Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Other / Unknown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Human Factors
I checked in at the gate for flight approximately 35 minutes before departure. The gate agent said that there were no specials and no jump seat requests for the flight. I continued to the aircraft; briefed the flight attendants and began my preflight. The First Officer was just beginning to go out and do the preflight duties. While in the middle of my preflight I saw a figure out of the corner of my eye entering into the flight deck; nothing was said and suddenly there was a hand holding FAA credentials in front of my face. I recognized the standard FAA ID and looked up to see an FAA Inspector looking at me. I asked him if he was with the FAA and looking to ride on our flight and he said yes. I told him that I was in the middle of my preflight and if he would be kind enough to stand in the passageway inside the cockpit that I would be able to give him all of the documents that I was sure he needed to see and then prepare for him to ride in the jump seat. He asked where he could put his bag and I said there was plenty of room inside the cockpit and to put it under the second jump seat on top of my bag carrier and he did so. I then continued my preflight and noticed that he was now pulling down the jump seat that he was going to sit in. I looked back at him and asked him to not pull the jump seat out that I still had to go to the cabin. This seemed to make him upset and he said that he was only trying to figure out how to plug in the headset. During this conversation he said that the jump seat was 'his' and that he was here to observe our flight. He also said that 'this was not his first rodeo' and that he had been doing this for a long time. I advised him that I was fully aware of his right to observe our flight and we would cooperate with the endeavor. When finishing an interrupted; and I felt incomplete preflight (later I learned that I had left the galley power off); I left my credentials on the center console and told him that he was free to look at them and record their information and went back to greet the passengers and make the PA for the flight. When I returned to the cockpit I gathered my credentials and took my seat. At this time he made a point of taking out a notebook and putting his leg on the jump seat behind the Captain's seat and writing notes on the pad. He informed me that he was writing down information that was going to be used in his report. I asked him what type of information that would be and he said that he was writing down information about how I was resisting him and his efforts to observe our flight. I assured him that I was not resisting his efforts but rather I was in the middle of my preflight duties and he put his ID in front of my face without saying anything. He told me that this was how he was taught to do in his training and that he was leading with his ID. I calmly advised him that he could have said hello and introduced himself while showing me his credentials. During this time he had taken the jump seat and strapped himself in. His hostile attitude and demeanor was intimidating to me and I asked him what his purpose was to tell me that he was writing things down. He advised me that in ten years he had never been treated like this; (I wanted to tell him that in 31 years and hundreds of FAA jump seat inspections that I had never been treated like he was treating me; but I did not say it). He said if I wanted he could take the next flight but if he did so he implied that I would be in trouble for causing him difficulty. I assured him that he was welcome on this flight. He said in a terse manner that he would sit in the seat and not say anything for 3 hours. I told him that was not my request and that once we got going that I would be happy to speak with him and that I was sure he would have good things to tell us. He then asked again if he should take another flight and I said again that was not necessary; but he said well I guess I will take the next flight. He then unstrapped himself fromthe jump seat; gathered his bag and left the aircraft. At this point I called the Flight Office Department to explain to him what had just happened and that I would not be able to take the flight. Worrying about the threat that FAA Inspector had made to me would have distracted me from my proper duties and that I would have been worrying about his report and what he was going to say. His lack of courtesy and respect were very disconcerting to say the least and was not conducive to a safe flight. Improper FAA inspection of scheduled airline flight.
B737 Captain takes exception to the manner an FAA Inspector uses to enter the cockpit during preflight and announce he will be conducting a line check. Eventually the Inspector elects to leave and the Captain elects to remove himself from the flight.