Narrative:

This is not the first NASA report I have submitted, but it is the first one that I have submitted where the problem I believe was entirely due to a lack of communication on the flight deck. I am a female captain and have had some problems in the past with first officer's attitudes towards me. But it has never been this pronounced and never resulted in any real problem event. I arrived at the aircraft and met my first officer, whom I had never met before. He seemed reserved and did not say much. I was not sure why but hoped that he was just nervous or uncomfortable for some reason and that he would loosen up. Sometimes I have found that men are at first uncomfortable with women pilots. But usually I can overcome that by being relaxed and friendly. I attempted to strike up conversation, asking about his family, where he lived -- the usual. He answered with one word responses and never pursued conversation further. In an attempt to curb paranoia, I just assumed he was the quiet type and we didn't speak much on the first leg of this trip. I can live with that, but usually find that some conversation opens the lines of communication in many other ways and areas -- most importantly -- operationally. But nothing was working with him so I eventually gave up. On the second leg of the trip we had a company jump seater -- a captain who coincidentally is one of our CRM instructors. He rode with us because the flight was full. Suddenly my first officer is all sweetness and light, chatting it up with him and behaving like the friendliest guy in the world. My reaction was one of annoyance. I was angry because I realized that he wasn't in fact just a quiet type, but rather was apparently just not talking to 'me.' I took this somewhat personally (I wish I were capable of not taking it that way) and was annoyed that he had succeeded in making me uncomfortable all day and now had been able to make me angry. He still would not speak to me. Any attempts I made to contribute to the conversation were ignored. I had the added stress then of concern over what the CRM instructor would interpretation was going on. This set us up in a situation where he would not speak to me and I was reluctant to speak to him. I was uncomfortable and the situation was a very real distraction to me. I was thinking of the interpersonal situation going on in the flight deck and it interfered with my concentration. Shortly after takeoff we were questioned about a heading assignment. ATC asked us if we were flying heading 210 degrees. I responded no, 180 degrees -- the heading on the SID. She informed us that we had been assigned 180 degrees. Neither of us had heard that and perhaps she was mistaken and I'm almost certain that I did not read it back. But under the circumstances, we may have missed it -- my attention was compromised. Also, we had added an MEL item in las vegas, and it needed to be added to our release. In normal circumstances I will communicate to my first officer a reminder that we will need an MEL amendment to our release before departure as a way of reminding him and myself. I thought of this, but did not say it. I felt as though words would be wasted and that he would not probably even acknowledge my remarks so I did not verbalize my thoughts. And sure enough, we took off and when I called our 'off time' the agent in las read me the amendment. It was legal, I think, because the amendment time was prior to pushback, but I was not certain of this and it made me uncomfortable and stressed for the remainder of the trip (which compromises safety) and even angrier at him. I've thought about how this could have been different. There is no way of knowing with an unfamiliar crew member if they are just quiet or have some issue. I suppose I could have asked him outright, but then run the risk of seeming paranoid if in fact he was just naturally quiet. And in my experience (23+ yrs of airline flying), I have found that the male crew members who do have a problem with women will almost always deny it and inevitably attribute their feelings to my having done something wrong. I still do not know what kept this first officer from speaking to me-- it may have nothing to do with sexism -- maybe he has a problem with any authority/authorized figure -- I'll probably never know. In the future, I will try to subtly question a crew member who seems to be behaving unusually and will probably just come out and ask him if there is a problem -- that way at least it will be out in the open and we will both be aware of it. But I'm not convinced that is a good solution -- it might just antagonize more and may be interpreted as aggressive or confrontational. The best solution may be for me to learn to not allow myself to be adversely affected by it. I've had yrs of practice and usually can overcome it, but this situation seemed particularly difficult. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter has been a captain for 11 yrs. The first officer and observer were acquaintances prior to this trip. The first officer was flying his last flight as a copilot and is now in captain's school so there was not a second opportunity to fly with him.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CRM ISSUES RESULT IN ENOUGH DISTR TO CAUSE OPERATIONAL AND PERFORMANCE PROBS ON A CREW.

Narrative: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST NASA RPT I HAVE SUBMITTED, BUT IT IS THE FIRST ONE THAT I HAVE SUBMITTED WHERE THE PROB I BELIEVE WAS ENTIRELY DUE TO A LACK OF COM ON THE FLT DECK. I AM A FEMALE CAPT AND HAVE HAD SOME PROBS IN THE PAST WITH FO'S ATTITUDES TOWARDS ME. BUT IT HAS NEVER BEEN THIS PRONOUNCED AND NEVER RESULTED IN ANY REAL PROB EVENT. I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT AND MET MY FO, WHOM I HAD NEVER MET BEFORE. HE SEEMED RESERVED AND DID NOT SAY MUCH. I WAS NOT SURE WHY BUT HOPED THAT HE WAS JUST NERVOUS OR UNCOMFORTABLE FOR SOME REASON AND THAT HE WOULD LOOSEN UP. SOMETIMES I HAVE FOUND THAT MEN ARE AT FIRST UNCOMFORTABLE WITH WOMEN PLTS. BUT USUALLY I CAN OVERCOME THAT BY BEING RELAXED AND FRIENDLY. I ATTEMPTED TO STRIKE UP CONVERSATION, ASKING ABOUT HIS FAMILY, WHERE HE LIVED -- THE USUAL. HE ANSWERED WITH ONE WORD RESPONSES AND NEVER PURSUED CONVERSATION FURTHER. IN AN ATTEMPT TO CURB PARANOIA, I JUST ASSUMED HE WAS THE QUIET TYPE AND WE DIDN'T SPEAK MUCH ON THE FIRST LEG OF THIS TRIP. I CAN LIVE WITH THAT, BUT USUALLY FIND THAT SOME CONVERSATION OPENS THE LINES OF COM IN MANY OTHER WAYS AND AREAS -- MOST IMPORTANTLY -- OPERATIONALLY. BUT NOTHING WAS WORKING WITH HIM SO I EVENTUALLY GAVE UP. ON THE SECOND LEG OF THE TRIP WE HAD A COMPANY JUMP SEATER -- A CAPT WHO COINCIDENTALLY IS ONE OF OUR CRM INSTRUCTORS. HE RODE WITH US BECAUSE THE FLT WAS FULL. SUDDENLY MY FO IS ALL SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, CHATTING IT UP WITH HIM AND BEHAVING LIKE THE FRIENDLIEST GUY IN THE WORLD. MY REACTION WAS ONE OF ANNOYANCE. I WAS ANGRY BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT HE WASN'T IN FACT JUST A QUIET TYPE, BUT RATHER WAS APPARENTLY JUST NOT TALKING TO 'ME.' I TOOK THIS SOMEWHAT PERSONALLY (I WISH I WERE CAPABLE OF NOT TAKING IT THAT WAY) AND WAS ANNOYED THAT HE HAD SUCCEEDED IN MAKING ME UNCOMFORTABLE ALL DAY AND NOW HAD BEEN ABLE TO MAKE ME ANGRY. HE STILL WOULD NOT SPEAK TO ME. ANY ATTEMPTS I MADE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION WERE IGNORED. I HAD THE ADDED STRESS THEN OF CONCERN OVER WHAT THE CRM INSTRUCTOR WOULD INTERP WAS GOING ON. THIS SET US UP IN A SIT WHERE HE WOULD NOT SPEAK TO ME AND I WAS RELUCTANT TO SPEAK TO HIM. I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE AND THE SIT WAS A VERY REAL DISTR TO ME. I WAS THINKING OF THE INTERPERSONAL SIT GOING ON IN THE FLT DECK AND IT INTERFERED WITH MY CONCENTRATION. SHORTLY AFTER TKOF WE WERE QUESTIONED ABOUT A HDG ASSIGNMENT. ATC ASKED US IF WE WERE FLYING HDG 210 DEGS. I RESPONDED NO, 180 DEGS -- THE HDG ON THE SID. SHE INFORMED US THAT WE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED 180 DEGS. NEITHER OF US HAD HEARD THAT AND PERHAPS SHE WAS MISTAKEN AND I'M ALMOST CERTAIN THAT I DID NOT READ IT BACK. BUT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WE MAY HAVE MISSED IT -- MY ATTN WAS COMPROMISED. ALSO, WE HAD ADDED AN MEL ITEM IN LAS VEGAS, AND IT NEEDED TO BE ADDED TO OUR RELEASE. IN NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES I WILL COMMUNICATE TO MY FO A REMINDER THAT WE WILL NEED AN MEL AMENDMENT TO OUR RELEASE BEFORE DEP AS A WAY OF REMINDING HIM AND MYSELF. I THOUGHT OF THIS, BUT DID NOT SAY IT. I FELT AS THOUGH WORDS WOULD BE WASTED AND THAT HE WOULD NOT PROBABLY EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE MY REMARKS SO I DID NOT VERBALIZE MY THOUGHTS. AND SURE ENOUGH, WE TOOK OFF AND WHEN I CALLED OUR 'OFF TIME' THE AGENT IN LAS READ ME THE AMENDMENT. IT WAS LEGAL, I THINK, BECAUSE THE AMENDMENT TIME WAS PRIOR TO PUSHBACK, BUT I WAS NOT CERTAIN OF THIS AND IT MADE ME UNCOMFORTABLE AND STRESSED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP (WHICH COMPROMISES SAFETY) AND EVEN ANGRIER AT HIM. I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT HOW THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WITH AN UNFAMILIAR CREW MEMBER IF THEY ARE JUST QUIET OR HAVE SOME ISSUE. I SUPPOSE I COULD HAVE ASKED HIM OUTRIGHT, BUT THEN RUN THE RISK OF SEEMING PARANOID IF IN FACT HE WAS JUST NATURALLY QUIET. AND IN MY EXPERIENCE (23+ YRS OF AIRLINE FLYING), I HAVE FOUND THAT THE MALE CREW MEMBERS WHO DO HAVE A PROB WITH WOMEN WILL ALMOST ALWAYS DENY IT AND INEVITABLY ATTRIBUTE THEIR FEELINGS TO MY HAVING DONE SOMETHING WRONG. I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT KEPT THIS FO FROM SPEAKING TO ME-- IT MAY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SEXISM -- MAYBE HE HAS A PROB WITH ANY AUTH FIGURE -- I'LL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL TRY TO SUBTLY QUESTION A CREW MEMBER WHO SEEMS TO BE BEHAVING UNUSUALLY AND WILL PROBABLY JUST COME OUT AND ASK HIM IF THERE IS A PROB -- THAT WAY AT LEAST IT WILL BE OUT IN THE OPEN AND WE WILL BOTH BE AWARE OF IT. BUT I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT IS A GOOD SOLUTION -- IT MIGHT JUST ANTAGONIZE MORE AND MAY BE INTERPED AS AGGRESSIVE OR CONFRONTATIONAL. THE BEST SOLUTION MAY BE FOR ME TO LEARN TO NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY IT. I'VE HAD YRS OF PRACTICE AND USUALLY CAN OVERCOME IT, BUT THIS SIT SEEMED PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR HAS BEEN A CAPT FOR 11 YRS. THE FO AND OBSERVER WERE ACQUAINTANCES PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. THE FO WAS FLYING HIS LAST FLT AS A COPLT AND IS NOW IN CAPT'S SCHOOL SO THERE WAS NOT A SECOND OPPORTUNITY TO FLY WITH HIM.

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.