Narrative:

At the beginning of approach to bwi with numerous step-downs and frequency changes because of the complex washington area, the #1 F/a informed me that a passenger was smoking. There followed numerous visits to the cockpit by F/a's, radio calls to operations, references to the company manual, etc to deal with the situation as required by congress and far's. As a result, my 2-M crew became a single pilot operation during a challenging phase of the flight. Not being in a sterile period and precluded from dismissing the incident by FAA statements that they would be greatly interested in captain's who do so, I was forced to potentially compromise the safety of my flight to be an instrument of social engineering. One FAA even threatened to take action against me if I did not take interest in resolving the situation. Even if I were to dismiss the smoking, this threat was enough distraction in itself. As a result, I was out of the loop, the first officer's workload was greatly increased and the potential for error grew unnecessarily. The solution to the problem is easy: if the FAA and congress want to engineer moral changes in the public, let them supply morality police akin to commissars to enforce their edicts and allow pilots to fly aircraft west/O distrs not related to the safe operations of their aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR REPORTER COMPLAINS ABOUT COCKPIT DISTR BY FA'S DUE TO PASSENGER SMOKING DURING DESCENT.

Narrative: AT THE BEGINNING OF APCH TO BWI WITH NUMEROUS STEP-DOWNS AND FREQ CHANGES BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEX WASHINGTON AREA, THE #1 F/A INFORMED ME THAT A PAX WAS SMOKING. THERE FOLLOWED NUMEROUS VISITS TO THE COCKPIT BY F/A'S, RADIO CALLS TO OPS, REFS TO THE COMPANY MANUAL, ETC TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION AS REQUIRED BY CONGRESS AND FAR'S. AS A RESULT, MY 2-M CREW BECAME A SINGLE PLT OPERATION DURING A CHALLENGING PHASE OF THE FLT. NOT BEING IN A STERILE PERIOD AND PRECLUDED FROM DISMISSING THE INCIDENT BY FAA STATEMENTS THAT THEY WOULD BE GREATLY INTERESTED IN CAPT'S WHO DO SO, I WAS FORCED TO POTENTIALLY COMPROMISE THE SAFETY OF MY FLT TO BE AN INSTRUMENT OF SOCIAL ENGINEERING. ONE FAA EVEN THREATENED TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST ME IF I DID NOT TAKE INTEREST IN RESOLVING THE SITUATION. EVEN IF I WERE TO DISMISS THE SMOKING, THIS THREAT WAS ENOUGH DISTR IN ITSELF. AS A RESULT, I WAS OUT OF THE LOOP, THE F/O'S WORKLOAD WAS GREATLY INCREASED AND THE POTENTIAL FOR ERROR GREW UNNECESSARILY. THE SOLUTION TO THE PROB IS EASY: IF THE FAA AND CONGRESS WANT TO ENGINEER MORAL CHANGES IN THE PUBLIC, LET THEM SUPPLY MORALITY POLICE AKIN TO COMMISSARS TO ENFORCE THEIR EDICTS AND ALLOW PLTS TO FLY ACFT W/O DISTRS NOT RELATED TO THE SAFE OPS OF THEIR ACFT.

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