B737-300 FLIGHT CREW DEPARTING OMA; RECEIVE PDC WITHOUT AN ALTITUDE CLEARANCE LIMIT. AFTER MULTIPLE CLEARANCE LIMIT REQUESTS TO THE TOWER; FIRST OFFICER IS MET WITH AN UNPROFESSIONAL RESPONSE.

Date: 2008-11 · Aircraft: B737-300 · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

B737-300 FLIGHT CREW DEPARTING OMA; RECEIVE PDC WITHOUT AN ALTITUDE CLEARANCE LIMIT. AFTER MULTIPLE CLEARANCE LIMIT REQUESTS TO THE TOWER; FIRST OFFICER IS MET WITH AN UNPROFESSIONAL RESPONSE.

Narrative

I PICKED UP OUR PDC. THE PDC HAS THE RTE OMA-LNV-ZZZ 'VIA CATTL1 DEP.' NO ALT IS PRINTED ON OMA PDC. THE CAPT AND I CALLED FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS; AND SINCE WE HAD NOT OPERATED INTO OR OUT OF OMA FOR OVER 3 YRS; WE CONCENTRATED ON THE TAXI RTE; MULTIPLE RWY INCURSION HOTSPOTS AND MISSING THE CLOSED TXWYS FOR CONSTRUCTION. SINCE I HAD SET THE WRONG CLB TO ALT AND THE PDC DID NOT SPECIFY AN ALT; WHEN THE TWR CTLR CLRED US TO POSITION AND HOLD ON RWY 14R. TWR IGNORED THE QUESTION TO CONTINUE ISSUING CLRNC FOR 1 OR 2 SMALLER ACFT WITHOUT ANSWERING OUR CLARIFICATION. I ASKED AGAIN TO CONFIRM THE ALT CLRNC WHICH RESULTED IN 'STEPPED ON' XMISSIONS. TWR CHASTISED THE CALLERS FOR BLOCKING THEIR XMISSIONS; THEN CLRED US FOR TKOF. I ASKED A THIRD TIME TO CLARIFY THE CLRNC LIMIT ALT. THE TWR CTLR THEN RIPPED (VERBALLY) INTO ME FOR NOT ASKING CLRNC; GND CTL; OR TO CHK MY PDC (WHICH HAS NO ALT LIKE ALL OTHER CITIES). IT WAS THE MOST UNPROFESSIONAL TIRADE I HAVE EVER HEARD ON THE RADIO IN 15 YRS OF FLYING. THE CAPT AND I WERE ASTONISHED AT THE TONGUE-LASHING. FORTUNATELY FOR US; ANOTHER CTLR IMMEDIATELY REPLACED. TWR GAVE US A TKOF CLRNC; AND VERIFIED THE CLRNC LIMIT ALT. AS A RESOLUTION; PLEASE HAVE OMA CLRNC PUT 'MAINT' ALTS ON THE PDC. ALL OTHER CITIES WITH PDC HAVE AN ALT.

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