DC9 CAPT HAD SUBTLE INCAPACITATION ON 2 FLT LEGS.

Narrative

I WAS THE FO; STILL ON IOE; ON A REGULARLY SCHEDULED FLT FROM DALLAS TO DULLES TO DALLAS WITH AN XA00 AM DEP. THE CAPT WAS A CHK AIRMAN AS NECESSITATED BY MY IOE STATUS. THE CAPT SUGGESTED I TAKE THE FIRST LEG TO DULLES AND I DID. HE DID NOT SEEM SHARP AND ALERT. HE MISSED CALLS FROM ATC AND SEEMED SLOW TO RESPOND TO HIS PNF DUTIES. AT ONE POINT THE CAPT FELL ASLEEP; AND I ENGAGED HIM IN CONVERSATION TO KEEP HIM AWAKE. THE FLT WAS OTHERWISE UNEVENTFUL. ON THE RETURN LEG FROM DULLES TO DALLAS; THE CAPT FLEW. WE WERE IMC ON CLBOUT AND WERE GIVEN A CLRNC TO 23000 FT. THE CAPT WAS CLBING WITH THE AUTOPLT ON. I CALLED 1000 FT TO GO IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY PROC. AS WE APCHED 23000 FT I NOTICED THE CAPT STILL HAD AN 1800 FPM CLB RATE AND I SAID; 'THERE'S 23000 FT.' THE CAPT LEVELED OFF AT 23300 FT AND WENT BACK TO FL230. THROUGHOUT THE CLB WE WERE GIVEN SHORT; RAPID CLBS TO VARIOUS ALTS PRIOR TO BEING GIVEN A CLRNC TO OUR CRUISE ALT OF 35000 FT. DURING THE CLBS TO THE INTERMEDIATE ALTS THE CAPT CLBED AT AN AIRSPD SLOWER THAN THE RECOMMENDED CLB PROFILE. I ASSUMED THAT SINCE HE WAS A CAPT AND CHK AIRMAN WITH MUCH MORE EXPERIENCE IN THE DC9 THAT HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING AND THAT HE WAS WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS FOR THE ACFT. BEING SO NEW TO THE ACFT I WAS UNSURE AS TO WHAT WAS ACCEPTABLE; ALTHOUGH I KNEW CLRLY WHAT THE RECOMMENDED CLB PROFILE WAS; AND THAT HE WAS MUCH SLOWER THAN THAT. AFTER BEING GIVEN CLRNC TO CRUISE ALT OF FL350; WE CONTINUED TO CLB. I BECAME INVOLVED IN PNF DUTIES; SUCH AS CHKING OUR CLRED RTE OF FLT; SETTING UP OUR NAV EQUIP TO THE NEXT RADIO FIXES AND COMMUNICATING WITH ATC. WE WERE PASSING FL330 AND AT THAT POINT THE YOKE BEGAN TO OSCILLATE L AND R. WE WERE STILL CLBING AND STILL ON AUTOPLT. I SAID; 'WHAT'S THAT?' THE CAPT RESPONDED; 'IT DOES THAT SOMETIMES.' AS HE RESPONDED I CHKED OUR AIRSPD. THE AIRSPD INDICATED APPROX 183 KTS. I SAID; 'WE'RE TOO SLOW. ADD PWR.' THE CAPT WAS SLOW TO RESPOND. AGAIN I SAID 'WE'RE TOO SLOW; ADD PWR; LOWER THE NOSE.' AT THAT MOMENT THE STICK SHAKER AND SRSS CAME ON AND WE BEGAN TO DSND. AS I CALLED FOR PWR THE CAPT ADDED SOME PWR. THE TKOF AND LNDG DATA CARDS (TOLD CARDS) WHICH WERE BEHIND THE PWR LEVERS INTERFERED. THE L WING DIPPED LOWER. I HELPED LEVEL THE WINGS BY AILERON AND RUDDER INPUT. THE CAPT FINALLY MOVED THE TKOF AND LNDG DATA CARDS AND ADDED MORE PWR. WE WERE DSNDING RAPIDLY. I SAID; 'LOWER THE NOSE -- GET SOME AIRSPD.' HE THEN CLICKED OFF THE AUTOPLT AND LOWERED THE NOSE. I CALLED ATC AND REQUESTED A DSCNT. I WAS CUT OUT. I CALLED AGAIN AND SAID THAT WE WERE EXPERIENCING AN AUTOPLT PROB AND NEEDED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT. ATC SAID 'YOU'RE CLRED TO DSND; LEVEL OFF WHEN ABLE AND RPT THAT ALT.' THE CAPT SAID; 'IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS DRAGGING.' I VERIFIED THAT THE SLATS; FLAPS; AND GEAR SELECTORS WERE ALL IN THE UP POS AND THAT ALL INDICATORS CONFIRMED THEY WERE UP. HE CONTINUED TO SAY SOMETHING IS DRAGGING. I RESPONDED THAT WE HAD NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING DRAGGING AND THAT WE NEEDED AIRSPD. WE PICKED UP AIRSPD AND WERE ABLE TO STOP THE DSCNT JUST UNDER FL310. HE CLBED AGAIN AND LEVELED AT FL310. WE PICKED UP MORE AIRSPD TO CRUISE MACH OF .78. I CALLED ATC AND RPTED LEVEL AT FL310 AND REQUESTED TO REMAIN THERE. I AM NOT CERTAIN BUT SUSPECT THAT THE CAPT MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SUBTLE INCAPACITATION OF SOME KIND. AS A CHK AIRMAN I WAS EXPECTING HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE CLB SPD PARAMETERS TO BE MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE THAN MINE AND HENCE I DID NOT QUESTION HIS DEV FROM THE RECOMMENDED CLB PROFILE. ONCE THE AIRSPD WAS OBVIOUSLY TOO SLOW; I DID NOT HESITATE TO SPEAK UP. I FELT I COACHED HIM THROUGH THE RECOVERY AND THAT HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE SIT WAS DIRE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A NEW PROBATIONARY FO FOR A NEW START UP ACR. THEY DO NOT HAVE A PLT'S UNION; OR ANY PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS GROUP. THE FO RPTED THE PROBS TO THE ACR CHIEF PLT. SHE RPTS THAT THE CHIEF PLT AND THE CAPT ARE CLOSE FRIENDS. AS FAR AS SHE KNOWS; NOTHING HASBEEN DONE. THE CHIEF PLT REQUESTED HER TO PLACE NOTHING ON PAPER; AND KEEP EVERYTHING VERBAL. SINCE HER INCIDENT OTHER FO'S HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBS WITH THE SAME CAPT.