Narrative:

We were flying with scheduled flight time of 7 hours, 45 mins. We landed in publication. We got a flat tire on landing, so had to wait for maintenance to coordinate repairs of the tire. Another aircraft was flown down to publication for an aircraft swap. We were to return to den as scheduled (even though we were 3 hours late), and continue our schedule for the day which was one more leg down to durango for the overnight. At the last min before departing publication for den dispatch changed our flight to the next flight departing publication. Since we were still flying our scheduled rtes, publication-den, den-dro, we thought we were still on our scheduled block. We arrived that night in dro with total flight time for the day of 8 hours, 37 mins. Since we were going to fly over 8 hours in a 24 hours period we contacted crew scheduling in houston to inform them that we required 9 hours of rest in dro. The scheduler in houston was new and did not understand duty regulations very well. In the morning and experienced scheduler called us at the hotel and informed us that we only needed 8 hours rest and that we had flown the last trip to dro illegally, because the change of flight # in publication put us on unscheduled flight time. I've talked to a lot of people about the duty regulations, and get many different interpretations of them. This regulation is extremely complex, complicating and confusing. It is almost impossible to remain legal when schedules change. I wish the regulation could be simplified so you don't have to be an attorney to understand this far.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF COMMUTER AIRLINE SCHEDULED FOR 7 HOURS, 45 MINUTES FLT TIME FLEW OVER 8 HOURS IN 24 BECAUSE OF SUBSTITUTION OF ANOTHER FLT WITH DIFFERENT FLT #.

Narrative: WE WERE FLYING WITH SCHEDULED FLT TIME OF 7 HRS, 45 MINS. WE LANDED IN PUB. WE GOT A FLAT TIRE ON LNDG, SO HAD TO WAIT FOR MAINT TO COORDINATE REPAIRS OF THE TIRE. ANOTHER ACFT WAS FLOWN DOWN TO PUB FOR AN ACFT SWAP. WE WERE TO RETURN TO DEN AS SCHEDULED (EVEN THOUGH WE WERE 3 HRS LATE), AND CONTINUE OUR SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY WHICH WAS ONE MORE LEG DOWN TO DURANGO FOR THE OVERNIGHT. AT THE LAST MIN BEFORE DEPARTING PUB FOR DEN DISPATCH CHANGED OUR FLT TO THE NEXT FLT DEPARTING PUB. SINCE WE WERE STILL FLYING OUR SCHEDULED RTES, PUB-DEN, DEN-DRO, WE THOUGHT WE WERE STILL ON OUR SCHEDULED BLOCK. WE ARRIVED THAT NIGHT IN DRO WITH TOTAL FLT TIME FOR THE DAY OF 8 HRS, 37 MINS. SINCE WE WERE GOING TO FLY OVER 8 HRS IN A 24 HRS PERIOD WE CONTACTED CREW SCHEDULING IN HOUSTON TO INFORM THEM THAT WE REQUIRED 9 HRS OF REST IN DRO. THE SCHEDULER IN HOUSTON WAS NEW AND DID NOT UNDERSTAND DUTY REGS VERY WELL. IN THE MORNING AND EXPERIENCED SCHEDULER CALLED US AT THE HOTEL AND INFORMED US THAT WE ONLY NEEDED 8 HRS REST AND THAT WE HAD FLOWN THE LAST TRIP TO DRO ILLEGALLY, BECAUSE THE CHANGE OF FLT # IN PUB PUT US ON UNSCHEDULED FLT TIME. I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THE DUTY REGS, AND GET MANY DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF THEM. THIS REG IS EXTREMELY COMPLEX, COMPLICATING AND CONFUSING. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO REMAIN LEGAL WHEN SCHEDULES CHANGE. I WISH THE REG COULD BE SIMPLIFIED SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN ATTORNEY TO UNDERSTAND THIS FAR.

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.