EMB ERJ 145 ER/LR
Flight Crew Commercial
Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Physiological - Other
ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure
During this particular flight; it was the Captain's leg and I had the radios. I was handed off to another frequency; Jacksonville Center. When I checked in; the Controller had a change to our routing. He gave us; 'direct FAGAN then direct TAY then as filed.' I replied; 'FAGAN was not in our flight plan. Can you give us the identifier?' He responded; 'FAGAN--the word FAG; then A-N.' Shocked at his response; I quickly answered; 'that was real professional;' and then I finished reading the clearance back to him. After the Controller's statements; my emotions took hold of me for the next several minutes. I was not fully aware in the cockpit because my mind was awestruck at what had just happened. As I sat there; at a loss for words; we had a situation arise in the cockpit that required 100% of my attention. We had lost one of our generators. Unfortunately; I wasn't able to give 100% of my attention. My mind was still reacting to what the Controller had said. While our Quick Reference Handbook tells us what to do in nearly every emergency situation; I can very confidently say that if I had not been emotionally distressed by what had just happened; I would have been a much more effective resource in the cockpit. My mind would have been clear and more able to deal with the situation at hand. I recall teaching my students the importance of a sound mind and a stress free environment prior to flying to ensure safety. This ideology comes straight from the FAA guidebooks on flying. As such; surely the FAA and ATC realize the importance of the sound mind of pilots in order for us to do our job effectively and safely! Needless to say; there is no place for this type of talk and it is completely unacceptable. The situation I just outlined is a perfect example of why this type of talk cannot be tolerated. I expect more professionalism from ATC when talking on the radios.
When an air carrier First Officer asked for clarification about a revised enroute clearance; ATC's response included a sexual orientation slur which upset him while he was also dealing with a generator failure.