ACR PLT EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION WITH ATC ATTITUDE IN ZTL AIRSPACE.

Date: 2003-07 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-atc-confrontation

Synopsis

ACR PLT EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION WITH ATC ATTITUDE IN ZTL AIRSPACE.

Narrative

I LEVELED AT FL270. FLT WAS FILED FOR FL330. THIS WAS MY SECOND TRIP FROM PNS TO CLT THAT DAY. ON THE FIRST TRIP; I HAD BEEN GIVEN FL290 BY ATL CTR. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS; I REQUESTED AND IMMEDIATELY RECEIVED FL330 -- WHICH WAS MY FILED ALT. ON MY SECOND TRIP FROM PNS; I WAS ASSIGNED FL270. I WAS GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE TO ZTL CTR 125.57 AND CHKED IN. AFTER OBSERVING NO PLANES WITHIN 40 NM ON MY TCASII; I REQUESTED 'HIGHER.' NO RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED IN APPROX 1 MIN; SO I REQUESTED 'FL330 WHEN AVAILABLE.' THE CTLR THEN RESPONDED THAT HE HAD HEARD ME BEFORE; THAT HE WAS BUSY; AND THAT I SHOULD BE MORE PATIENT. HIS TONE WAS CONDESCENDING AND SURLY. I WAS ANGERED BY THIS 'PUTDOWN!' I RESPONDED; 'I MIGHT TRY THAT TOMORROW.' HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND ME AND ASKED ME TO REPEAT MY COMMENT. REALIZING THAT MY ANGER HAD MADE ME EQUAL HIS UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER; I ELECTED TO REMAIN SILENT. I THOUGHT THE INCIDENT WAS OVER UNTIL APPROX 5 MINS LATER WHEN I WAS TOLD TO CALL ATL CTR WHEN I WAS ON THE GND. I CALLED ATL CTR AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TAPE WOULD BE PROBABLY REVIEWED. I TOLD THE ATL REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WAS HIGHLY UPSET BY HIS CTLR AND WOULD NOT TOLERATE THIS UNPROFESSIONAL AND SURLY BEHAVIOR. I ALSO APOLOGIZED FOR MY UNPROFESSIONAL REMARK. THE BOTTOM LINE IS: 1) CTLRS SHOULD NOT MAKE 'SURLY AND UNPROFESSIONAL REMARKS' AND; 2) WHEN THIS OCCURS; PLTS (ME) SHOULD DEFEND THEMSELVES IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.