Narrative:

On jun/tue/92, at XA45, I was called by the dispatcher about a flight to hospital a, us. The following conversations, to include the call from the dispatcher are on tape which is held in county operation office. After being told where the flight was going, I told the dispatcher that it probably wouldn't be done on my shift. He then proceeded to tell me that he thought I would have to do it. At that point, I told him to put the flight together and I would be down to look at it. I want to point out at this point that the whole time I was researching the possibility of the flight, the dispatcher was proceeding as if it was a go. To continue, I asked him what type of flight it was, and checked the flight time required to do the flight. I was told it was a baby who needed an isolate flight to hospital B, and found the flight time to be 1 hour and 48 min. I knew that I had the time required to do the flight, but since it was an isolate mission, I couldn't count on the ground time which would probably put me back past 2200. I told the dispatcher that this flight would have to be documented by the doctor as an emergency flight or I would have to get approval by a or B so that they would know in advance that there was a good possibility that a letter would be required to the FAA. I tried mr B at home and work, and had mr a paged when I could not find him at home. My conversation with mr a is not on tape, but was heard by mr in his office. When mr a called in, he was initially on the speaker phone and I could hear him yelling, 'just go, tell him to go.' C took him off the speaker phone and I proceeded to tell him the circumstances and that I wanted someone to tell me to go. At this point he gave me an option to fly back from hospital a, which I said was stupid because it was more than a half hour away and that was too long to be separated from the crew with a patient. Plus, it was an hour of dead legs and anything could happen in that amount of time. At that point, I told him that I just wanted to have someone with authority tell me that I could do the flight in entirety, but that there was a chance I would be getting back late. So mr a told me to go. Now I think he is prepared to write a letter to the FAA if I indeed do get back late. This thinking can be verified by the crew since I discussed this with them during the flight. Mr a never told me I couldn't do the flight and he should have realized that I was looking for guidance, not options. So when I get back at XA25, I document the flight manifest and the pilot time sheet as an emergency flight approved by mr a. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that violations of duty time limitations are common due to inability to anticipate ground time. Ground time is determined by patient condition for transport and medical team decision, so often, this becomes extended.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMT EMS HELI PLT SENT IN 2 RPTS. ONE DEALS WITH DUTY TIME LIMITATIONS, AND THE OTHER WITH A MAINT ITEM THAT HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY SIGNED OFF.

Narrative: ON JUN/TUE/92, AT XA45, I WAS CALLED BY THE DISPATCHER ABOUT A FLT TO HOSPITAL A, US. THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATIONS, TO INCLUDE THE CALL FROM THE DISPATCHER ARE ON TAPE WHICH IS HELD IN COUNTY OP OFFICE. AFTER BEING TOLD WHERE THE FLT WAS GOING, I TOLD THE DISPATCHER THAT IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE DONE ON MY SHIFT. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT HE THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO DO IT. AT THAT POINT, I TOLD HIM TO PUT THE FLT TOGETHER AND I WOULD BE DOWN TO LOOK AT IT. I WANT TO POINT OUT AT THIS POINT THAT THE WHOLE TIME I WAS RESEARCHING THE POSSIBILITY OF THE FLT, THE DISPATCHER WAS PROCEEDING AS IF IT WAS A GO. TO CONTINUE, I ASKED HIM WHAT TYPE OF FLT IT WAS, AND CHKED THE FLT TIME REQUIRED TO DO THE FLT. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BABY WHO NEEDED AN ISOLATE FLT TO HOSPITAL B, AND FOUND THE FLT TIME TO BE 1 HR AND 48 MIN. I KNEW THAT I HAD THE TIME REQUIRED TO DO THE FLT, BUT SINCE IT WAS AN ISOLATE MISSION, I COULDN'T COUNT ON THE GND TIME WHICH WOULD PROBABLY PUT ME BACK PAST 2200. I TOLD THE DISPATCHER THAT THIS FLT WOULD HAVE TO BE DOCUMENTED BY THE DOCTOR AS AN EMER FLT OR I WOULD HAVE TO GET APPROVAL BY A OR B SO THAT THEY WOULD KNOW IN ADVANCE THAT THERE WAS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT A LETTER WOULD BE REQUIRED TO THE FAA. I TRIED MR B AT HOME AND WORK, AND HAD MR A PAGED WHEN I COULD NOT FIND HIM AT HOME. MY CONVERSATION WITH MR A IS NOT ON TAPE, BUT WAS HEARD BY MR IN HIS OFFICE. WHEN MR A CALLED IN, HE WAS INITIALLY ON THE SPEAKER PHONE AND I COULD HEAR HIM YELLING, 'JUST GO, TELL HIM TO GO.' C TOOK HIM OFF THE SPEAKER PHONE AND I PROCEEDED TO TELL HIM THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THAT I WANTED SOMEONE TO TELL ME TO GO. AT THIS POINT HE GAVE ME AN OPTION TO FLY BACK FROM HOSPITAL A, WHICH I SAID WAS STUPID BECAUSE IT WAS MORE THAN A HALF HR AWAY AND THAT WAS TOO LONG TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE CREW WITH A PATIENT. PLUS, IT WAS AN HR OF DEAD LEGS AND ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN IN THAT AMOUNT OF TIME. AT THAT POINT, I TOLD HIM THAT I JUST WANTED TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH AUTHORITY TELL ME THAT I COULD DO THE FLT IN ENTIRETY, BUT THAT THERE WAS A CHANCE I WOULD BE GETTING BACK LATE. SO MR A TOLD ME TO GO. NOW I THINK HE IS PREPARED TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE FAA IF I INDEED DO GET BACK LATE. THIS THINKING CAN BE VERIFIED BY THE CREW SINCE I DISCUSSED THIS WITH THEM DURING THE FLT. MR A NEVER TOLD ME I COULDN'T DO THE FLT AND HE SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE, NOT OPTIONS. SO WHEN I GET BACK AT XA25, I DOCUMENT THE FLT MANIFEST AND THE PLT TIME SHEET AS AN EMER FLT APPROVED BY MR A. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT VIOLATIONS OF DUTY TIME LIMITATIONS ARE COMMON DUE TO INABILITY TO ANTICIPATE GND TIME. GND TIME IS DETERMINED BY PATIENT CONDITION FOR TRANSPORT AND MEDICAL TEAM DECISION, SO OFTEN, THIS BECOMES EXTENDED.

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.