Narrative:

This report is 1/2 venting about a rampant lack of professionalism, 1/2 covering me. I always strive to make good judgements as a pilot. Inevitably, mistakes will happen. I always feel bad about a mistake but it doesn't compare to when you see a problem, use CRM, and your partner ignores you. I am sick to my stomach over the attitude I observed in a subordinate. I'm writing this 3 hours after the event and it will be mailed tomorrow morning, first thing. We were descending on the arrival, told to cross pyrat at 15000 ft, first officer's leg. DO328 vmo is 270 KIAS. He was descending in a constant airspeed descent at 265 KTS on the autoplt. As we descended, we ran into a bit of clear air turbulence, light turbulence. The airspeed jumped to 269 KTS because the autoplt has a glitch and will not throw the aircraft around to maintain speed. I pointed this out to the first officer who ignored my callout. More turbulence, 267 KTS, 268 KTS, 269 KTS. I called airspeed at 268 KTS, more turbulence, airspeed peaked at 273 KTS for about 2 seconds. No corrective action by the first officer. I was dumbfounded. We were issued further descent. I asked him to pull the speed back. He very simply said, 'where do you want it?' I said 'somewhere where there is no overspd possibility.' I was mad! After we landed, I took a walk to calm down. I came back to the aircraft and confronted the first officer. He was very nonchalant still. He said 'I didn't overspd it, the autoplt did.' this attitude is dangerous and it is unbelievable that the public will soon be exposed to this guy as a captain. Guess what genius, the autoplt can crash you also! So now my dilemma, as a crew member, I felt I did my job and am clean here. Here is the dilemma, when you overspd the flaps on a DO328, you get a caution message. The company QRH directs you to write the aircraft up. It happens from time to time. Recently our poi tried to violate some of our capts for accidental overspds using flight data recorder data! He said the pilots violated 91.9, operating in exceedance of a limitation, even though it happened in turbulence just like our overspd. Now our overspd, did not generate a caution message, so there is no QRH direction. I do not think or believe a 3 KT overspd is a mechanical irregularity as stated under 121.563. The airplane worked fine, nothing was wrong that led to the overspd. That being said I didn't write the aircraft up considering there is no direction to do so in our QRH or operations manuals. Also consider that even though I don't believe this is a mechanical irregularity, just 2 months ago I would have had the aircraft at least inspected. However, we were cautioned by our union, any further flap overspds would result in violations, accidental or not. Even though this is not a flap overspd, I do not want to bait the poi into violating me. This is a very unfortunate situation because he is asking us to weigh doing the proper thing or protecting ourselves. It is unfortunate that this happened to me tonight, and even though I tried to prevent it, it was still an accident altitude overspd. As unprofessional as he was, he didn't mean to overspd the airplane.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DO328 CREW DSNDING INTO PIT EXCEEDED THE ACFT'S VMO BY 3 KTS.

Narrative: THIS RPT IS 1/2 VENTING ABOUT A RAMPANT LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM, 1/2 COVERING ME. I ALWAYS STRIVE TO MAKE GOOD JUDGEMENTS AS A PLT. INEVITABLY, MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN. I ALWAYS FEEL BAD ABOUT A MISTAKE BUT IT DOESN'T COMPARE TO WHEN YOU SEE A PROB, USE CRM, AND YOUR PARTNER IGNORES YOU. I AM SICK TO MY STOMACH OVER THE ATTITUDE I OBSERVED IN A SUBORDINATE. I'M WRITING THIS 3 HRS AFTER THE EVENT AND IT WILL BE MAILED TOMORROW MORNING, FIRST THING. WE WERE DSNDING ON THE ARR, TOLD TO CROSS PYRAT AT 15000 FT, FO'S LEG. DO328 VMO IS 270 KIAS. HE WAS DSNDING IN A CONSTANT AIRSPD DSCNT AT 265 KTS ON THE AUTOPLT. AS WE DSNDED, WE RAN INTO A BIT OF CLR AIR TURB, LIGHT TURB. THE AIRSPD JUMPED TO 269 KTS BECAUSE THE AUTOPLT HAS A GLITCH AND WILL NOT THROW THE ACFT AROUND TO MAINTAIN SPD. I POINTED THIS OUT TO THE FO WHO IGNORED MY CALLOUT. MORE TURB, 267 KTS, 268 KTS, 269 KTS. I CALLED AIRSPD AT 268 KTS, MORE TURB, AIRSPD PEAKED AT 273 KTS FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS. NO CORRECTIVE ACTION BY THE FO. I WAS DUMBFOUNDED. WE WERE ISSUED FURTHER DSCNT. I ASKED HIM TO PULL THE SPD BACK. HE VERY SIMPLY SAID, 'WHERE DO YOU WANT IT?' I SAID 'SOMEWHERE WHERE THERE IS NO OVERSPD POSSIBILITY.' I WAS MAD! AFTER WE LANDED, I TOOK A WALK TO CALM DOWN. I CAME BACK TO THE ACFT AND CONFRONTED THE FO. HE WAS VERY NONCHALANT STILL. HE SAID 'I DIDN'T OVERSPD IT, THE AUTOPLT DID.' THIS ATTITUDE IS DANGEROUS AND IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THAT THE PUBLIC WILL SOON BE EXPOSED TO THIS GUY AS A CAPT. GUESS WHAT GENIUS, THE AUTOPLT CAN CRASH YOU ALSO! SO NOW MY DILEMMA, AS A CREW MEMBER, I FELT I DID MY JOB AND AM CLEAN HERE. HERE IS THE DILEMMA, WHEN YOU OVERSPD THE FLAPS ON A DO328, YOU GET A CAUTION MESSAGE. THE COMPANY QRH DIRECTS YOU TO WRITE THE ACFT UP. IT HAPPENS FROM TIME TO TIME. RECENTLY OUR POI TRIED TO VIOLATE SOME OF OUR CAPTS FOR ACCIDENTAL OVERSPDS USING FLT DATA RECORDER DATA! HE SAID THE PLTS VIOLATED 91.9, OPERATING IN EXCEEDANCE OF A LIMITATION, EVEN THOUGH IT HAPPENED IN TURB JUST LIKE OUR OVERSPD. NOW OUR OVERSPD, DID NOT GENERATE A CAUTION MESSAGE, SO THERE IS NO QRH DIRECTION. I DO NOT THINK OR BELIEVE A 3 KT OVERSPD IS A MECHANICAL IRREGULARITY AS STATED UNDER 121.563. THE AIRPLANE WORKED FINE, NOTHING WAS WRONG THAT LED TO THE OVERSPD. THAT BEING SAID I DIDN'T WRITE THE ACFT UP CONSIDERING THERE IS NO DIRECTION TO DO SO IN OUR QRH OR OPS MANUALS. ALSO CONSIDER THAT EVEN THOUGH I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS A MECHANICAL IRREGULARITY, JUST 2 MONTHS AGO I WOULD HAVE HAD THE ACFT AT LEAST INSPECTED. HOWEVER, WE WERE CAUTIONED BY OUR UNION, ANY FURTHER FLAP OVERSPDS WOULD RESULT IN VIOLATIONS, ACCIDENTAL OR NOT. EVEN THOUGH THIS IS NOT A FLAP OVERSPD, I DO NOT WANT TO BAIT THE POI INTO VIOLATING ME. THIS IS A VERY UNFORTUNATE SIT BECAUSE HE IS ASKING US TO WEIGH DOING THE PROPER THING OR PROTECTING OURSELVES. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME TONIGHT, AND EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO PREVENT IT, IT WAS STILL AN ACCIDENT ALT OVERSPD. AS UNPROFESSIONAL AS HE WAS, HE DIDN'T MEAN TO OVERSPD THE AIRPLANE.

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.