Narrative:

We arrived in den on flight X at gate Y; which was a last min change from Z. The scheduled turn to ZZZ on the same airplane was scheduled for 46 mins. After saying good-bye to most of the incoming passenger; I told the first officer I was going to run upstairs to flight operations to check the WX radar as the WX was building rapidly. I had been upstairs for less than 5 mins when the scheduler called me to tell me I had a plane change. I immediately returned to gate X and found the outbound flight already boarding with the jetway and airplane full of passenger. When I got to the cockpit the outbound crew was waiting for me to collect my gear. I immediately returned to flight operations and pulled up the papers for the new airplane. I saw the APU was inoperative and that the temperature in ZZZ was 104 degrees and purposely did not sign the dispatch release until I could get with my first officer and discuss the matter with her. I immediately went to the concourse and walked to gate a. Upon arrival at the gate; I found 1 passenger agent waiting at the gate with the door closed. She said; 'we have been waiting for you.' to which I replied; 'I got here as soon as I was told of the change.' I let myself down the jetway and arrived to find the flight attendants complaining to me of the heat and upon a glance at the people in the front rows it was obvious that they were sweating. When I stepped into the cockpit the first officer said; 'you know; the APU is inoperative on this thing?' and I replied; 'yes but why is there no air on it?' she said the ground crew had pulled the ground air off some time ago without asking her and she had instructed them to reconnect it. When I pulled up the system display; the cockpit temperature was 91 degrees and the cabin temperatures were both 88 degrees. The temperature of the incoming air from the ground unit was 88 degrees. I walked out onto the jetway and saw the ground hose was hooked up and inflated. The passenger agent then asked me; 'can I close?' to which I replied; 'no! Do not close the door. We need to get some air on the airplane. I have not even begun to get ready. If we can't get the airplane cooled we are going to have to get the people off the airplane.' I returned to the cockpit. When I stepped back into the cockpit; the first officer volunteered that she had completed the cockpit setup and the additional procedure for ground air start and was ready to start the engine. I asked if they had the ground cart hooked up and she said; 'yes; but there is no pressure.' I then pushed the ground call button and a man answered immediately on the headset. I said; 'we are ready to start #1 so we can get some air conditioning going. It's very hot. Can you give us the air pressure to start?' he replied; 'give me about 1 min? I'll get it going.' I used that time to complete my setup flows; verify the external start additional procedures were complete and discuss the need to confirm with dispatch that ground air was available in ZZZ. About 1 min later; we got the pressure to start and I instructed the first officer to start #1. The engine motored for about 10 seconds and a woman called me from the ground headset with a question; 'what are you doing?' to which I replied; 'we are starting #1 so we can get some air on the airplane.' she then told me; 'the jetway is not pulled back.' I then said; 'I specifically told the passenger agent not to pull it in case we have to get the people off in a hurry.' she then said; 'I'm calling a supervisor!' I then told the first officer to stop the start. (There was zero fuel flow to the engine at this point.) the cockpit temperature was now at 96 degrees and climbing. I said to the first officer; 'this is ridiculous! We're going to get the people off; get it cooled in here; and then start this all over!' when I left the cockpit I was astounded to find the main cabin door closed and locked. I checked to see that it was not yet armed and opened the door. When I stepped onto the jetway the inner jetway doors were closed and I could just barely make out that the passenger agent was standing ready at the jetway controls looking at me. I did not see anyone else as the 2 smaller windows on the inner jetway doors were reflecting the afternoon sunlight making them into mirrors from my vantage point. The safety chain was in place and as I reached down to get it unhooked with my right hand I fumbled with it and then used my left hand to open the inner jetway door. When I opened the door it bumped into another passenger agent; which I could not see until the door had opened. When I stepped into the inner jetway area; the second passenger agent (mr X) said; 'you just hit me with the door!' I replied; 'I'm sorry! But we need to get the people off the airplane -- it's too hot and I can't get the engine started!' to which ms X replied; in a very stern manner; 'we've already called zone and he said not to take the people off!' I stood there for a couple of seconds with my mouth literally wide open in amazement. I finally said again; 'it is over 96 degrees in the airplane; we need to get the people off!' ms X replied calmly; 'we are not taking them off.' I then said; 'then you take responsibility for what happens here!' I returned to the cockpit and directed the first officer to send a message to dispatch refusing the airplane. I gathered my gear and returned to flight operations to confer with a flight manager.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPTAIN REASSIGNED TO AN A320 WITH AN INOPERATIVE APU REFUSES ACFT WHEN HE DISCOVERS ACFT IS FULL OF PAX WITH THE TEMP OVER 100 DEGREES AND ALL GND SUPPORT PERSONNEL UNWILLING TO COOPERATE IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE MEANS TO COOL THE ACFT WHILE PREFLT ACTIVITIES ARE COMPLETED.

Narrative: WE ARRIVED IN DEN ON FLT X AT GATE Y; WHICH WAS A LAST MIN CHANGE FROM Z. THE SCHEDULED TURN TO ZZZ ON THE SAME AIRPLANE WAS SCHEDULED FOR 46 MINS. AFTER SAYING GOOD-BYE TO MOST OF THE INCOMING PAX; I TOLD THE FO I WAS GOING TO RUN UPSTAIRS TO FLT OPS TO CHK THE WX RADAR AS THE WX WAS BUILDING RAPIDLY. I HAD BEEN UPSTAIRS FOR LESS THAN 5 MINS WHEN THE SCHEDULER CALLED ME TO TELL ME I HAD A PLANE CHANGE. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO GATE X AND FOUND THE OUTBOUND FLT ALREADY BOARDING WITH THE JETWAY AND AIRPLANE FULL OF PAX. WHEN I GOT TO THE COCKPIT THE OUTBOUND CREW WAS WAITING FOR ME TO COLLECT MY GEAR. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO FLT OPS AND PULLED UP THE PAPERS FOR THE NEW AIRPLANE. I SAW THE APU WAS INOP AND THAT THE TEMP IN ZZZ WAS 104 DEGS AND PURPOSELY DID NOT SIGN THE DISPATCH RELEASE UNTIL I COULD GET WITH MY FO AND DISCUSS THE MATTER WITH HER. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE CONCOURSE AND WALKED TO GATE A. UPON ARR AT THE GATE; I FOUND 1 PAX AGENT WAITING AT THE GATE WITH THE DOOR CLOSED. SHE SAID; 'WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.' TO WHICH I REPLIED; 'I GOT HERE AS SOON AS I WAS TOLD OF THE CHANGE.' I LET MYSELF DOWN THE JETWAY AND ARRIVED TO FIND THE FLT ATTENDANTS COMPLAINING TO ME OF THE HEAT AND UPON A GLANCE AT THE PEOPLE IN THE FRONT ROWS IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THEY WERE SWEATING. WHEN I STEPPED INTO THE COCKPIT THE FO SAID; 'YOU KNOW; THE APU IS INOP ON THIS THING?' AND I REPLIED; 'YES BUT WHY IS THERE NO AIR ON IT?' SHE SAID THE GND CREW HAD PULLED THE GND AIR OFF SOME TIME AGO WITHOUT ASKING HER AND SHE HAD INSTRUCTED THEM TO RECONNECT IT. WHEN I PULLED UP THE SYS DISPLAY; THE COCKPIT TEMP WAS 91 DEGS AND THE CABIN TEMPS WERE BOTH 88 DEGS. THE TEMP OF THE INCOMING AIR FROM THE GND UNIT WAS 88 DEGS. I WALKED OUT ONTO THE JETWAY AND SAW THE GND HOSE WAS HOOKED UP AND INFLATED. THE PAX AGENT THEN ASKED ME; 'CAN I CLOSE?' TO WHICH I REPLIED; 'NO! DO NOT CLOSE THE DOOR. WE NEED TO GET SOME AIR ON THE AIRPLANE. I HAVE NOT EVEN BEGUN TO GET READY. IF WE CAN'T GET THE AIRPLANE COOLED WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GET THE PEOPLE OFF THE AIRPLANE.' I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. WHEN I STEPPED BACK INTO THE COCKPIT; THE FO VOLUNTEERED THAT SHE HAD COMPLETED THE COCKPIT SETUP AND THE ADDITIONAL PROC FOR GND AIR START AND WAS READY TO START THE ENG. I ASKED IF THEY HAD THE GND CART HOOKED UP AND SHE SAID; 'YES; BUT THERE IS NO PRESSURE.' I THEN PUSHED THE GND CALL BUTTON AND A MAN ANSWERED IMMEDIATELY ON THE HEADSET. I SAID; 'WE ARE READY TO START #1 SO WE CAN GET SOME AIR CONDITIONING GOING. IT'S VERY HOT. CAN YOU GIVE US THE AIR PRESSURE TO START?' HE REPLIED; 'GIVE ME ABOUT 1 MIN? I'LL GET IT GOING.' I USED THAT TIME TO COMPLETE MY SETUP FLOWS; VERIFY THE EXTERNAL START ADDITIONAL PROCS WERE COMPLETE AND DISCUSS THE NEED TO CONFIRM WITH DISPATCH THAT GND AIR WAS AVAILABLE IN ZZZ. ABOUT 1 MIN LATER; WE GOT THE PRESSURE TO START AND I INSTRUCTED THE FO TO START #1. THE ENG MOTORED FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS AND A WOMAN CALLED ME FROM THE GND HEADSET WITH A QUESTION; 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' TO WHICH I REPLIED; 'WE ARE STARTING #1 SO WE CAN GET SOME AIR ON THE AIRPLANE.' SHE THEN TOLD ME; 'THE JETWAY IS NOT PULLED BACK.' I THEN SAID; 'I SPECIFICALLY TOLD THE PAX AGENT NOT TO PULL IT IN CASE WE HAVE TO GET THE PEOPLE OFF IN A HURRY.' SHE THEN SAID; 'I'M CALLING A SUPVR!' I THEN TOLD THE FO TO STOP THE START. (THERE WAS ZERO FUEL FLOW TO THE ENG AT THIS POINT.) THE COCKPIT TEMP WAS NOW AT 96 DEGS AND CLBING. I SAID TO THE FO; 'THIS IS RIDICULOUS! WE'RE GOING TO GET THE PEOPLE OFF; GET IT COOLED IN HERE; AND THEN START THIS ALL OVER!' WHEN I LEFT THE COCKPIT I WAS ASTOUNDED TO FIND THE MAIN CABIN DOOR CLOSED AND LOCKED. I CHKED TO SEE THAT IT WAS NOT YET ARMED AND OPENED THE DOOR. WHEN I STEPPED ONTO THE JETWAY THE INNER JETWAY DOORS WERE CLOSED AND I COULD JUST BARELY MAKE OUT THAT THE PAX AGENT WAS STANDING READY AT THE JETWAY CTLS LOOKING AT ME. I DID NOT SEE ANYONE ELSE AS THE 2 SMALLER WINDOWS ON THE INNER JETWAY DOORS WERE REFLECTING THE AFTERNOON SUNLIGHT MAKING THEM INTO MIRRORS FROM MY VANTAGE POINT. THE SAFETY CHAIN WAS IN PLACE AND AS I REACHED DOWN TO GET IT UNHOOKED WITH MY R HAND I FUMBLED WITH IT AND THEN USED MY L HAND TO OPEN THE INNER JETWAY DOOR. WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR IT BUMPED INTO ANOTHER PAX AGENT; WHICH I COULD NOT SEE UNTIL THE DOOR HAD OPENED. WHEN I STEPPED INTO THE INNER JETWAY AREA; THE SECOND PAX AGENT (MR X) SAID; 'YOU JUST HIT ME WITH THE DOOR!' I REPLIED; 'I'M SORRY! BUT WE NEED TO GET THE PEOPLE OFF THE AIRPLANE -- IT'S TOO HOT AND I CAN'T GET THE ENG STARTED!' TO WHICH MS X REPLIED; IN A VERY STERN MANNER; 'WE'VE ALREADY CALLED ZONE AND HE SAID NOT TO TAKE THE PEOPLE OFF!' I STOOD THERE FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS WITH MY MOUTH LITERALLY WIDE OPEN IN AMAZEMENT. I FINALLY SAID AGAIN; 'IT IS OVER 96 DEGS IN THE AIRPLANE; WE NEED TO GET THE PEOPLE OFF!' MS X REPLIED CALMLY; 'WE ARE NOT TAKING THEM OFF.' I THEN SAID; 'THEN YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENS HERE!' I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND DIRECTED THE FO TO SEND A MESSAGE TO DISPATCH REFUSING THE AIRPLANE. I GATHERED MY GEAR AND RETURNED TO FLT OPS TO CONFER WITH A FLT MGR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.