Narrative:

At about xa local pm in june 89, I and the crew were sitting in the 1ST class section of our aircraft at the gate in seattle at seatac airport between flts. We had been there an hour or so and had 1/2 hour before departure. Suddenly 2 men walked very rapidly down the aisle from front to rear of the aircraft. I went after them through the aft airstairs and caught up to them outside the aircraft walking forward just ahead of the leading edge of the left wing and stopped them. They showed me what they said was an FAA identification and said they were from washington, dc doing a special project security check. I returned to the aircraft via the rear stairs. Shortly after I reached the 1ST class section the 2 men had re-entered the aircraft and began harping about how they had gained access to the aircraft and gotten through it without being challenged. In fact they were challenged by me and it is not my nor any other crew members fault that they got aboard in the first place. When I told them that, they said they were going to write a report and let the 'lawyers decide' who was at fault. Because of their hostile attitude, I refused to cooperate further with them and would not answer their questions of me. Shortly after that confrontation they left. The safety consideration here is simply this: the experience has to affect one's concentration on the next flight 1/2 hour later. These men handled the whole episode poorly at least and would have better left us out. To threaten legal action against an off duty crew for having access to the ramp and our aircraft is asinine. Their confrontational and threatening manner was not called for. Supplemental information from acn 115517: I took a rearmost seat in first class across the aisle from the captain. All 4 F/a's were seated or reclining (I was asleep) forward of the captain and I. I was reading a magazine and dozed off. The next thing I was aware of was the discussion 2 F/a's forward of me were having: 'did you see those 2 guys?' the captain got up and walked aft. A minute or two later, 2 male caucasians entered the aircraft via the forward entry door. One was tall, bearded and was wearing a plaid, wool, ill-fitting sport coat. The short man was wearing baggy pants and a nylon windbreaker. They announced 'we are FAA agents on a special assignment from washington. We entered your aircraft unchallenged. What are your names?' the captain had returned at this time and stated 'I just followed you down the aft stairs and challenged you on the ramp'. The short guy said 'that's for the lawyers to decide. What is your name?' the captain did not respond. They then turned to me and one said 'what is your name' and the other said 'are you the first officer or engineer?' because they did not offer me any identification (other than their verbal announcement) I did not answer their questions and directed them to the captain. They then turned to the F/a's and asked their names. 3 F/a's gave their names. One of the males said 'we don't need her's, she was asleep'. They then again asked the captain and I our names. I did not acknowledge the question and the captain did not answer. The tall male then said 'let's go. We're not going to get any cooperation here.' the short one said 'ya, we can get their names off of the manifest.' they then turned and left the aircraft. The captain contacted the gate agent. Because of the belligerent, bellicose and confrontational attitude of the alleged FAA agents, they upset the entire crew. This negatively impacted the performance of the flight crew on the subsequent flight to spokane. Although the flight proceeded uneventfully, the unprofessional antics of the 2 males may have been distracting enough to be a factor had any of the crew been challenged by circumstances out of the ordinary on the next flight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the main reflection reporter has is that he should have called the security guard and attempted to arrest the 2 men that were north the aircraft. He stated that the identification badges looked authentic but in the dim light that was available the badges were difficult to read. The names of the 2 were not obtained. The gate agent was contacted and did not show an over-concern about the incident. Reporter finally stated that he might have been more cooperative had the 2 men showed any courtesy but they did not and he then 'got his back up' and refused to identification himself to them. He has passed all this information on to the airline pilot's association union officers and to the chief pilot of the company.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW HARASSED BY FAA INSPECTION TEAM ON A SECURITY CHECK ON ACFT PARKED AT GATE.

Narrative: AT ABOUT XA LOCAL PM IN JUNE 89, I AND THE CREW WERE SITTING IN THE 1ST CLASS SECTION OF OUR ACFT AT THE GATE IN SEATTLE AT SEATAC ARPT BETWEEN FLTS. WE HAD BEEN THERE AN HOUR OR SO AND HAD 1/2 HOUR BEFORE DEP. SUDDENLY 2 MEN WALKED VERY RAPIDLY DOWN THE AISLE FROM FRONT TO REAR OF THE ACFT. I WENT AFTER THEM THROUGH THE AFT AIRSTAIRS AND CAUGHT UP TO THEM OUTSIDE THE ACFT WALKING FORWARD JUST AHEAD OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT WING AND STOPPED THEM. THEY SHOWED ME WHAT THEY SAID WAS AN FAA ID AND SAID THEY WERE FROM WASHINGTON, DC DOING A SPECIAL PROJECT SECURITY CHECK. I RETURNED TO THE ACFT VIA THE REAR STAIRS. SHORTLY AFTER I REACHED THE 1ST CLASS SECTION THE 2 MEN HAD RE-ENTERED THE ACFT AND BEGAN HARPING ABOUT HOW THEY HAD GAINED ACCESS TO THE ACFT AND GOTTEN THROUGH IT WITHOUT BEING CHALLENGED. IN FACT THEY WERE CHALLENGED BY ME AND IT IS NOT MY NOR ANY OTHER CREW MEMBERS FAULT THAT THEY GOT ABOARD IN THE FIRST PLACE. WHEN I TOLD THEM THAT, THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO WRITE A REPORT AND LET THE 'LAWYERS DECIDE' WHO WAS AT FAULT. BECAUSE OF THEIR HOSTILE ATTITUDE, I REFUSED TO COOPERATE FURTHER WITH THEM AND WOULD NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS OF ME. SHORTLY AFTER THAT CONFRONTATION THEY LEFT. THE SAFETY CONSIDERATION HERE IS SIMPLY THIS: THE EXPERIENCE HAS TO AFFECT ONE'S CONCENTRATION ON THE NEXT FLT 1/2 HOUR LATER. THESE MEN HANDLED THE WHOLE EPISODE POORLY AT LEAST AND WOULD HAVE BETTER LEFT US OUT. TO THREATEN LEGAL ACTION AGAINST AN OFF DUTY CREW FOR HAVING ACCESS TO THE RAMP AND OUR ACFT IS ASININE. THEIR CONFRONTATIONAL AND THREATENING MANNER WAS NOT CALLED FOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 115517: I TOOK A REARMOST SEAT IN FIRST CLASS ACROSS THE AISLE FROM THE CAPT. ALL 4 F/A'S WERE SEATED OR RECLINING (I WAS ASLEEP) FORWARD OF THE CAPT AND I. I WAS READING A MAGAZINE AND DOZED OFF. THE NEXT THING I WAS AWARE OF WAS THE DISCUSSION 2 F/A'S FORWARD OF ME WERE HAVING: 'DID YOU SEE THOSE 2 GUYS?' THE CAPT GOT UP AND WALKED AFT. A MINUTE OR TWO LATER, 2 MALE CAUCASIANS ENTERED THE ACFT VIA THE FORWARD ENTRY DOOR. ONE WAS TALL, BEARDED AND WAS WEARING A PLAID, WOOL, ILL-FITTING SPORT COAT. THE SHORT MAN WAS WEARING BAGGY PANTS AND A NYLON WINDBREAKER. THEY ANNOUNCED 'WE ARE FAA AGENTS ON A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT FROM WASHINGTON. WE ENTERED YOUR ACFT UNCHALLENGED. WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES?' THE CAPT HAD RETURNED AT THIS TIME AND STATED 'I JUST FOLLOWED YOU DOWN THE AFT STAIRS AND CHALLENGED YOU ON THE RAMP'. THE SHORT GUY SAID 'THAT'S FOR THE LAWYERS TO DECIDE. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?' THE CAPT DID NOT RESPOND. THEY THEN TURNED TO ME AND ONE SAID 'WHAT IS YOUR NAME' AND THE OTHER SAID 'ARE YOU THE F/O OR ENGINEER?' BECAUSE THEY DID NOT OFFER ME ANY IDENTIFICATION (OTHER THAN THEIR VERBAL ANNOUNCEMENT) I DID NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS AND DIRECTED THEM TO THE CAPT. THEY THEN TURNED TO THE F/A'S AND ASKED THEIR NAMES. 3 F/A'S GAVE THEIR NAMES. ONE OF THE MALES SAID 'WE DON'T NEED HER'S, SHE WAS ASLEEP'. THEY THEN AGAIN ASKED THE CAPT AND I OUR NAMES. I DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE QUESTION AND THE CAPT DID NOT ANSWER. THE TALL MALE THEN SAID 'LET'S GO. WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET ANY COOPERATION HERE.' THE SHORT ONE SAID 'YA, WE CAN GET THEIR NAMES OFF OF THE MANIFEST.' THEY THEN TURNED AND LEFT THE ACFT. THE CAPT CONTACTED THE GATE AGENT. BECAUSE OF THE BELLIGERENT, BELLICOSE AND CONFRONTATIONAL ATTITUDE OF THE ALLEGED FAA AGENTS, THEY UPSET THE ENTIRE CREW. THIS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FLT CREW ON THE SUBSEQUENT FLT TO SPOKANE. ALTHOUGH THE FLT PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY, THE UNPROFESSIONAL ANTICS OF THE 2 MALES MAY HAVE BEEN DISTRACTING ENOUGH TO BE A FACTOR HAD ANY OF THE CREW BEEN CHALLENGED BY CIRCUMSTANCES OUT OF THE ORDINARY ON THE NEXT FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE MAIN REFLECTION REPORTER HAS IS THAT HE SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE SECURITY GUARD AND ATTEMPTED TO ARREST THE 2 MEN THAT WERE N THE ACFT. HE STATED THAT THE ID BADGES LOOKED AUTHENTIC BUT IN THE DIM LIGHT THAT WAS AVAILABLE THE BADGES WERE DIFFICULT TO READ. THE NAMES OF THE 2 WERE NOT OBTAINED. THE GATE AGENT WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT SHOW AN OVER-CONCERN ABOUT THE INCIDENT. REPORTER FINALLY STATED THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN MORE COOPERATIVE HAD THE 2 MEN SHOWED ANY COURTESY BUT THEY DID NOT AND HE THEN 'GOT HIS BACK UP' AND REFUSED TO ID HIMSELF TO THEM. HE HAS PASSED ALL THIS INFORMATION ON TO THE AIRLINE PILOT'S ASSOCIATION UNION OFFICERS AND TO THE CHIEF PLT OF THE COMPANY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.