Narrative:

I was captain of our flight, however my first officer was the pilot flying on this leg. We taxied for departure at sch. Upon arriving at runway 28) we switched to tower frequency and called ready. He told us 'taxi into position and hold, awaiting IFR release.' I read back the clearance, we began our line up checks and proceeded to taxi into position. We had just crossed the hold short line with the nose of the airplane when we noticed a single engine cessna in a position that suggested he was about to turn a close in left base. We stopped the airplane so that we could see what he was up too. I was just about to ask the tower about him, but he called me first and asked if we were having any trouble. I told him that we weren't, but we were unsure of the cessna and that we wanted to be certain that he was not going to land on us. The controller became very rude and said 'your instructions are to taxi into position and hold. If you were more aware of your environment you'd know that he was extending his downwind.' I simply replied that we were only trying to be safe. When I arrived home, I called him to clear the air. He was still very rude and seemed to take it personally that we had questioned the situation. I asked him if he expected us to 'blindly follow instructions even if we felt that our lives could be in danger.' and he said 'yes.' as it turns out, there was never a conflict, but we didn't want to turn our backs on this potential conflict when we had such an open ended clearance. We didn't know how long we'd be sitting on that runway. I believe that we acted with the best interest of safety in mind. I do not believe this controller acted appropriately at all. We are all on the same team. If he questions something that appears unsafe, I'd believe it. I can only hope for the same in return. Callback with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicated the traffic was a single engine cessna. The reporter was concerned he would be taxiing into the landing traffic. When the captain called the tower later, he asked to talk to the supervisor on duty. The same controller answered the telephone and stated that 'I guess I'm the supervisor.' it was evident to the captain that the controller was alone in the tower and was handling all of the different control positions. The controller's attitude had not changed in the ensuing hours since the initial 'run in' with the controller.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC WAS GIVEN 'POS AND HOLD' CLRNC. THEY SAW A SINGLE ENGINE CESSNA IN A TIGHT LT. PATTERN, AND DID NOT ACCEPT THE CLRNC BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE CONFLICT WITH THE LNDG TFC.

Narrative: I WAS CAPT OF OUR FLT, HOWEVER MY FO WAS THE PLT FLYING ON THIS LEG. WE TAXIED FOR DEP AT SCH. UPON ARRIVING AT RWY 28) WE SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ AND CALLED READY. HE TOLD US 'TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD, AWAITING IFR RELEASE.' I READ BACK THE CLRNC, WE BEGAN OUR LINE UP CHECKS AND PROCEEDED TO TAXI INTO POSITION. WE HAD JUST CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE WHEN WE NOTICED A SINGLE ENGINE CESSNA IN A POSITION THAT SUGGESTED HE WAS ABOUT TO TURN A CLOSE IN L BASE. WE STOPPED THE AIRPLANE SO THAT WE COULD SEE WHAT HE WAS UP TOO. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO ASK THE TWR ABOUT HIM, BUT HE CALLED ME FIRST AND ASKED IF WE WERE HAVING ANY TROUBLE. I TOLD HIM THAT WE WEREN'T, BUT WE WERE UNSURE OF THE CESSNA AND THAT WE WANTED TO BE CERTAIN THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO LAND ON US. THE CTLR BECAME VERY RUDE AND SAID 'YOUR INSTRUCTIONS ARE TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. IF YOU WERE MORE AWARE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT YOU'D KNOW THAT HE WAS EXTENDING HIS DOWNWIND.' I SIMPLY REPLIED THAT WE WERE ONLY TRYING TO BE SAFE. WHEN I ARRIVED HOME, I CALLED HIM TO CLR THE AIR. HE WAS STILL VERY RUDE AND SEEMED TO TAKE IT PERSONALLY THAT WE HAD QUESTIONED THE SIT. I ASKED HIM IF HE EXPECTED US TO 'BLINDLY FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS EVEN IF WE FELT THAT OUR LIVES COULD BE IN DANGER.' AND HE SAID 'YES.' AS IT TURNS OUT, THERE WAS NEVER A CONFLICT, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT TO TURN OUR BACKS ON THIS POTENTIAL CONFLICT WHEN WE HAD SUCH AN OPEN ENDED CLRNC. WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG WE'D BE SITTING ON THAT RWY. I BELIEVE THAT WE ACTED WITH THE BEST INTEREST OF SAFETY IN MIND. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS CTLR ACTED APPROPRIATELY AT ALL. WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM. IF HE QUESTIONS SOMETHING THAT APPEARS UNSAFE, I'D BELIEVE IT. I CAN ONLY HOPE FOR THE SAME IN RETURN. CALLBACK WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THE TFC WAS A SINGLE ENGINE CESSNA. THE RPTR WAS CONCERNED HE WOULD BE TAXIING INTO THE LNDG TFC. WHEN THE CAPT CALLED THE TWR LATER, HE ASKED TO TALK TO THE SUPVR ON DUTY. THE SAME CTLR ANSWERED THE TELEPHONE AND STATED THAT 'I GUESS I'M THE SUPVR.' IT WAS EVIDENT TO THE CAPT THAT THE CTLR WAS ALONE IN THE TWR AND WAS HANDLING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT CTL POSITIONS. THE CTLR'S ATTITUDE HAD NOT CHANGED IN THE ENSUING HRS SINCE THE INITIAL 'RUN IN' WITH THE CTLR.

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.