Narrative:

Aircraft arrived on gate at XA08L. We were scheduled out at XA38L. Met the outbound crew, who briefed me on an oil leak they'd written up, plus the hydraulic MEL we were already aware of. Put flight gear in cockpit, went to attend to other preflight duties. Returned to aircraft, and FAA inspector stopped me on jetbridge, asking me why 4 emergency information seat back cards were out of date -- this, as passenger were boarding. He told me the aircraft was not in compliance with far's, and that compliance was my responsibility. To the best of our knowledge, all seat back information cards were replaced by cabin service, and we had only 80 passenger so no one was or would have been denied the proper information. We are not sure, however, that FAA inspector didn't have any further issues with the aircraft, although I did ask him point blank. The flight attendants told me later that he had a problem with pbe tags not being secured properly, and that he had threatened each of them with a $1000 fine per revision he found missing (he found none), that he doesn't hold back and goes for the maximum fines. Told both my first officer and me and the gate agent that it would be a $10000 fine per out-of-date information card, plus $1000 fine for each of us. All this was taking place within 15 mins of departure -- with passenger on board and boarding -- as we tried to preflight and verify MEL compliance and maintenance completion on the oil leak write-up. We are accustomed to FAA inspectors finding discrepancies, and bringing them to our attention for correction. This was something completely different, which thoroughly disrupted our operations and crew functioning at a critical time with threats and intimidation. We did not knowingly leave the gate with any out-of-compliance item, however, we both feel report is necessary due to the violation vulnerability to this inspector, who as he explained, 'doesn't hold back' on fines, and also to identify the resultant disruption and degradation of our crew functioning directly related to this inspection. We departed 30 mins late, largely due to this situation. Supplemental information from acn 580395: the inbound aircraft for flight dfw-rsw arrived late to gate at XA08. After aircraft deplaned passenger, I walked on at XA20. Placed bags in cockpit and turned around to see 2 FAA inspectors, who said they were conducting ramp checks/cabin inspections. 1 inspector accompanied me on the walk-around while the other inspector conducted a cabin inspection. Upon return to the jet bridge, an FAA inspector presented me with 4 out-of-date passenger briefing cards that he claimed he found in the cabin and told me it was an $11000 fine for the company and $1100 for crew -- in full view of the boarding passenger. I told him that I would make sure cabin services inspected the aircraft to ensure all seats had the correct version. He then proceeded up the jet bridge to find the captain, who was retrieving the paperwork. Cabin services boarded the aircraft and inspected all seats for current passenger briefing cards before the flight departed. Supplemental information from acn 580110: location -- dfw. I unknowingly and unintentionally flew this flight with 4-6 passenger emergency exit briefing cards out-of-date, that were located somewhere in the coach section of the passenger cabin. This was not discovered until after the flight's completion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80. FAA INSPECTORS CONDUCTING A 'RAMP' CHK, DISRUPTED FLT CREW DUTIES AND PAX BOARDING BY THREATENING MULTIPLE CREW AND ACR FINES WHEN THEY FOUND 4 OUT OF DATE SEAT BACK PAX EMER CARDS. THIS WAS IN FULL VIEW OF BOARDING PAX.

Narrative: ACFT ARRIVED ON GATE AT XA08L. WE WERE SCHEDULED OUT AT XA38L. MET THE OUTBOUND CREW, WHO BRIEFED ME ON AN OIL LEAK THEY'D WRITTEN UP, PLUS THE HYD MEL WE WERE ALREADY AWARE OF. PUT FLT GEAR IN COCKPIT, WENT TO ATTEND TO OTHER PREFLT DUTIES. RETURNED TO ACFT, AND FAA INSPECTOR STOPPED ME ON JETBRIDGE, ASKING ME WHY 4 EMER INFO SEAT BACK CARDS WERE OUT OF DATE -- THIS, AS PAX WERE BOARDING. HE TOLD ME THE ACFT WAS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH FAR'S, AND THAT COMPLIANCE WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY. TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, ALL SEAT BACK INFO CARDS WERE REPLACED BY CABIN SVC, AND WE HAD ONLY 80 PAX SO NO ONE WAS OR WOULD HAVE BEEN DENIED THE PROPER INFO. WE ARE NOT SURE, HOWEVER, THAT FAA INSPECTOR DIDN'T HAVE ANY FURTHER ISSUES WITH THE ACFT, ALTHOUGH I DID ASK HIM POINT BLANK. THE FLT ATTENDANTS TOLD ME LATER THAT HE HAD A PROB WITH PBE TAGS NOT BEING SECURED PROPERLY, AND THAT HE HAD THREATENED EACH OF THEM WITH A $1000 FINE PER REVISION HE FOUND MISSING (HE FOUND NONE), THAT HE DOESN'T HOLD BACK AND GOES FOR THE MAXIMUM FINES. TOLD BOTH MY FO AND ME AND THE GATE AGENT THAT IT WOULD BE A $10000 FINE PER OUT-OF-DATE INFO CARD, PLUS $1000 FINE FOR EACH OF US. ALL THIS WAS TAKING PLACE WITHIN 15 MINS OF DEP -- WITH PAX ON BOARD AND BOARDING -- AS WE TRIED TO PREFLT AND VERIFY MEL COMPLIANCE AND MAINT COMPLETION ON THE OIL LEAK WRITE-UP. WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO FAA INSPECTORS FINDING DISCREPANCIES, AND BRINGING THEM TO OUR ATTN FOR CORRECTION. THIS WAS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, WHICH THOROUGHLY DISRUPTED OUR OPS AND CREW FUNCTIONING AT A CRITICAL TIME WITH THREATS AND INTIMIDATION. WE DID NOT KNOWINGLY LEAVE THE GATE WITH ANY OUT-OF-COMPLIANCE ITEM, HOWEVER, WE BOTH FEEL RPT IS NECESSARY DUE TO THE VIOLATION VULNERABILITY TO THIS INSPECTOR, WHO AS HE EXPLAINED, 'DOESN'T HOLD BACK' ON FINES, AND ALSO TO IDENT THE RESULTANT DISRUPTION AND DEGRADATION OF OUR CREW FUNCTIONING DIRECTLY RELATED TO THIS INSPECTION. WE DEPARTED 30 MINS LATE, LARGELY DUE TO THIS SIT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 580395: THE INBOUND ACFT FOR FLT DFW-RSW ARRIVED LATE TO GATE AT XA08. AFTER ACFT DEPLANED PAX, I WALKED ON AT XA20. PLACED BAGS IN COCKPIT AND TURNED AROUND TO SEE 2 FAA INSPECTORS, WHO SAID THEY WERE CONDUCTING RAMP CHKS/CABIN INSPECTIONS. 1 INSPECTOR ACCOMPANIED ME ON THE WALK-AROUND WHILE THE OTHER INSPECTOR CONDUCTED A CABIN INSPECTION. UPON RETURN TO THE JET BRIDGE, AN FAA INSPECTOR PRESENTED ME WITH 4 OUT-OF-DATE PAX BRIEFING CARDS THAT HE CLAIMED HE FOUND IN THE CABIN AND TOLD ME IT WAS AN $11000 FINE FOR THE COMPANY AND $1100 FOR CREW -- IN FULL VIEW OF THE BOARDING PAX. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD MAKE SURE CABIN SVCS INSPECTED THE ACFT TO ENSURE ALL SEATS HAD THE CORRECT VERSION. HE THEN PROCEEDED UP THE JET BRIDGE TO FIND THE CAPT, WHO WAS RETRIEVING THE PAPERWORK. CABIN SVCS BOARDED THE ACFT AND INSPECTED ALL SEATS FOR CURRENT PAX BRIEFING CARDS BEFORE THE FLT DEPARTED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 580110: LOCATION -- DFW. I UNKNOWINGLY AND UNINTENTIONALLY FLEW THIS FLT WITH 4-6 PAX EMER EXIT BRIEFING CARDS OUT-OF-DATE, THAT WERE LOCATED SOMEWHERE IN THE COACH SECTION OF THE PAX CABIN. THIS WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL AFTER THE FLT'S COMPLETION.

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.