Narrative:

As you know we are undergoing thorough scrutiny by the FAA. I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with the new philosophy of checklist usage being promulgated by the feds on our property. The checklist, no, the reading and responding to checklists has become our master, the be all and end all to flying safety it seems. This insistence to exact, nothing more nothing less response to checklist queries mitigates against common sense, good practice and flying safety in my opinion. The relaxed atmosphere promoted by cockpit resource management has been replaced by an atmosphere of pilots flying scared, worrying about whether the fed in the jump seat heard them say 'set' rather than 'checked.' don't get me wrong, I believe in checklists when they serve in their proper capacity. They are tools to remind us to do something not quizzes to test our memories for exact responses. The checklist has become a distraction. We are being told it's more important what you say, not what you do. Let me give you some examples of the foolishness I've experienced lately. On our F100 originating checklist when you come to pressurization panel I was informed I shouldn't say 'set 1200 ft for pit' because the response is 'checked.' when I got to flap lever I committed the faux passenger of saying 'flaps up, indicating zero,' precisely where they are supposed to be, because the response is 'checked.' this is silly. On the before takeoff checklist the response to stabilizer and trims is X percent/0/0, even if the rudder and aileron trims are actually 1/2 degrees left and 1/2 degree right, appropriately set from experience on the last leg. When the big one fuel panel is queried I was told I couldn't remind myself verbally of the proper fuel load by saying '14000 pounds, 4 pumps on' because the response is 'checked.' this is inane but it gets worse. Ever since my first takeoff in a retractable gear aircraft I have said 'positive rate, gear up.' I was told to deprogram yrs of saying 'positive rate' because 'gear up' only is the proper terminology. I was told I am no longer allowed to add after completion of the landing checklist that we have been 'cleared to land' or are 'awaiting landing clearance.' it is a violation of sterile cockpit, it seems, since it is not a prescribed callout. I think the cockpit is becoming sterile of common sense with such idiocy. I was told of another pilot being criticized for saying 'checklist complete' because the proper response is 'checklist completed.' if the FAA is really interested in aviation safety why don't they go out there and paint taxiway identifiers on the pavement so we know where we are or insist that airplanes be deiced just before taking the runway, environmentalist be damned. They are too busy nitpicking us making sure we say 'set' rather than 'checked' to accomplish anything really worthwhile. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said there was no FAA punitive actions against him. He indicated his motivation for sending in the report was the procedures that had served him well such as saying 'positive rate' before raising the gear and 'cleared to land' to mentally assure he had landing clearance before landing helped structure his thought processes and did not interfere with checklist performance standards. I asked if FAA personnel or company check airmen were the complainants to his technique. He said the check airmen were in response to FAA directives. I asked if he had spoken with company or union standardization representatives regarding his recommendations and he said he had not. Everyone is trying to be low profile, and no one wants to make waves.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR ALLEGES IRRATIONALLY RIGID CHKLIST RESPONSES SUCH AS 'CHKED' INSTEAD OF THE ACTUAL CONDITION PROMOTE A MINDLESS ACTIVITY AND DETRACTS FROM SAFETY.

Narrative: AS YOU KNOW WE ARE UNDERGOING THOROUGH SCRUTINY BY THE FAA. I HAVE NO PROB WITH THAT. I DO HAVE A PROB WITH THE NEW PHILOSOPHY OF CHKLIST USAGE BEING PROMULGATED BY THE FEDS ON OUR PROPERTY. THE CHKLIST, NO, THE READING AND RESPONDING TO CHKLISTS HAS BECOME OUR MASTER, THE BE ALL AND END ALL TO FLYING SAFETY IT SEEMS. THIS INSISTENCE TO EXACT, NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS RESPONSE TO CHKLIST QUERIES MITIGATES AGAINST COMMON SENSE, GOOD PRACTICE AND FLYING SAFETY IN MY OPINION. THE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE PROMOTED BY COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY AN ATMOSPHERE OF PLTS FLYING SCARED, WORRYING ABOUT WHETHER THE FED IN THE JUMP SEAT HEARD THEM SAY 'SET' RATHER THAN 'CHKED.' DON'T GET ME WRONG, I BELIEVE IN CHKLISTS WHEN THEY SERVE IN THEIR PROPER CAPACITY. THEY ARE TOOLS TO REMIND US TO DO SOMETHING NOT QUIZZES TO TEST OUR MEMORIES FOR EXACT RESPONSES. THE CHKLIST HAS BECOME A DISTR. WE ARE BEING TOLD IT'S MORE IMPORTANT WHAT YOU SAY, NOT WHAT YOU DO. LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF THE FOOLISHNESS I'VE EXPERIENCED LATELY. ON OUR F100 ORIGINATING CHKLIST WHEN YOU COME TO PRESSURIZATION PANEL I WAS INFORMED I SHOULDN'T SAY 'SET 1200 FT FOR PIT' BECAUSE THE RESPONSE IS 'CHKED.' WHEN I GOT TO FLAP LEVER I COMMITTED THE FAUX PAX OF SAYING 'FLAPS UP, INDICATING ZERO,' PRECISELY WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE, BECAUSE THE RESPONSE IS 'CHKED.' THIS IS SILLY. ON THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST THE RESPONSE TO STABILIZER AND TRIMS IS X PERCENT/0/0, EVEN IF THE RUDDER AND AILERON TRIMS ARE ACTUALLY 1/2 DEGS L AND 1/2 DEG R, APPROPRIATELY SET FROM EXPERIENCE ON THE LAST LEG. WHEN THE BIG ONE FUEL PANEL IS QUERIED I WAS TOLD I COULDN'T REMIND MYSELF VERBALLY OF THE PROPER FUEL LOAD BY SAYING '14000 LBS, 4 PUMPS ON' BECAUSE THE RESPONSE IS 'CHKED.' THIS IS INANE BUT IT GETS WORSE. EVER SINCE MY FIRST TKOF IN A RETRACTABLE GEAR ACFT I HAVE SAID 'POSITIVE RATE, GEAR UP.' I WAS TOLD TO DEPROGRAM YRS OF SAYING 'POSITIVE RATE' BECAUSE 'GEAR UP' ONLY IS THE PROPER TERMINOLOGY. I WAS TOLD I AM NO LONGER ALLOWED TO ADD AFTER COMPLETION OF THE LNDG CHKLIST THAT WE HAVE BEEN 'CLRED TO LAND' OR ARE 'AWAITING LNDG CLRNC.' IT IS A VIOLATION OF STERILE COCKPIT, IT SEEMS, SINCE IT IS NOT A PRESCRIBED CALLOUT. I THINK THE COCKPIT IS BECOMING STERILE OF COMMON SENSE WITH SUCH IDIOCY. I WAS TOLD OF ANOTHER PLT BEING CRITICIZED FOR SAYING 'CHKLIST COMPLETE' BECAUSE THE PROPER RESPONSE IS 'CHKLIST COMPLETED.' IF THE FAA IS REALLY INTERESTED IN AVIATION SAFETY WHY DON'T THEY GO OUT THERE AND PAINT TXWY IDENTIFIERS ON THE PAVEMENT SO WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE OR INSIST THAT AIRPLANES BE DEICED JUST BEFORE TAKING THE RWY, ENVIRONMENTALIST BE DAMNED. THEY ARE TOO BUSY NITPICKING US MAKING SURE WE SAY 'SET' RATHER THAN 'CHKED' TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING REALLY WORTHWHILE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THERE WAS NO FAA PUNITIVE ACTIONS AGAINST HIM. HE INDICATED HIS MOTIVATION FOR SENDING IN THE RPT WAS THE PROCS THAT HAD SERVED HIM WELL SUCH AS SAYING 'POSITIVE RATE' BEFORE RAISING THE GEAR AND 'CLRED TO LAND' TO MENTALLY ASSURE HE HAD LNDG CLRNC BEFORE LNDG HELPED STRUCTURE HIS THOUGHT PROCESSES AND DID NOT INTERFERE WITH CHKLIST PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. I ASKED IF FAA PERSONNEL OR COMPANY CHK AIRMEN WERE THE COMPLAINANTS TO HIS TECHNIQUE. HE SAID THE CHK AIRMEN WERE IN RESPONSE TO FAA DIRECTIVES. I ASKED IF HE HAD SPOKEN WITH COMPANY OR UNION STANDARDIZATION REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING HIS RECOMMENDATIONS AND HE SAID HE HAD NOT. EVERYONE IS TRYING TO BE LOW PROFILE, AND NO ONE WANTS TO MAKE WAVES.

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.