Narrative:

On may/xa/99, a situation occurred which I felt represented a lack of judgement on behalf of the captain and a failure of crew resource management at approximately XX45Z, the captain and myself (I was acting as first officer) were dispatched on a flight from yip to grr. I went to the aircraft to prepare for the flight. When I received the clearance from ground control, I was informed by the controller that there was a ground stop for aircraft on the departure SID with wbound initial fixes due to thunderstorms. This ground stop included us. Also, the ground controller stated that he did not have a time when the ground stop would be lifted. I informed the captain of the situation and we went back into dispatch until we had further information. After approximately 15-30 mins, the captain called the control tower via telephone from the dispatch office. I do not know the content of their conversation, but when the captain hung up the phone, she told me the tower said we could leave right then if we agreed to stay at a lower final altitude. We both went to the aircraft and received our new clearance with the same route as the previous one with the only change being the final altitude. I called ground control and received taxi clearance. Upon reaching the runway, I called the tower to state we were ready for takeoff at runway 23R. The tower replied, 'taxi into position and hold on runway 23R.' right after I read back the position and hold instructions, the tower came back over the radio to cancel the position and hold instructions and informed us that there was now a ground stop on all wbound departures. I acknowledged the transmission and looked at the captain to see what she wanted to do. The captain immediately told me to ask for a tower en route to ptk. I told the captain that I would not do that. As soon as I said no, the captain grabbed her microphone and asked the tower for a tower en route to ptk. The tower controller responded with the statement that he thought he could work that one out and to stand by. While the captain was waiting to hear from the tower, I asked her what her plan was. The captain informed me not to worry about it, that she had done this many times before. At that time, the tower came over the radio with the clearance to ptk. I again informed the captain that I did not understand what she was doing, and she responded with the statement that she would make the radio calls. We then got the clearance for takeoff and proceeded to ptk. On the way to ptk, the captain began talking to another company aircraft over an air-to-air frequency. While talking to the other aircraft, the captain began to miss a couple of radio calls from ATC. To keep in communication with ATC, I answered a couple of the calls which included heading and frequency changes. In the confusion, a wrong frequency change was read back and subsequently we lost radio contact with ATC for a few mi. As we neared ptk, we realized that we were on the wrong frequency and the captain contacted ptk tower to inform them of the situation. The captain told the tower that we lost contact with approach, but also we needed to change destination to grand rapids. The tower told her to stand by and a few seconds later to contact approach and gave the frequency. The captain contacted approach which then gave us vectors to grand rapids with handoffs with the respective approach facilities. I feel the situation was a lack of judgement on behalf of the captain due to the fact that she abused the ATC system to get to grand rapids airport. Also, I feel there was no crew resource management because if the captain would have addressed my concern, we would have just waited on the ground at willow run for the ground stop to be lifted.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR CARGO FALCON DEP YIP ON AN IFR TWR TO TWR OP IN ORDER TO BYPASS THE ATC WX INDUCED GND STOP FOR TSTM ACTIVITY W OF THE ARPT.

Narrative: ON MAY/XA/99, A SIT OCCURRED WHICH I FELT REPRESENTED A LACK OF JUDGEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CAPT AND A FAILURE OF CREW RESOURCE MGMNT AT APPROX XX45Z, THE CAPT AND MYSELF (I WAS ACTING AS FO) WERE DISPATCHED ON A FLT FROM YIP TO GRR. I WENT TO THE ACFT TO PREPARE FOR THE FLT. WHEN I RECEIVED THE CLRNC FROM GND CTL, I WAS INFORMED BY THE CTLR THAT THERE WAS A GND STOP FOR ACFT ON THE DEP SID WITH WBOUND INITIAL FIXES DUE TO TSTMS. THIS GND STOP INCLUDED US. ALSO, THE GND CTLR STATED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE A TIME WHEN THE GND STOP WOULD BE LIFTED. I INFORMED THE CAPT OF THE SIT AND WE WENT BACK INTO DISPATCH UNTIL WE HAD FURTHER INFO. AFTER APPROX 15-30 MINS, THE CAPT CALLED THE CTL TWR VIA TELEPHONE FROM THE DISPATCH OFFICE. I DO NOT KNOW THE CONTENT OF THEIR CONVERSATION, BUT WHEN THE CAPT HUNG UP THE PHONE, SHE TOLD ME THE TWR SAID WE COULD LEAVE RIGHT THEN IF WE AGREED TO STAY AT A LOWER FINAL ALT. WE BOTH WENT TO THE ACFT AND RECEIVED OUR NEW CLRNC WITH THE SAME RTE AS THE PREVIOUS ONE WITH THE ONLY CHANGE BEING THE FINAL ALT. I CALLED GND CTL AND RECEIVED TAXI CLRNC. UPON REACHING THE RWY, I CALLED THE TWR TO STATE WE WERE READY FOR TKOF AT RWY 23R. THE TWR REPLIED, 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 23R.' RIGHT AFTER I READ BACK THE POS AND HOLD INSTRUCTIONS, THE TWR CAME BACK OVER THE RADIO TO CANCEL THE POS AND HOLD INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMED US THAT THERE WAS NOW A GND STOP ON ALL WBOUND DEPS. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE XMISSION AND LOOKED AT THE CAPT TO SEE WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO. THE CAPT IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME TO ASK FOR A TWR ENRTE TO PTK. I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I WOULD NOT DO THAT. AS SOON AS I SAID NO, THE CAPT GRABBED HER MIKE AND ASKED THE TWR FOR A TWR ENRTE TO PTK. THE TWR CTLR RESPONDED WITH THE STATEMENT THAT HE THOUGHT HE COULD WORK THAT ONE OUT AND TO STAND BY. WHILE THE CAPT WAS WAITING TO HEAR FROM THE TWR, I ASKED HER WHAT HER PLAN WAS. THE CAPT INFORMED ME NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT, THAT SHE HAD DONE THIS MANY TIMES BEFORE. AT THAT TIME, THE TWR CAME OVER THE RADIO WITH THE CLRNC TO PTK. I AGAIN INFORMED THE CAPT THAT I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE WAS DOING, AND SHE RESPONDED WITH THE STATEMENT THAT SHE WOULD MAKE THE RADIO CALLS. WE THEN GOT THE CLRNC FOR TKOF AND PROCEEDED TO PTK. ON THE WAY TO PTK, THE CAPT BEGAN TALKING TO ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT OVER AN AIR-TO-AIR FREQ. WHILE TALKING TO THE OTHER ACFT, THE CAPT BEGAN TO MISS A COUPLE OF RADIO CALLS FROM ATC. TO KEEP IN COM WITH ATC, I ANSWERED A COUPLE OF THE CALLS WHICH INCLUDED HDG AND FREQ CHANGES. IN THE CONFUSION, A WRONG FREQ CHANGE WAS READ BACK AND SUBSEQUENTLY WE LOST RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC FOR A FEW MI. AS WE NEARED PTK, WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE ON THE WRONG FREQ AND THE CAPT CONTACTED PTK TWR TO INFORM THEM OF THE SIT. THE CAPT TOLD THE TWR THAT WE LOST CONTACT WITH APCH, BUT ALSO WE NEEDED TO CHANGE DEST TO GRAND RAPIDS. THE TWR TOLD HER TO STAND BY AND A FEW SECONDS LATER TO CONTACT APCH AND GAVE THE FREQ. THE CAPT CONTACTED APCH WHICH THEN GAVE US VECTORS TO GRAND RAPIDS WITH HDOFS WITH THE RESPECTIVE APCH FACILITIES. I FEEL THE SIT WAS A LACK OF JUDGEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CAPT DUE TO THE FACT THAT SHE ABUSED THE ATC SYS TO GET TO GRAND RAPIDS ARPT. ALSO, I FEEL THERE WAS NO CREW RESOURCE MGMNT BECAUSE IF THE CAPT WOULD HAVE ADDRESSED MY CONCERN, WE WOULD HAVE JUST WAITED ON THE GND AT WILLOW RUN FOR THE GND STOP TO BE LIFTED.

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.