Narrative:

On dec/xa/97 a man came rushing up to my helicopter while I was with clearance delivery getting my squawk code for the next tour flight and my fueler was about to fuel me for that tour. We do hot refueling. This man opened my door and he showed an FAA badge and started yelling at me that my approach was not to his liking and telling me that I should get some training. All I could think was this guy has picked a rough and very dangerous time for a ramp check and especially to hear his unwanted opinion on how he is so knowledgeable about flying. Why couldn't he just wait till I was shut down and rotor blades were stopped turning. My thought was it's very windy and I almost forgot to friction my controls which if moved accidentally could drop and easily kill my fueler (company personnel). This man had a terrible attitude. What was he thinking? He has just interrupted my schedule, took my mind off what I was doing in the communication with tower, and interrupted the process of me securing the aircraft, not to say endangering the life of others (the fueler). I feel he was careless! Provoking an argument with me while I was performing my duties in my station in the aircraft. We all know there was a man just killed a month before because a pilot left his station and due to wind. I don't understand why this man from the hnl FSDO thinks he is above the law and puts us at risk. Not to say I had to fly with him and this dangerous attitude on my mind. Safety first always. Why not for him, too? According to far 91.13 and 91.11 he interfered with a crew member and endangered a life of another. What can a pwrless pilot as myself do against the FAA inspector that thinks he is god over us? Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that he had other confrontations with the particular FAA FSDO. That he had punitive action pending as a result of flying 'too low and reckless.' reporter said he was conducting a sightseeing tour and saw a whale so turned for his passenger to get a better view and the turn caused him to lose altitude resulting in the violation. In the incident of this report he says his company wouldn't back him so he quit that company. But, then when trying to get a job with another company they wouldn't hire him because he says the inspector told the other company they better not hire him. He believes he has legal grounds to sue the inspector for slandering him.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THIS HELI TOUR PLT WAS PARKED ON THE RAMP PREPARING FOR A HOT REFUELING WITH ENGS ROTORS TURNING. AN FAA INSPECTOR APCHED HIM AND ADVISED THAT HE HAD OBSERVED THE PLT'S APCH AND LNDG AND IT WAS TOO FAST AND UNSAFE. RPTR FAULTS THE INSPECTOR FOR PICKING ON HIM AND IT WAS UNSAFE FOR THE INSPECTOR TO BE THERE WHILE THE BLADES WERE TURNING AND DISTRACTING THE RPTR FROM HIS DUTIES.

Narrative: ON DEC/XA/97 A MAN CAME RUSHING UP TO MY HELI WHILE I WAS WITH CLRNC DELIVERY GETTING MY SQUAWK CODE FOR THE NEXT TOUR FLT AND MY FUELER WAS ABOUT TO FUEL ME FOR THAT TOUR. WE DO HOT REFUELING. THIS MAN OPENED MY DOOR AND HE SHOWED AN FAA BADGE AND STARTED YELLING AT ME THAT MY APCH WAS NOT TO HIS LIKING AND TELLING ME THAT I SHOULD GET SOME TRAINING. ALL I COULD THINK WAS THIS GUY HAS PICKED A ROUGH AND VERY DANGEROUS TIME FOR A RAMP CHK AND ESPECIALLY TO HEAR HIS UNWANTED OPINION ON HOW HE IS SO KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT FLYING. WHY COULDN'T HE JUST WAIT TILL I WAS SHUT DOWN AND ROTOR BLADES WERE STOPPED TURNING. MY THOUGHT WAS IT'S VERY WINDY AND I ALMOST FORGOT TO FRICTION MY CTLS WHICH IF MOVED ACCIDENTALLY COULD DROP AND EASILY KILL MY FUELER (COMPANY PERSONNEL). THIS MAN HAD A TERRIBLE ATTITUDE. WHAT WAS HE THINKING? HE HAS JUST INTERRUPTED MY SCHEDULE, TOOK MY MIND OFF WHAT I WAS DOING IN THE COM WITH TWR, AND INTERRUPTED THE PROCESS OF ME SECURING THE ACFT, NOT TO SAY ENDANGERING THE LIFE OF OTHERS (THE FUELER). I FEEL HE WAS CARELESS! PROVOKING AN ARGUMENT WITH ME WHILE I WAS PERFORMING MY DUTIES IN MY STATION IN THE ACFT. WE ALL KNOW THERE WAS A MAN JUST KILLED A MONTH BEFORE BECAUSE A PLT LEFT HIS STATION AND DUE TO WIND. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS MAN FROM THE HNL FSDO THINKS HE IS ABOVE THE LAW AND PUTS US AT RISK. NOT TO SAY I HAD TO FLY WITH HIM AND THIS DANGEROUS ATTITUDE ON MY MIND. SAFETY FIRST ALWAYS. WHY NOT FOR HIM, TOO? ACCORDING TO FAR 91.13 AND 91.11 HE INTERFERED WITH A CREW MEMBER AND ENDANGERED A LIFE OF ANOTHER. WHAT CAN A PWRLESS PLT AS MYSELF DO AGAINST THE FAA INSPECTOR THAT THINKS HE IS GOD OVER US? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAD OTHER CONFRONTATIONS WITH THE PARTICULAR FAA FSDO. THAT HE HAD PUNITIVE ACTION PENDING AS A RESULT OF FLYING 'TOO LOW AND RECKLESS.' RPTR SAID HE WAS CONDUCTING A SIGHTSEEING TOUR AND SAW A WHALE SO TURNED FOR HIS PAX TO GET A BETTER VIEW AND THE TURN CAUSED HIM TO LOSE ALT RESULTING IN THE VIOLATION. IN THE INCIDENT OF THIS RPT HE SAYS HIS COMPANY WOULDN'T BACK HIM SO HE QUIT THAT COMPANY. BUT, THEN WHEN TRYING TO GET A JOB WITH ANOTHER COMPANY THEY WOULDN'T HIRE HIM BECAUSE HE SAYS THE INSPECTOR TOLD THE OTHER COMPANY THEY BETTER NOT HIRE HIM. HE BELIEVES HE HAS LEGAL GNDS TO SUE THE INSPECTOR FOR SLANDERING HIM.

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.