Narrative:

[Flight] reported an odor in both the cabin and flight deck with the APU on climbout. Odor stopped after APU shut off. PIC (pilot in command) advises flight will continue to destination. [Did not identify as an] emergency. Dispatch advised all company entities as required including maintenance control. Phone call from a different maintenance controller regarding flight; [who] demands that the dispatcher immediately advise the crew that they must fill out the smoke report. I advise maintenance control that the aircraft is on arrival; is already a flight with a heavy workload and that I would ACARS the crew regarding smoke report once aircraft had landed. Maintenance controller became very belligerent; demanding again that I immediately ACARS the crew to fill out the smoke report. I waited until flight had landed; and then advised crew of the need to fill out a report.maintenance control apparently believes that it has operational control of all the aircraft being operated by company. Further; he seems to believe that he can order any dispatcher to take any action he deems necessary at any time. This flight was quite possibly in a sterile phase of flight; with previously mentioned mechanical problems; operating within a turbulence SIGMET that covered a large part of the [area]. Maintenance control could hear none of this; he demanded that the dispatcher immediately tell the crew to fill out a report that could obviously wait. In this instance; maintenance control was talking to a dispatcher with considerable experience. I know that no maintenance entity can assume operational control of any flight; or order any dispatcher to take any action. Maintenance control needs to be made aware of this before he tries to coerce a dispatcher with less experience or understanding of operational control to take unsafe or unwarranted action. My hope is that maintenance control is advised of the limitations of his position in a timely manner.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Dispatcher reported a communication breakdown between Dispatcher and Maintenance Control regarding the urgency of completing a 'smoke report.' Flight continued to an uneventful landing.

Narrative: [Flight] reported an odor in both the cabin and flight deck with the APU on climbout. Odor stopped after APU shut off. PIC (Pilot in Command) advises flight will continue to destination. [Did not identify as an] emergency. Dispatch advised all company entities as required including Maintenance Control. Phone call from a different Maintenance Controller regarding flight; [who] demands that the Dispatcher immediately advise the crew that they must fill out the smoke report. I advise Maintenance Control that the aircraft is on arrival; is already a flight with a heavy workload and that I would ACARS the crew regarding smoke report once aircraft had landed. Maintenance Controller became very belligerent; demanding again that I immediately ACARS the crew to fill out the smoke report. I waited until flight had landed; and then advised crew of the need to fill out a report.Maintenance Control apparently believes that it has operational control of all the aircraft being operated by Company. Further; he seems to believe that he can order any dispatcher to take any action he deems necessary at any time. This flight was quite possibly in a sterile phase of flight; with previously mentioned mechanical problems; operating within a turbulence SIGMET that covered a large part of the [AREA]. Maintenance Control could hear none of this; he demanded that the dispatcher immediately tell the crew to fill out a report that could obviously wait. In this instance; Maintenance Control was talking to a Dispatcher with considerable experience. I know that no maintenance entity can assume operational control of any flight; or order any dispatcher to take any action. Maintenance Control needs to be made aware of this before he tries to coerce a dispatcher with less experience or understanding of operational control to take unsafe or unwarranted action. My hope is that Maintenance Control is advised of the limitations of his position in a timely manner.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.