Narrative:

At approximately XX00 pm, I called the sbp station, informed them we were about 10 mins out and asked if they would call the hotel for us and have the van meet us at the hangar at XX30 pm. We pulled into the gate about XX15 pm. We sat down in the lobby area of the hangar at XX30 pm, awaiting the hotel van. At about XY00 pm, there was still no sign of the hotel van. A company captain offered to give us a ride to the hotel. I arrived at my hotel room at approximately XY15 pm. Early am I received my wakeup call. Having only received a mere 4 hours of sleep, I was clearly not physically nor mentally able to perform my duties and responsibilities as a pilot. FAA regulations clearly dictated that I should not have been flying that morning. I called crew scheduling and informed them that I did not get adequate rest the night before and was calling in fatigued. I had been up most of the night a couple of days prior to this trip taking a check ride. After advising crew scheduling I was fatigued, they told me I would have to get up and get on the very same flight and deadhead up to lmt, arriving there some 7 hours later. I did not received adequate rest on 2 other occasions during the month. Both times I was allowed to stay in the hotel until rested, then deadhead to my next overnight. This time scheduling told me that there was a new policy and crew members were no longer allowed to stay in the hotel when fatigued, but must get on an aircraft and deadhead. This policy is counterproductive an does nothing but perpetuate and amplify the fatigue problem. The FAA regulations state that deadhead time is not considered rest time. I deadheaded as far as sjc. By this time I was extremely tired and was not going to get any rest by continuing to ride in the back of an aircraft until noon. I called crew scheduling from sjc, checked out and went home. I got home and was so tired and angry, I could not get to sleep. Late that afternoon I managed to get a short nap. I was still exhausted having basically been shorted a whole night's sleep twice in 1 week. During my nap, crew scheduling had called and left a couple of messages about a trip on fri. I knew from the way I felt that I would be in no shape to fly the next day, and called crew scheduling and informed them that I was calling in sick for fri. Fri morning, for a yet undetermined reason, my supervisor called my home. Seeing that I was sleeping so soundly, my roommate elected to take a message rather than wake me up. This is a good example of how exhausted crew members are getting as a result of the continued unsafe scheduling practices. The real pathetic thing about this incident is the fact that I have to put my job and my career on the line in order to ensure the safety of myself, my fellow crew members and the safety of the passenger that fly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER CAPT'S COMPLAINT ABOUT COMPANY SCHEDULING POLICY.

Narrative: AT APPROX XX00 PM, I CALLED THE SBP STATION, INFORMED THEM WE WERE ABOUT 10 MINS OUT AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD CALL THE HOTEL FOR US AND HAVE THE VAN MEET US AT THE HANGAR AT XX30 PM. WE PULLED INTO THE GATE ABOUT XX15 PM. WE SAT DOWN IN THE LOBBY AREA OF THE HANGAR AT XX30 PM, AWAITING THE HOTEL VAN. AT ABOUT XY00 PM, THERE WAS STILL NO SIGN OF THE HOTEL VAN. A COMPANY CAPT OFFERED TO GIVE US A RIDE TO THE HOTEL. I ARRIVED AT MY HOTEL ROOM AT APPROX XY15 PM. EARLY AM I RECEIVED MY WAKEUP CALL. HAVING ONLY RECEIVED A MERE 4 HRS OF SLEEP, I WAS CLEARLY NOT PHYSICALLY NOR MENTALLY ABLE TO PERFORM MY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS A PLT. FAA REGS CLEARLY DICTATED THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FLYING THAT MORNING. I CALLED CREW SCHEDULING AND INFORMED THEM THAT I DID NOT GET ADEQUATE REST THE NIGHT BEFORE AND WAS CALLING IN FATIGUED. I HAD BEEN UP MOST OF THE NIGHT A COUPLE OF DAYS PRIOR TO THIS TRIP TAKING A CHK RIDE. AFTER ADVISING CREW SCHEDULING I WAS FATIGUED, THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO GET UP AND GET ON THE VERY SAME FLT AND DEADHEAD UP TO LMT, ARRIVING THERE SOME 7 HRS LATER. I DID NOT RECEIVED ADEQUATE REST ON 2 OTHER OCCASIONS DURING THE MONTH. BOTH TIMES I WAS ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE HOTEL UNTIL RESTED, THEN DEADHEAD TO MY NEXT OVERNIGHT. THIS TIME SCHEDULING TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A NEW POLICY AND CREW MEMBERS WERE NO LONGER ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE HOTEL WHEN FATIGUED, BUT MUST GET ON AN ACFT AND DEADHEAD. THIS POLICY IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE AN DOES NOTHING BUT PERPETUATE AND AMPLIFY THE FATIGUE PROB. THE FAA REGS STATE THAT DEADHEAD TIME IS NOT CONSIDERED REST TIME. I DEADHEADED AS FAR AS SJC. BY THIS TIME I WAS EXTREMELY TIRED AND WAS NOT GOING TO GET ANY REST BY CONTINUING TO RIDE IN THE BACK OF AN ACFT UNTIL NOON. I CALLED CREW SCHEDULING FROM SJC, CHKED OUT AND WENT HOME. I GOT HOME AND WAS SO TIRED AND ANGRY, I COULD NOT GET TO SLEEP. LATE THAT AFTERNOON I MANAGED TO GET A SHORT NAP. I WAS STILL EXHAUSTED HAVING BASICALLY BEEN SHORTED A WHOLE NIGHT'S SLEEP TWICE IN 1 WK. DURING MY NAP, CREW SCHEDULING HAD CALLED AND LEFT A COUPLE OF MESSAGES ABOUT A TRIP ON FRI. I KNEW FROM THE WAY I FELT THAT I WOULD BE IN NO SHAPE TO FLY THE NEXT DAY, AND CALLED CREW SCHEDULING AND INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS CALLING IN SICK FOR FRI. FRI MORNING, FOR A YET UNDETERMINED REASON, MY SUPVR CALLED MY HOME. SEEING THAT I WAS SLEEPING SO SOUNDLY, MY ROOMMATE ELECTED TO TAKE A MESSAGE RATHER THAN WAKE ME UP. THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW EXHAUSTED CREW MEMBERS ARE GETTING AS A RESULT OF THE CONTINUED UNSAFE SCHEDULING PRACTICES. THE REAL PATHETIC THING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT IS THE FACT THAT I HAVE TO PUT MY JOB AND MY CAREER ON THE LINE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MYSELF, MY FELLOW CREW MEMBERS AND THE SAFETY OF THE PAX THAT FLY.

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.