MD-83
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Workload; Distraction; Communication Breakdown; Human-Machine Interface
ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Aircraft Equipment Problem Dissipated; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory
Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure
Receiving vectors to land XXR; ATC asked us to slow to 210 KTS. Extended slats; autopilot and autothrottles disconnected and slat disagree light illuminated; unable to slow to 210 until we referred to QRH checklist. Told ATC that we were still 230 KIAS and Controller lost his cool and changed vectors for us to land on XXL. We calmly told him that we had an indication of a flight control malfunction; couldn't slow to 210 KIAS and were working a checklist. Controller made mention that he had to annotate why we refused to slow down. As we started the QRH checklist; slat disagree light extinguished; AP/ATS were reinstated; QRH said to continue with normal procedures and we slowed; landing uneventful. If we tell a controller we're unable to slow to 210 KIAS then there probably is a good reason for it. We were busy diagnosing a problem; referring to the QRH and briefly told the Controller we couldn't slow. A little leeway on his part would have been appreciated.
Unfortunately; the Controller seemed rather upset that we hadn't slowed to 210 KIAS and immediately took us off the XXR approach and changed us over to XXL (further increasing our workload) and rather abruptly informed us that he had to annotate the reason we didn't slow. I informed the Controller that we were working a flight control malfunction and referring to checklist-in other words; we had our hands full! This ATC event didn't occur over minutes but only seconds. Maybe the Controller had us too close to other traffic? Is that our fault?
An MD-83 flight crew was unable to comply with a speed restriction given by Approach Control when the slats failed to extend when selected. ATC acted peremptorily and assigned them to another runway; thus increasing their workload at a time their attention to a flight control issue was their first priority.