Narrative:

On the outbound flight from den, I was the PNF. In the climb to FL390, the captain exceeded SOP's for the climb air speed and even though I requested that he slow the aircraft to normal climb speed, he refused. I felt that we had buffeted slightly and had a vibration that was sustained over a 5-10 min period during the climb and that the speed was at or near barber pole. During the climb, I told the captain that he was going way too fast and his response was to smile at me and jerk the yoke back and forth. This was while I was feeling the aircraft vibrate. On bringing the vibration to his attention, he denied that there was any vibration or buffeting and continued to operate at a speed that was at or near barber pole. After reaching climb, ATC gave us an airspeed of .80 mach for traffic and, in spite of this, the captain continued to operate at a speed in excess of .80 mach. When ATC contacted me and asked what our speed was, I asked the captain, 'what do you want me to tell them?' he directed me to tell them .80 mach and I complied. I heard the controller say, 'wow.' the controller then asked the flight we were following, 'can you maintain .80 mach?' that captain responded, 'no, we can't...our maximum speed is .79 mach.' the controller then instructed us to maintain .79 or less for traffic. The captain disregarded this and kept flying at more than .80 mach for another 15 mins during which I reminded him twice of the .79 mach directive. Finally, he did slow to .79 mach. After landing, the captain refused to do the shutdown checklist saying, 'all my stuff's off, do the checklist silently.' I challenged him and he repeated his directive. I read the checklist aloud. I was the first off the aircraft, and I immediately went to call chief pilot. I reported to him that I believed we had experienced an overspd, slight buffeting and a vibration in the climb, and that the captain had refused to comply with ATC speed restrs. The chief pilot advised me to ask the captain if he was willing to write up the overspd and that if the captain refused, then the blame would be on the captain. I expressed to chief pilot my concern about flying the return trip with this captain in this aircraft. Chief pilot asked me if the clacker had gone off, and I informed him that it had not. The chief pilot then advised me that I had no grounds to refuse to fly the aircraft back with this captain. I did ask the captain if he would write up the overspd, and he refused and told me that there had been no vibration. On the return flight, I was the PF and the captain wanted me to climb out at .80 mach, and I wanted to climb out at 'econ' speed per SOP's. The captain required that I use maximum airspeed in the climb. Captain reached up and put in .80 mach for the climb, and I proceeded to tell him that I wanted to fly the aircraft in accordance with SOP's, and I wanted to climb out at 'econ' speed. Captain told me that I 'was being a big baby...just fly it the way I want you to fly it.' I queried captain twice about switching to 'econ' speed once reaching FL410, advising him that we had 64 KTS on the tail and we're ahead of schedule, and there's no reason to speed. The captain allowed me to go to 'econ' speed at FL410. Just before reaching FL410, I reached out and punched in 'econ' speed for the remainder of the trip. On descent, we were cleared at the captain's request of ATC direct. In spite of receiving these clrncs, captain punched into the FMC a fix south of our destination. After twice telling captain that we had been cleared direct another point and being ignored by him, I programmed the FMC myself for direct our original point and, ultimately, we came in on a visual approach. The captain's offensive, harassing, and intimidating behavior began at the start of the trip while we were in the cockpit getting ready to depart. We'd been discussing the trips for the next month, and I said I didn't want to fly to X, but that he could fly there. Without even looking at me, he gave me the finger. Then he made the comment, 'look at that guy over there with his feet up on the tug doing nothing.' captain is an ffdo. In his briefing to me, he told me that if something happened, I was to fly the aircraft and call ATC and tell them we had a problem while he would use his weapon to 'blow parts of them all over the wall!' finally, when we had gotten the final numbers and I started working on them, he asked me what I was doing. He told me, 'it's all done. You don't need to do that.' I asked him if he didn't want the new numbers figured into the plan, and he said, 'what're you afraid, we're gonna die?' I finished the paperwork and put it in the folder. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter advised the captain in question as well as his non SOP operating style is well known to his company. He further advised the individual is within a week of mandatory retirement. The reporter stated he is alarmed that such an individual could be trained and certified as an ffdo notwithstanding the battery of psychological testing required to do so. The reporter feels the captain is very clever and easily manipulates his mode of operation to suit the requirements of whatever evaluation is being made, ie, line checks, proficiency checks, etc.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO OF B737-800 EXPERIENCES BREAKDOWN OF CREW COORD WITH THE CAPT WHO FAILED TO COMPLY WITH ATC CLRNCS, COMPANY SOP'S, AND WAS VERBALLY ABUSIVE.

Narrative: ON THE OUTBOUND FLT FROM DEN, I WAS THE PNF. IN THE CLB TO FL390, THE CAPT EXCEEDED SOP'S FOR THE CLB AIR SPD AND EVEN THOUGH I REQUESTED THAT HE SLOW THE ACFT TO NORMAL CLB SPD, HE REFUSED. I FELT THAT WE HAD BUFFETED SLIGHTLY AND HAD A VIBRATION THAT WAS SUSTAINED OVER A 5-10 MIN PERIOD DURING THE CLB AND THAT THE SPD WAS AT OR NEAR BARBER POLE. DURING THE CLB, I TOLD THE CAPT THAT HE WAS GOING WAY TOO FAST AND HIS RESPONSE WAS TO SMILE AT ME AND JERK THE YOKE BACK AND FORTH. THIS WAS WHILE I WAS FEELING THE ACFT VIBRATE. ON BRINGING THE VIBRATION TO HIS ATTN, HE DENIED THAT THERE WAS ANY VIBRATION OR BUFFETING AND CONTINUED TO OPERATE AT A SPD THAT WAS AT OR NEAR BARBER POLE. AFTER REACHING CLB, ATC GAVE US AN AIRSPD OF .80 MACH FOR TFC AND, IN SPITE OF THIS, THE CAPT CONTINUED TO OPERATE AT A SPD IN EXCESS OF .80 MACH. WHEN ATC CONTACTED ME AND ASKED WHAT OUR SPD WAS, I ASKED THE CAPT, 'WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL THEM?' HE DIRECTED ME TO TELL THEM .80 MACH AND I COMPLIED. I HEARD THE CTLR SAY, 'WOW.' THE CTLR THEN ASKED THE FLT WE WERE FOLLOWING, 'CAN YOU MAINTAIN .80 MACH?' THAT CAPT RESPONDED, 'NO, WE CAN'T...OUR MAX SPD IS .79 MACH.' THE CTLR THEN INSTRUCTED US TO MAINTAIN .79 OR LESS FOR TFC. THE CAPT DISREGARDED THIS AND KEPT FLYING AT MORE THAN .80 MACH FOR ANOTHER 15 MINS DURING WHICH I REMINDED HIM TWICE OF THE .79 MACH DIRECTIVE. FINALLY, HE DID SLOW TO .79 MACH. AFTER LNDG, THE CAPT REFUSED TO DO THE SHUTDOWN CHKLIST SAYING, 'ALL MY STUFF'S OFF, DO THE CHKLIST SILENTLY.' I CHALLENGED HIM AND HE REPEATED HIS DIRECTIVE. I READ THE CHKLIST ALOUD. I WAS THE FIRST OFF THE ACFT, AND I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO CALL CHIEF PLT. I RPTED TO HIM THAT I BELIEVED WE HAD EXPERIENCED AN OVERSPD, SLIGHT BUFFETING AND A VIBRATION IN THE CLB, AND THAT THE CAPT HAD REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH ATC SPD RESTRS. THE CHIEF PLT ADVISED ME TO ASK THE CAPT IF HE WAS WILLING TO WRITE UP THE OVERSPD AND THAT IF THE CAPT REFUSED, THEN THE BLAME WOULD BE ON THE CAPT. I EXPRESSED TO CHIEF PLT MY CONCERN ABOUT FLYING THE RETURN TRIP WITH THIS CAPT IN THIS ACFT. CHIEF PLT ASKED ME IF THE CLACKER HAD GONE OFF, AND I INFORMED HIM THAT IT HAD NOT. THE CHIEF PLT THEN ADVISED ME THAT I HAD NO GNDS TO REFUSE TO FLY THE ACFT BACK WITH THIS CAPT. I DID ASK THE CAPT IF HE WOULD WRITE UP THE OVERSPD, AND HE REFUSED AND TOLD ME THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO VIBRATION. ON THE RETURN FLT, I WAS THE PF AND THE CAPT WANTED ME TO CLB OUT AT .80 MACH, AND I WANTED TO CLB OUT AT 'ECON' SPD PER SOP'S. THE CAPT REQUIRED THAT I USE MAX AIRSPD IN THE CLB. CAPT REACHED UP AND PUT IN .80 MACH FOR THE CLB, AND I PROCEEDED TO TELL HIM THAT I WANTED TO FLY THE ACFT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SOP'S, AND I WANTED TO CLB OUT AT 'ECON' SPD. CAPT TOLD ME THAT I 'WAS BEING A BIG BABY...JUST FLY IT THE WAY I WANT YOU TO FLY IT.' I QUERIED CAPT TWICE ABOUT SWITCHING TO 'ECON' SPD ONCE REACHING FL410, ADVISING HIM THAT WE HAD 64 KTS ON THE TAIL AND WE'RE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, AND THERE'S NO REASON TO SPD. THE CAPT ALLOWED ME TO GO TO 'ECON' SPD AT FL410. JUST BEFORE REACHING FL410, I REACHED OUT AND PUNCHED IN 'ECON' SPD FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP. ON DSCNT, WE WERE CLRED AT THE CAPT'S REQUEST OF ATC DIRECT. IN SPITE OF RECEIVING THESE CLRNCS, CAPT PUNCHED INTO THE FMC A FIX S OF OUR DEST. AFTER TWICE TELLING CAPT THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED DIRECT ANOTHER POINT AND BEING IGNORED BY HIM, I PROGRAMMED THE FMC MYSELF FOR DIRECT OUR ORIGINAL POINT AND, ULTIMATELY, WE CAME IN ON A VISUAL APCH. THE CAPT'S OFFENSIVE, HARASSING, AND INTIMIDATING BEHAVIOR BEGAN AT THE START OF THE TRIP WHILE WE WERE IN THE COCKPIT GETTING READY TO DEPART. WE'D BEEN DISCUSSING THE TRIPS FOR THE NEXT MONTH, AND I SAID I DIDN'T WANT TO FLY TO X, BUT THAT HE COULD FLY THERE. WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT ME, HE GAVE ME THE FINGER. THEN HE MADE THE COMMENT, 'LOOK AT THAT GUY OVER THERE WITH HIS FEET UP ON THE TUG DOING NOTHING.' CAPT IS AN FFDO. IN HIS BRIEFING TO ME, HE TOLD ME THAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED, I WAS TO FLY THE ACFT AND CALL ATC AND TELL THEM WE HAD A PROB WHILE HE WOULD USE HIS WEAPON TO 'BLOW PARTS OF THEM ALL OVER THE WALL!' FINALLY, WHEN WE HAD GOTTEN THE FINAL NUMBERS AND I STARTED WORKING ON THEM, HE ASKED ME WHAT I WAS DOING. HE TOLD ME, 'IT'S ALL DONE. YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THAT.' I ASKED HIM IF HE DIDN'T WANT THE NEW NUMBERS FIGURED INTO THE PLAN, AND HE SAID, 'WHAT'RE YOU AFRAID, WE'RE GONNA DIE?' I FINISHED THE PAPERWORK AND PUT IT IN THE FOLDER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ADVISED THE CAPT IN QUESTION AS WELL AS HIS NON SOP OPERATING STYLE IS WELL KNOWN TO HIS COMPANY. HE FURTHER ADVISED THE INDIVIDUAL IS WITHIN A WK OF MANDATORY RETIREMENT. THE RPTR STATED HE IS ALARMED THAT SUCH AN INDIVIDUAL COULD BE TRAINED AND CERTIFIED AS AN FFDO NOTWITHSTANDING THE BATTERY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING REQUIRED TO DO SO. THE RPTR FEELS THE CAPT IS VERY CLEVER AND EASILY MANIPULATES HIS MODE OF OP TO SUIT THE REQUIREMENTS OF WHATEVER EVALUATION IS BEING MADE, IE, LINE CHKS, PROFICIENCY CHKS, ETC.

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.