Narrative:

On oct/xx/93 I was flying as an mdt first officer for xyz airlines. Our crew was scheduled for 8.0 hours. After flying our first leg (HHH-clt) we were informed that we were being sent back to HHH, then back to clt to resume our original crew flts. We accepted this as clt-HHH-clt blocks less time than clt-cho-clt. However, as we commenced the approach into HHH, our flight attendant notified us that a passenger spotted a flat tire on the left outer main. We missed the approach to take some time to make a decision. Captain opted to go to sav. While talking to sav approach, the controller informed us that we should call company. I was PF at this time. Captain called company, and they decided that we should go to jax, where the tires could be changed. We proceeded to jax and the landing was uneventful. As the airplane was being attended to, captain called dispatch to inquire about the rest of our day. We were told we were going back to HHH, on to clt, and then complete the remainder of our scheduled day. Captain informed dispatch and scheduling that we would approach 10 hours of flight time. Both departments said that it was still legal. Captain and I questioned this, so captain asked to talk to the coordinator -- captain/supervisor and director of flight standards. Captain/supervisor said that we were absolutely legal to finish the day. We asked if the company was planning to relieve us due to the long day -- legal or not. Captain/supervisor again stated that we could not say we weren't legal to finish. My captain stated that he was unsure of being able to finish due to fatigue, at which point, captain/supervisor said that he would have to discuss that with the chief pilot. We then flew back to HHH, deplaned, and my captain again called company to discuss this matter. Again, it was restated that we were legal to finish. In the meantime, I had consulted our flight operations manual and alpa's guide to flight time/rest requirements. I could not ascertain our legality from either (reference far 121.471(G)), so based on the company's insistence that we were legal, we continued to ewn. In ewn, captain/supervisor was there to relieve my captain if he felt unable to continue. My captain opted to go home, after discussing it with company. While talking to company, I relayed through captain of my flight that I was able to continue, but only if legal. Once again, company assured me I was legal, so I continued. On the leg back to clt, I decided to call scheduling one more time to be sure. I called company and talked to X. I stated that I felt fine, but could not be totally sure of legality. X stated that captain/supervisor and company said I was legal, so I finished my day. We finished in ewn at 14 hours duty -- 10.2 hours block. Even after discussing this with many of my peers, and some alpa officers, I cannot ascertain if this was legal. However, I feel that I must believe our management if they told me it was, especially our director of flight standards. I was also truly concerned about insubordination to a company official. Especially since the conversations between captain of my flight and captain/supervisor were rather hostile. If this was not legal, I believe I was coerced by the company into believing it was. This is a far too difficult to interpret without a law degree, and there needs to be some clear, concise, and definitive guidelines established. On oct/xy and oct/xz I talked to about 10 different sources of information from different backgnds and current jobs, and got about 10 different interpretations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC WORK SCHEDULING THE SUBJECT AS FLC FELT IN VIOLATION OF FARS IN FLYING 10 PT 2 HRS IN 24, HAD BEEN SCHEDULED 8.

Narrative: ON OCT/XX/93 I WAS FLYING AS AN MDT FO FOR XYZ AIRLINES. OUR CREW WAS SCHEDULED FOR 8.0 HRS. AFTER FLYING OUR FIRST LEG (HHH-CLT) WE WERE INFORMED THAT WE WERE BEING SENT BACK TO HHH, THEN BACK TO CLT TO RESUME OUR ORIGINAL CREW FLTS. WE ACCEPTED THIS AS CLT-HHH-CLT BLOCKS LESS TIME THAN CLT-CHO-CLT. HOWEVER, AS WE COMMENCED THE APCH INTO HHH, OUR FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED US THAT A PAX SPOTTED A FLAT TIRE ON THE L OUTER MAIN. WE MISSED THE APCH TO TAKE SOME TIME TO MAKE A DECISION. CAPT OPTED TO GO TO SAV. WHILE TALKING TO SAV APCH, THE CTLR INFORMED US THAT WE SHOULD CALL COMPANY. I WAS PF AT THIS TIME. CAPT CALLED COMPANY, AND THEY DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD GO TO JAX, WHERE THE TIRES COULD BE CHANGED. WE PROCEEDED TO JAX AND THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AS THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING ATTENDED TO, CAPT CALLED DISPATCH TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE REST OF OUR DAY. WE WERE TOLD WE WERE GOING BACK TO HHH, ON TO CLT, AND THEN COMPLETE THE REMAINDER OF OUR SCHEDULED DAY. CAPT INFORMED DISPATCH AND SCHEDULING THAT WE WOULD APCH 10 HRS OF FLT TIME. BOTH DEPTS SAID THAT IT WAS STILL LEGAL. CAPT AND I QUESTIONED THIS, SO CAPT ASKED TO TALK TO THE COORDINATOR -- CAPT/SUPVR AND DIRECTOR OF FLT STANDARDS. CAPT/SUPVR SAID THAT WE WERE ABSOLUTELY LEGAL TO FINISH THE DAY. WE ASKED IF THE COMPANY WAS PLANNING TO RELIEVE US DUE TO THE LONG DAY -- LEGAL OR NOT. CAPT/SUPVR AGAIN STATED THAT WE COULD NOT SAY WE WEREN'T LEGAL TO FINISH. MY CAPT STATED THAT HE WAS UNSURE OF BEING ABLE TO FINISH DUE TO FATIGUE, AT WHICH POINT, CAPT/SUPVR SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO DISCUSS THAT WITH THE CHIEF PLT. WE THEN FLEW BACK TO HHH, DEPLANED, AND MY CAPT AGAIN CALLED COMPANY TO DISCUSS THIS MATTER. AGAIN, IT WAS RESTATED THAT WE WERE LEGAL TO FINISH. IN THE MEANTIME, I HAD CONSULTED OUR FLT OPS MANUAL AND ALPA'S GUIDE TO FLT TIME/REST REQUIREMENTS. I COULD NOT ASCERTAIN OUR LEGALITY FROM EITHER (REF FAR 121.471(G)), SO BASED ON THE COMPANY'S INSISTENCE THAT WE WERE LEGAL, WE CONTINUED TO EWN. IN EWN, CAPT/SUPVR WAS THERE TO RELIEVE MY CAPT IF HE FELT UNABLE TO CONTINUE. MY CAPT OPTED TO GO HOME, AFTER DISCUSSING IT WITH COMPANY. WHILE TALKING TO COMPANY, I RELAYED THROUGH CAPT OF MY FLT THAT I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE, BUT ONLY IF LEGAL. ONCE AGAIN, COMPANY ASSURED ME I WAS LEGAL, SO I CONTINUED. ON THE LEG BACK TO CLT, I DECIDED TO CALL SCHEDULING ONE MORE TIME TO BE SURE. I CALLED COMPANY AND TALKED TO X. I STATED THAT I FELT FINE, BUT COULD NOT BE TOTALLY SURE OF LEGALITY. X STATED THAT CAPT/SUPVR AND COMPANY SAID I WAS LEGAL, SO I FINISHED MY DAY. WE FINISHED IN EWN AT 14 HRS DUTY -- 10.2 HRS BLOCK. EVEN AFTER DISCUSSING THIS WITH MANY OF MY PEERS, AND SOME ALPA OFFICERS, I CANNOT ASCERTAIN IF THIS WAS LEGAL. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT I MUST BELIEVE OUR MGMNT IF THEY TOLD ME IT WAS, ESPECIALLY OUR DIRECTOR OF FLT STANDARDS. I WAS ALSO TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT INSUBORDINATION TO A COMPANY OFFICIAL. ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CONVERSATIONS BTWN CAPT OF MY FLT AND CAPT/SUPVR WERE RATHER HOSTILE. IF THIS WAS NOT LEGAL, I BELIEVE I WAS COERCED BY THE COMPANY INTO BELIEVING IT WAS. THIS IS A FAR TOO DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET WITHOUT A LAW DEGREE, AND THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME CLR, CONCISE, AND DEFINITIVE GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED. ON OCT/XY AND OCT/XZ I TALKED TO ABOUT 10 DIFFERENT SOURCES OF INFO FROM DIFFERENT BACKGNDS AND CURRENT JOBS, AND GOT ABOUT 10 DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS.

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.