Narrative:

My duty period began [in the early evening] as a short call reserve. I was called out to cover [a transatlantic flight]; departing [late that night]. I arrived at flight operations and learned that due to late inbound equipment our flight was delayed [about 35 minutes]. At that time I felt that I was still fit for duty and confirmed this electronically. About half way to [the destination]; it became apparent to me that the first officer and I would struggle to remain awake; much less alert; for the remainder of the flight. We used all available techniques including caffeine; standing and taking lavatory breaks; turning up all cockpit lights; etc.; and still I found myself nodding off at the controls. It should be noted that while most international flights from [the east coast] to europe are augmented this particular flight is not. As the sun rose that helped to increase our alertness and as we entered the descent and arrival phase adrenaline allowed us to perform our duties with only minor lapses of SOP which were quickly corrected; such as forgetting to reset the altimeter descending through the transition level.it is my sincere belief; having flown internationally for over 22 years; that unaugmented operations on north atlantic tracks at night are inherently unsafe. With the best of planning and intentions the airline can simply not take into account the effect of delays; which happen frequently; maintenance issues; adverse weather; and other contingencies that can affect the performance and readiness of aircrews on those [flights]. I do realize that according to far 117 these operations are legal; but legal does not always equate to being safe; and I believe we; as professional aviators and airline companies have a duty and a moral responsibility to provide the safest service that we can to our passengers. By eliminating relief pilots on certain transatlantic flights; especially those that depart late at night; airlines are compromising safety for the sake of profits.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 Captain reported having difficulty staying awake and alert on an unaugmented transatlantic flight and stated this type of operation is unsafe.

Narrative: My duty period began [in the early evening] as a short call reserve. I was called out to cover [a transatlantic flight]; departing [late that night]. I arrived at flight operations and learned that due to late inbound equipment our flight was delayed [about 35 minutes]. At that time I felt that I was still fit for duty and confirmed this electronically. About half way to [the destination]; it became apparent to me that the First Officer and I would struggle to remain awake; much less alert; for the remainder of the flight. We used all available techniques including caffeine; standing and taking lavatory breaks; turning up all cockpit lights; etc.; and still I found myself nodding off at the controls. It should be noted that while most international flights from [the East Coast] to Europe are augmented this particular flight is not. As the sun rose that helped to increase our alertness and as we entered the descent and arrival phase adrenaline allowed us to perform our duties with only minor lapses of SOP which were quickly corrected; such as forgetting to reset the altimeter descending through the transition level.It is my sincere belief; having flown internationally for over 22 years; that unaugmented operations on North Atlantic tracks at night are inherently unsafe. With the best of planning and intentions the airline can simply not take into account the effect of delays; which happen frequently; maintenance issues; adverse weather; and other contingencies that can affect the performance and readiness of aircrews on those [flights]. I do realize that according to FAR 117 these operations are legal; but legal does not always equate to being safe; and I believe we; as professional aviators and airline companies have a duty and a moral responsibility to provide the safest service that we can to our passengers. By eliminating relief pilots on certain transatlantic flights; especially those that depart late at night; airlines are compromising safety for the sake of profits.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.