Narrative:

First officer tray table tilt locking mechanism broke on inbound flight to den. In den; mechanic came to cockpit to tape the table closed and defer the write-up. I informed him and the captain that I needed the table to fly; that I had been on the airplane for over 5 yrs and had become dependent on using the table for balance and to hold my flight paperwork which include charts and approach plates. And that a change in the cockpit confign such as this introduces as unknown that could become a safety factor of which I was uncomfortable to explore. Mechanic said they don't stock the part in den because the taxes are too high. A manager called from the flight office. I explained my safety concerns. He said they do stock the part; but they were out of it right now and can't fix the aircraft. He said the company really needs to get the airplane and passenger to ZZZ and began pressuring me to take the airplane. With no resolve he instructed me to call a flight manager. Some mechanics came and took over the cockpit and would not talk to me or the captain. While we were trying to find out what was going on; the flight manager called. He talked to the captain then me. He wanted to know my story; I told him. He said that if I didn't take the aircraft he would pull me off the trip. I asked if I would be paid for my lost flying and he said 'no.' I told him that I thought this was unfair and that I was being penalized for being concerned about safety. We then worked out an agreement that if the airplane could not be fixed then; the captain would do all the flying and I would do only PNF duties. I told him I would call him back when I found out what maintenance was doing. Captain called and found out that maintenance was pulling a tray table off a broken aircraft and that they had already removed our broken one and that a replacement first officer was on the way. At the same time passenger were coming down the jetway. Since I could not be in the cockpit; I stood in the jetway. The first passenger that came down asked me if I was the pilot that refused to fly the airplane because I didn't have a tray table. I told him that it was true but it was a little more complicated than that. He said that he had figured so. I asked him how he knew and he said that the passenger agent had made the announcement to the passenger in the gate area. Outraged that now the professional pilot is being judged and belittled by a passenger agent to our customers I proceeded to the gate area. As I approached the counter the passenger agent looked at me; I gestured at him to come away from the counter; saying 'I need to talk to you.' he replied in a very loud and aggressive manner in front of a counter full of passenger 'I am not going to talk to you.' I said; 'we can discuss this privately or in front of the customers; your choice.' again; very loud; with the obvious intent to be heard; 'I am not going to talk to you.' approaching him; I pointed my finger and said 'you had no right to say what you said to the passenger.' again loudly he said; 'don't point your finger at me; I'll break it off; I will knock your head off!' being much larger than me; he probably could have. Startled by what had just happened; I realized that he wanted to make a scene for some reason. To end the exchange I gave him permission to 'knock my head off' and even presented him with a much unprotected chin. Appalled at what had just happened; and with the stress created by the pressure from the flight office; I was in no condition to fly. I called the flight manager and told him that the cockpit was torn apart because maintenance was in the middle of replacing the tray table. I also briefed him on what had happened with passenger agent and that my blood pressure was probably a little too high to fly right now. He responded with 'my most important issue is to get that plane and those passenger to ZZZ. I am replacing you with another first officer; you and your flight office can work out the rest.' I packed up my bags and left the plane. 15 mins later the flight blocked out.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BROKEN FO TRAY TABLE DETERIORATES INTO MAINT DELAY; PHYSICAL CONFRONTATIONS; AND REMOVAL OF FO FROM HIS SCHEDULED A320 FLT.

Narrative: FO TRAY TABLE TILT LOCKING MECHANISM BROKE ON INBOUND FLT TO DEN. IN DEN; MECH CAME TO COCKPIT TO TAPE THE TABLE CLOSED AND DEFER THE WRITE-UP. I INFORMED HIM AND THE CAPT THAT I NEEDED THE TABLE TO FLY; THAT I HAD BEEN ON THE AIRPLANE FOR OVER 5 YRS AND HAD BECOME DEPENDENT ON USING THE TABLE FOR BAL AND TO HOLD MY FLT PAPERWORK WHICH INCLUDE CHARTS AND APCH PLATES. AND THAT A CHANGE IN THE COCKPIT CONFIGN SUCH AS THIS INTRODUCES AS UNKNOWN THAT COULD BECOME A SAFETY FACTOR OF WHICH I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE TO EXPLORE. MECH SAID THEY DON'T STOCK THE PART IN DEN BECAUSE THE TAXES ARE TOO HIGH. A MGR CALLED FROM THE FLT OFFICE. I EXPLAINED MY SAFETY CONCERNS. HE SAID THEY DO STOCK THE PART; BUT THEY WERE OUT OF IT RIGHT NOW AND CAN'T FIX THE ACFT. HE SAID THE COMPANY REALLY NEEDS TO GET THE AIRPLANE AND PAX TO ZZZ AND BEGAN PRESSURING ME TO TAKE THE AIRPLANE. WITH NO RESOLVE HE INSTRUCTED ME TO CALL A FLT MGR. SOME MECHS CAME AND TOOK OVER THE COCKPIT AND WOULD NOT TALK TO ME OR THE CAPT. WHILE WE WERE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON; THE FLT MGR CALLED. HE TALKED TO THE CAPT THEN ME. HE WANTED TO KNOW MY STORY; I TOLD HIM. HE SAID THAT IF I DIDN'T TAKE THE ACFT HE WOULD PULL ME OFF THE TRIP. I ASKED IF I WOULD BE PAID FOR MY LOST FLYING AND HE SAID 'NO.' I TOLD HIM THAT I THOUGHT THIS WAS UNFAIR AND THAT I WAS BEING PENALIZED FOR BEING CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY. WE THEN WORKED OUT AN AGREEMENT THAT IF THE AIRPLANE COULD NOT BE FIXED THEN; THE CAPT WOULD DO ALL THE FLYING AND I WOULD DO ONLY PNF DUTIES. I TOLD HIM I WOULD CALL HIM BACK WHEN I FOUND OUT WHAT MAINT WAS DOING. CAPT CALLED AND FOUND OUT THAT MAINT WAS PULLING A TRAY TABLE OFF A BROKEN ACFT AND THAT THEY HAD ALREADY REMOVED OUR BROKEN ONE AND THAT A REPLACEMENT FO WAS ON THE WAY. AT THE SAME TIME PAX WERE COMING DOWN THE JETWAY. SINCE I COULD NOT BE IN THE COCKPIT; I STOOD IN THE JETWAY. THE FIRST PAX THAT CAME DOWN ASKED ME IF I WAS THE PLT THAT REFUSED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE A TRAY TABLE. I TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS TRUE BUT IT WAS A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT. HE SAID THAT HE HAD FIGURED SO. I ASKED HIM HOW HE KNEW AND HE SAID THAT THE PAX AGENT HAD MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX IN THE GATE AREA. OUTRAGED THAT NOW THE PROFESSIONAL PLT IS BEING JUDGED AND BELITTLED BY A PAX AGENT TO OUR CUSTOMERS I PROCEEDED TO THE GATE AREA. AS I APCHED THE COUNTER THE PAX AGENT LOOKED AT ME; I GESTURED AT HIM TO COME AWAY FROM THE COUNTER; SAYING 'I NEED TO TALK TO YOU.' HE REPLIED IN A VERY LOUD AND AGGRESSIVE MANNER IN FRONT OF A COUNTER FULL OF PAX 'I AM NOT GOING TO TALK TO YOU.' I SAID; 'WE CAN DISCUSS THIS PRIVATELY OR IN FRONT OF THE CUSTOMERS; YOUR CHOICE.' AGAIN; VERY LOUD; WITH THE OBVIOUS INTENT TO BE HEARD; 'I AM NOT GOING TO TALK TO YOU.' APCHING HIM; I POINTED MY FINGER AND SAID 'YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO SAY WHAT YOU SAID TO THE PAX.' AGAIN LOUDLY HE SAID; 'DON'T POINT YOUR FINGER AT ME; I'LL BREAK IT OFF; I WILL KNOCK YOUR HEAD OFF!' BEING MUCH LARGER THAN ME; HE PROBABLY COULD HAVE. STARTLED BY WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED; I REALIZED THAT HE WANTED TO MAKE A SCENE FOR SOME REASON. TO END THE EXCHANGE I GAVE HIM PERMISSION TO 'KNOCK MY HEAD OFF' AND EVEN PRESENTED HIM WITH A MUCH UNPROTECTED CHIN. APPALLED AT WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED; AND WITH THE STRESS CREATED BY THE PRESSURE FROM THE FLT OFFICE; I WAS IN NO CONDITION TO FLY. I CALLED THE FLT MGR AND TOLD HIM THAT THE COCKPIT WAS TORN APART BECAUSE MAINT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF REPLACING THE TRAY TABLE. I ALSO BRIEFED HIM ON WHAT HAD HAPPENED WITH PAX AGENT AND THAT MY BLOOD PRESSURE WAS PROBABLY A LITTLE TOO HIGH TO FLY RIGHT NOW. HE RESPONDED WITH 'MY MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE IS TO GET THAT PLANE AND THOSE PAX TO ZZZ. I AM REPLACING YOU WITH ANOTHER FO; YOU AND YOUR FLT OFFICE CAN WORK OUT THE REST.' I PACKED UP MY BAGS AND LEFT THE PLANE. 15 MINS LATER THE FLT BLOCKED OUT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.