Narrative:

I was captain of a flight from ZZZ to boi on jan/wed/04. Upon initial flight planning I saw a write-up on the aircraft concerning a fan blade on the #2 engine having a fan tip curl along with abraidable damage. It was deferred but the abraided material had to be repaired within 5 cycles. The deferral stated that the tip curl was within tolerance. Upon the plane's arrival, I was debriefed by the inbound captain who flew it in on a ferry flight from las. He stated that the damage had been found in las vegas and they suspected that it had been sustained on its flight from ZZZ1 to ZZZ2 due to the heavy icing that ZZZ2 and ZZZ3 were experiencing the last 2 days. (His speculation.) maintenance had been notified and they had local contract maintenance do a check on the fan tip and a temporary repair on the abraided material that night. ZZZ2 maintenance then signed it off and had these pilots ferry the flight to ZZZ the next morning for us to pick up. He stated that the engine had a weird humming noise but otherwise ok. The first officer and I, along with a mechanic, went out to look at the #2 engine. The tip had a very pronounced curl, in fact the most I've ever seen on an engine. On the bottom edge of the cowl, right in line with the tip curl was the area where the abraided material had been torn away, and repaired. I asked if icing could have caused this damage and she scoffed at me saying 'no.' I was uncomfortable with this and since I was flying into an area of freezing fog and rain, I decided to call dispatch. I called dispatch. I told him the situation and conferred with him about the WX, and while ZZZ1 and ZZZ2 were getting the brunt of the icing, he couldn't rule out I would not be in icing precipitation. The boi WX was reporting 1/2 mi visibility in snow and mist, temperature and dewpoint -1 degree/-1 degree. I was concerned about this engine being a magnet to picking up ice with that bent tip and the abraided material, and asked if they could get me another airplane. He said if I refused it he would refuse it and they would get me a better plane. I said I wasn't adverse to flying it in good WX, but into a mountainous airport with low IFR conditions and an alternate (twf) not much better, I would refuse it. He agreed and this was done. I put a write-up in the logbook stating why I refused it, basically concerns with the fan tip icing up and possibly causing more damage to the engine. Both the dispatcher and I agreed it was better to not take it into a non maintenance station such as boi and having a crew stuck with an unfixable aircraft. I called air carrier zone and explained and they agreed with me and said they'd work on getting us another gate and plane. I debriefed my crew who all agreed with me. Once again she scoffed at me and proceeded to try and educate me about the deferral. I calmly listened but stated that I was uncomfortable with it and dispatch and I had refused the aircraft, it was in the book and now it was her problem. She was not satisfied with this and then proceeded to start demanding why I was refusing a perfectly legal, safe airplane. I again told her and she said that the fan tip being curled would not attract ice and that maintenance would not give me an unsafe airplane. Obviously she was on an agenda, and started talking about the pilots who had made the original write-up the night before in las had put 2 write-ups on 1 coupon and that was illegal and maintenance was doing to investigate that. I said, 'well, it might have been written up wrong, but you signed it off and are trying to tell me it's legal?' she was trying to get me into an argument with her and I refused to do it. Finally, I asked her if she was questioning my authority/authorized to turn down an airplane. She said, 'absolutely not, but I was told to come down to instruct you (me) and this deferral.' I was not mad and felt like I was being intimidated and coerced into flying this aircraft. I have 25 yrs flying experience, 15 yrs at air carrier X and 7 yrs as a captain on the B737. I have had an engine failure on this aircraft before and I sure don't need to be lectured by a maintenance supervisor on what is legal and safe to fly. Her attitude was condescending and rude, very antagonistic towards me, certainly not respectful of a captain's final authority/authorized towards accepting an aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 CAPT REFUSED ACFT DUE TO #2 ENG ONE BLADE TIP CURL AND DAMAGED ABRAIDABLE MATERIAL. WX FACTORS AFFECTED DECISION.

Narrative: I WAS CAPT OF A FLT FROM ZZZ TO BOI ON JAN/WED/04. UPON INITIAL FLT PLANNING I SAW A WRITE-UP ON THE ACFT CONCERNING A FAN BLADE ON THE #2 ENG HAVING A FAN TIP CURL ALONG WITH ABRAIDABLE DAMAGE. IT WAS DEFERRED BUT THE ABRAIDED MATERIAL HAD TO BE REPAIRED WITHIN 5 CYCLES. THE DEFERRAL STATED THAT THE TIP CURL WAS WITHIN TOLERANCE. UPON THE PLANE'S ARR, I WAS DEBRIEFED BY THE INBOUND CAPT WHO FLEW IT IN ON A FERRY FLT FROM LAS. HE STATED THAT THE DAMAGE HAD BEEN FOUND IN LAS VEGAS AND THEY SUSPECTED THAT IT HAD BEEN SUSTAINED ON ITS FLT FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2 DUE TO THE HVY ICING THAT ZZZ2 AND ZZZ3 WERE EXPERIENCING THE LAST 2 DAYS. (HIS SPECULATION.) MAINT HAD BEEN NOTIFIED AND THEY HAD LCL CONTRACT MAINT DO A CHK ON THE FAN TIP AND A TEMPORARY REPAIR ON THE ABRAIDED MATERIAL THAT NIGHT. ZZZ2 MAINT THEN SIGNED IT OFF AND HAD THESE PLTS FERRY THE FLT TO ZZZ THE NEXT MORNING FOR US TO PICK UP. HE STATED THAT THE ENG HAD A WEIRD HUMMING NOISE BUT OTHERWISE OK. THE FO AND I, ALONG WITH A MECH, WENT OUT TO LOOK AT THE #2 ENG. THE TIP HAD A VERY PRONOUNCED CURL, IN FACT THE MOST I'VE EVER SEEN ON AN ENG. ON THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE COWL, RIGHT IN LINE WITH THE TIP CURL WAS THE AREA WHERE THE ABRAIDED MATERIAL HAD BEEN TORN AWAY, AND REPAIRED. I ASKED IF ICING COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS DAMAGE AND SHE SCOFFED AT ME SAYING 'NO.' I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS AND SINCE I WAS FLYING INTO AN AREA OF FREEZING FOG AND RAIN, I DECIDED TO CALL DISPATCH. I CALLED DISPATCH. I TOLD HIM THE SIT AND CONFERRED WITH HIM ABOUT THE WX, AND WHILE ZZZ1 AND ZZZ2 WERE GETTING THE BRUNT OF THE ICING, HE COULDN'T RULE OUT I WOULD NOT BE IN ICING PRECIP. THE BOI WX WAS RPTING 1/2 MI VISIBILITY IN SNOW AND MIST, TEMP AND DEWPOINT -1 DEG/-1 DEG. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ENG BEING A MAGNET TO PICKING UP ICE WITH THAT BENT TIP AND THE ABRAIDED MATERIAL, AND ASKED IF THEY COULD GET ME ANOTHER AIRPLANE. HE SAID IF I REFUSED IT HE WOULD REFUSE IT AND THEY WOULD GET ME A BETTER PLANE. I SAID I WASN'T ADVERSE TO FLYING IT IN GOOD WX, BUT INTO A MOUNTAINOUS ARPT WITH LOW IFR CONDITIONS AND AN ALTERNATE (TWF) NOT MUCH BETTER, I WOULD REFUSE IT. HE AGREED AND THIS WAS DONE. I PUT A WRITE-UP IN THE LOGBOOK STATING WHY I REFUSED IT, BASICALLY CONCERNS WITH THE FAN TIP ICING UP AND POSSIBLY CAUSING MORE DAMAGE TO THE ENG. BOTH THE DISPATCHER AND I AGREED IT WAS BETTER TO NOT TAKE IT INTO A NON MAINT STATION SUCH AS BOI AND HAVING A CREW STUCK WITH AN UNFIXABLE ACFT. I CALLED ACR ZONE AND EXPLAINED AND THEY AGREED WITH ME AND SAID THEY'D WORK ON GETTING US ANOTHER GATE AND PLANE. I DEBRIEFED MY CREW WHO ALL AGREED WITH ME. ONCE AGAIN SHE SCOFFED AT ME AND PROCEEDED TO TRY AND EDUCATE ME ABOUT THE DEFERRAL. I CALMLY LISTENED BUT STATED THAT I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT AND DISPATCH AND I HAD REFUSED THE ACFT, IT WAS IN THE BOOK AND NOW IT WAS HER PROB. SHE WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS AND THEN PROCEEDED TO START DEMANDING WHY I WAS REFUSING A PERFECTLY LEGAL, SAFE AIRPLANE. I AGAIN TOLD HER AND SHE SAID THAT THE FAN TIP BEING CURLED WOULD NOT ATTRACT ICE AND THAT MAINT WOULD NOT GIVE ME AN UNSAFE AIRPLANE. OBVIOUSLY SHE WAS ON AN AGENDA, AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE PLTS WHO HAD MADE THE ORIGINAL WRITE-UP THE NIGHT BEFORE IN LAS HAD PUT 2 WRITE-UPS ON 1 COUPON AND THAT WAS ILLEGAL AND MAINT WAS DOING TO INVESTIGATE THAT. I SAID, 'WELL, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN UP WRONG, BUT YOU SIGNED IT OFF AND ARE TRYING TO TELL ME IT'S LEGAL?' SHE WAS TRYING TO GET ME INTO AN ARGUMENT WITH HER AND I REFUSED TO DO IT. FINALLY, I ASKED HER IF SHE WAS QUESTIONING MY AUTH TO TURN DOWN AN AIRPLANE. SHE SAID, 'ABSOLUTELY NOT, BUT I WAS TOLD TO COME DOWN TO INSTRUCT YOU (ME) AND THIS DEFERRAL.' I WAS NOT MAD AND FELT LIKE I WAS BEING INTIMIDATED AND COERCED INTO FLYING THIS ACFT. I HAVE 25 YRS FLYING EXPERIENCE, 15 YRS AT ACR X AND 7 YRS AS A CAPT ON THE B737. I HAVE HAD AN ENG FAILURE ON THIS ACFT BEFORE AND I SURE DON'T NEED TO BE LECTURED BY A MAINT SUPVR ON WHAT IS LEGAL AND SAFE TO FLY. HER ATTITUDE WAS CONDESCENDING AND RUDE, VERY ANTAGONISTIC TOWARDS ME, CERTAINLY NOT RESPECTFUL OF A CAPT'S FINAL AUTH TOWARDS ACCEPTING AN ACFT.

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.