Narrative:

On nov/tue/05 while taxiing ferry flight to gate; the first officer and I were twice sent an ACARS message with a chime to call crew scheduling. In this particular incident; we were trying to park the aircraft at gate which is adjacent to 2 gates under construction with equipment and crews posing an inordinate amount of obstacles and hazards to avoid all while relying on inexperienced contract ground personnel to keep us clear. Just parking an aircraft at this gate is a safety hazard in itself. Crew scheduling and dispatch's lack of situational awareness and complacency compounds these environmental taxi hazards with their incessant; annoying and self-serving interruptions. This chime; with its upsetting message foretelling of further scheduling abuse at such an inopportune moment; may well have caused a taxi accident. Worse yet; it would have been the first officer and I who would have been penalized for the accident even though the actual cause would have been crew scheduling as well as other support personnel's poor planning and situational awareness. After spending a total of 10+ yrs on reserve with this company; I can attest to the level of stress and distraction that this practice imposes on crews while trying to operate an aircraft either in the air or on the ground. When we receive a message to 'contact crew scheduling' all sorts of 'quality of life' horrors start going through our minds to a point that it degrades the safety of the operation. Furthermore; it shows gross lack of operational planning on the part of crew scheduling that we have operational impediment as well as harassment by dispatch and crew scheduling. Please inform dispatch and crew scheduling supervisors that further harassment of this type of my crew and me while performing our safety-related jobs is unacceptable; cannot be tolerated.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 CAPT DISCUSSES HIS ACR'S DISTRACTING AND INAPPROPRIATE ACARS GND CALLS CAUSING NEAR ACCIDENTS IN CONGESTED RAMP MANEUVERING.

Narrative: ON NOV/TUE/05 WHILE TAXIING FERRY FLT TO GATE; THE FO AND I WERE TWICE SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE WITH A CHIME TO CALL CREW SCHEDULING. IN THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT; WE WERE TRYING TO PARK THE ACFT AT GATE WHICH IS ADJACENT TO 2 GATES UNDER CONSTRUCTION WITH EQUIP AND CREWS POSING AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF OBSTACLES AND HAZARDS TO AVOID ALL WHILE RELYING ON INEXPERIENCED CONTRACT GND PERSONNEL TO KEEP US CLR. JUST PARKING AN ACFT AT THIS GATE IS A SAFETY HAZARD IN ITSELF. CREW SCHEDULING AND DISPATCH'S LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND COMPLACENCY COMPOUNDS THESE ENVIRONMENTAL TAXI HAZARDS WITH THEIR INCESSANT; ANNOYING AND SELF-SERVING INTERRUPTIONS. THIS CHIME; WITH ITS UPSETTING MESSAGE FORETELLING OF FURTHER SCHEDULING ABUSE AT SUCH AN INOPPORTUNE MOMENT; MAY WELL HAVE CAUSED A TAXI ACCIDENT. WORSE YET; IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FO AND I WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN PENALIZED FOR THE ACCIDENT EVEN THOUGH THE ACTUAL CAUSE WOULD HAVE BEEN CREW SCHEDULING AS WELL AS OTHER SUPPORT PERSONNEL'S POOR PLANNING AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. AFTER SPENDING A TOTAL OF 10+ YRS ON RESERVE WITH THIS COMPANY; I CAN ATTEST TO THE LEVEL OF STRESS AND DISTR THAT THIS PRACTICE IMPOSES ON CREWS WHILE TRYING TO OPERATE AN ACFT EITHER IN THE AIR OR ON THE GND. WHEN WE RECEIVE A MESSAGE TO 'CONTACT CREW SCHEDULING' ALL SORTS OF 'QUALITY OF LIFE' HORRORS START GOING THROUGH OUR MINDS TO A POINT THAT IT DEGRADES THE SAFETY OF THE OP. FURTHERMORE; IT SHOWS GROSS LACK OF OPERATIONAL PLANNING ON THE PART OF CREW SCHEDULING THAT WE HAVE OPERATIONAL IMPEDIMENT AS WELL AS HARASSMENT BY DISPATCH AND CREW SCHEDULING. PLEASE INFORM DISPATCH AND CREW SCHEDULING SUPVRS THAT FURTHER HARASSMENT OF THIS TYPE OF MY CREW AND ME WHILE PERFORMING OUR SAFETY-RELATED JOBS IS UNACCEPTABLE; CANNOT BE TOLERATED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.