runway 27, taxi to runway 18L. The controller then asked who was on taxiway C. The first officer idented us as aircraft X. The controller then said in a sarcastic tone, 'I don't know how you ended up there.' the first officer then read back the clearance to cross runway 27, taxi to runway 18L. After crossing runway 27, I asked the crew what they heard as to the taxi clearance thinking that I had made a mistake. The first officer and so both said the clearance was taxi runway 18L via taxiway C. Without specific instructions as to the taxi route, I decided to continue south on taxiway C and turn east on taxiway C8 to join taxiway south sbound. As I was turning eastbound on taxiway C8, the controller began to chastise us on the radio about ignoring his instructions all morning. The first officer politely responded, 'for the record, you cleared us to taxi runway 18L via taxiway C, hold short of runway 27 on taxiway C leaving 1N.' that ended the exchange. I thought about pulling the cvr circuit breaker to preserve the tape but dismissed the event as him having a bad day. However, during the cruise portion of the flight, I talked to the crew about the incident with the ground controller and decided to file a flight crew safety report and this NASA report. I have listened to this controller over the past few yrs, recognized by his distinctive voice, lack of patience and shortness on the radio regardless of the ATC position that he occupies (tower, ground, approach or departure). He never hesitates to chastise the air crews but never considers the possibility that he may be the one in err. Upon hearing this controller's voice, I usually brief the first officer to pay close attention because he exercises very little patience and is easily agitated. This type of attitude by an ATC controller chastising the air crews over the radio, with accusations of wrong doing without considering the possibility that he was the one in error, is very unprofessional, uncalled for and potentially dangerous. We all make mistakes and I have made more than my share, but hopefully I have learned a thing or 2 from them. I expect the same from others. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: asked reporter why he thinks it's always the same controller. Reporter stated that this individual has a very distinctive voice and is readily recognizable by many flcs from his airline. Reporter also added that this controller sounds like he does not enjoy his job and becomes very irritable with the slightest complexity. Asked reporter if he has followed up with the local facility. Reporter stated, no he hadn't, but did receive an answer recently from the company's flight safety ATC coordinator, that they were going to talk to the facility.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR'S ACFT X WAS ISSUED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, WHICH THEY FOLLOWED TO THE LETTER. MEM TWR CTLR CHALLENGED RPTR IN A VERY SARCASTIC TONE ABOUT NOT ADHERING TO ATC INSTRUCTIONS. ALL 3 MEMBERS OF ACFT X CONFIRMED WITH THE CTLR WHAT THEY WERE GIVEN. TWR CTLR HAD NOTHING TO SAY AFTER THAT. RPTR STATED THIS PARTICULAR TWR CTLR HAS, FOR MANY YRS, DISPLAYED HIS DISPLEASURE ON THE FREQ TO FLCS IN GENERAL.

Narrative: I WAS THE CAPT ON A B727-100 BOUND FOR PIA. FLT TAXIED FROM THE N RAMP OF THE MEM HUB AND CONTACTED MEM GND FOR TAXI CLRNC APCHING ENTRY/EXIT POINT 1N. THE GND CTLR CLRED US TO TAXI TO RWY 18L VIA TXWY C, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27. THE FO READ BACK THE CLRNC, 'TAXI RWY 18L VIA C, HOLD SHORT OF 27.' I MAKE IT A HABIT TO SAY ALOUD THE RWY HOLD SHORT CLRNC SO THE CREW KNOWS THAT I UNDERSTAND THE HOLD SHORT POINT. (THIS WAS NOT AN UNUSUAL CLRNC AS I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THIS CLRNC MANY TIMES IN THE PAST TO SEQUENCE ACFT FOR RWY 18L DEPS.) APCHING RWY 27 ON TXWY C, THE CTLR CLRED ANOTHER COMPANY FLT AND OUR FLT TO CROSS RWY 27, TAXI TO RWY 18L. THE CTLR THEN ASKED WHO WAS ON TXWY C. THE FO IDENTED US AS ACFT X. THE CTLR THEN SAID IN A SARCASTIC TONE, 'I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ENDED UP THERE.' THE FO THEN READ BACK THE CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 27, TAXI TO RWY 18L. AFTER XING RWY 27, I ASKED THE CREW WHAT THEY HEARD AS TO THE TAXI CLRNC THINKING THAT I HAD MADE A MISTAKE. THE FO AND SO BOTH SAID THE CLRNC WAS TAXI RWY 18L VIA TXWY C. WITHOUT SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS AS TO THE TAXI RTE, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE S ON TXWY C AND TURN E ON TXWY C8 TO JOIN TXWY S SBOUND. AS I WAS TURNING EBOUND ON TXWY C8, THE CTLR BEGAN TO CHASTISE US ON THE RADIO ABOUT IGNORING HIS INSTRUCTIONS ALL MORNING. THE FO POLITELY RESPONDED, 'FOR THE RECORD, YOU CLRED US TO TAXI RWY 18L VIA TXWY C, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27 ON TXWY C LEAVING 1N.' THAT ENDED THE EXCHANGE. I THOUGHT ABOUT PULLING THE CVR CIRCUIT BREAKER TO PRESERVE THE TAPE BUT DISMISSED THE EVENT AS HIM HAVING A BAD DAY. HOWEVER, DURING THE CRUISE PORTION OF THE FLT, I TALKED TO THE CREW ABOUT THE INCIDENT WITH THE GND CTLR AND DECIDED TO FILE A FLC SAFETY RPT AND THIS NASA RPT. I HAVE LISTENED TO THIS CTLR OVER THE PAST FEW YRS, RECOGNIZED BY HIS DISTINCTIVE VOICE, LACK OF PATIENCE AND SHORTNESS ON THE RADIO REGARDLESS OF THE ATC POS THAT HE OCCUPIES (TWR, GND, APCH OR DEP). HE NEVER HESITATES TO CHASTISE THE AIR CREWS BUT NEVER CONSIDERS THE POSSIBILITY THAT HE MAY BE THE ONE IN ERR. UPON HEARING THIS CTLR'S VOICE, I USUALLY BRIEF THE FO TO PAY CLOSE ATTN BECAUSE HE EXERCISES VERY LITTLE PATIENCE AND IS EASILY AGITATED. THIS TYPE OF ATTITUDE BY AN ATC CTLR CHASTISING THE AIR CREWS OVER THE RADIO, WITH ACCUSATIONS OF WRONG DOING WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY THAT HE WAS THE ONE IN ERROR, IS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL, UNCALLED FOR AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES AND I HAVE MADE MORE THAN MY SHARE, BUT HOPEFULLY I HAVE LEARNED A THING OR 2 FROM THEM. I EXPECT THE SAME FROM OTHERS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ASKED RPTR WHY HE THINKS IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME CTLR. RPTR STATED THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS A VERY DISTINCTIVE VOICE AND IS READILY RECOGNIZABLE BY MANY FLCS FROM HIS AIRLINE. RPTR ALSO ADDED THAT THIS CTLR SOUNDS LIKE HE DOES NOT ENJOY HIS JOB AND BECOMES VERY IRRITABLE WITH THE SLIGHTEST COMPLEXITY. ASKED RPTR IF HE HAS FOLLOWED UP WITH THE LCL FACILITY. RPTR STATED, NO HE HADN'T, BUT DID RECEIVE AN ANSWER RECENTLY FROM THE COMPANY'S FLT SAFETY ATC COORDINATOR, THAT THEY WERE GOING TO TALK TO THE FACILITY.

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.