Narrative:

Could you folks look at (analyze) the sleep patterns that are necessary to operate the enclosed pairings all week and then tell me if you think the final duty periods, 13 plus 16 and 14 plus 24 respectively are safe? Pairing X puts us back in the hotel by XN45 local. With any luck, you are in bed, asleep at XW15 (believe me, you are ready to sleep by then). Given 8 hours sleep (difficult in hotel situation) you are up again for a new day at XJ15 plus/minus, or approximately 6 hours prior to show time. That means on a normal day you are up for 15 plus 40 before your next rest period. But on the last duty period of the week, you deadhead home (same duty period) at the end of the sequence. That means, when you stumble out to the parking lot to find your car, you have been awake going on 20 hours!!! (As scheduled). All other trips with a deadhead at the end go to the hotel for crew rest prior to going home. Unsafe scheduling/fatigue -- in an effort to squeeze ever more productivity from bay crew force, our crs department has created 5 flight pairings in nov guaranteed to induce an unacceptable and extremely dangerous level of fatigue on the final duty period of the week. Pairings X and Y include a deadhead as the last activity of the final duty period without an intervening crew rest. In the case of pairings X, the sleep patterns established by the crew member enabling him to safely operate this trip (lax/dfw/lax) demand that he go back to the hotel at lax for crew rest prior to a deadhead. Instead, in the interest of saving a few dollars, the schedule has the crew members deadheading home at the end of a long duty period (13 plus 16 hours). By doing so, the crew member will have been up, awake, in excess of 20 hours when he arrives at the airport at the end of the deadhead. In a state of utter fatigue, he then faces the most dangerous part of his work week: the drive home. This is an unacceptable and avoidable safety risk that I believe is not considered as part of the schedule building process. The safety issue could be cured by simply scheduling an intervening rest break prior to the deadhead. This is how all of our other pairings with deadheads are built.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PLT FOR A MAJOR FREIGHT OPERATOR COMPLAINS ABOUT HIS SCHEDULE.

Narrative: COULD YOU FOLKS LOOK AT (ANALYZE) THE SLEEP PATTERNS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO OPERATE THE ENCLOSED PAIRINGS ALL WK AND THEN TELL ME IF YOU THINK THE FINAL DUTY PERIODS, 13 PLUS 16 AND 14 PLUS 24 RESPECTIVELY ARE SAFE? PAIRING X PUTS US BACK IN THE HOTEL BY XN45 LCL. WITH ANY LUCK, YOU ARE IN BED, ASLEEP AT XW15 (BELIEVE ME, YOU ARE READY TO SLEEP BY THEN). GIVEN 8 HRS SLEEP (DIFFICULT IN HOTEL SIT) YOU ARE UP AGAIN FOR A NEW DAY AT XJ15 PLUS/MINUS, OR APPROX 6 HRS PRIOR TO SHOW TIME. THAT MEANS ON A NORMAL DAY YOU ARE UP FOR 15 PLUS 40 BEFORE YOUR NEXT REST PERIOD. BUT ON THE LAST DUTY PERIOD OF THE WK, YOU DEADHEAD HOME (SAME DUTY PERIOD) AT THE END OF THE SEQUENCE. THAT MEANS, WHEN YOU STUMBLE OUT TO THE PARKING LOT TO FIND YOUR CAR, YOU HAVE BEEN AWAKE GOING ON 20 HRS!!! (AS SCHEDULED). ALL OTHER TRIPS WITH A DEADHEAD AT THE END GO TO THE HOTEL FOR CREW REST PRIOR TO GOING HOME. UNSAFE SCHEDULING/FATIGUE -- IN AN EFFORT TO SQUEEZE EVER MORE PRODUCTIVITY FROM BAY CREW FORCE, OUR CRS DEPT HAS CREATED 5 FLT PAIRINGS IN NOV GUARANTEED TO INDUCE AN UNACCEPTABLE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL OF FATIGUE ON THE FINAL DUTY PERIOD OF THE WK. PAIRINGS X AND Y INCLUDE A DEADHEAD AS THE LAST ACTIVITY OF THE FINAL DUTY PERIOD WITHOUT AN INTERVENING CREW REST. IN THE CASE OF PAIRINGS X, THE SLEEP PATTERNS ESTABLISHED BY THE CREW MEMBER ENABLING HIM TO SAFELY OPERATE THIS TRIP (LAX/DFW/LAX) DEMAND THAT HE GO BACK TO THE HOTEL AT LAX FOR CREW REST PRIOR TO A DEADHEAD. INSTEAD, IN THE INTEREST OF SAVING A FEW DOLLARS, THE SCHEDULE HAS THE CREW MEMBERS DEADHEADING HOME AT THE END OF A LONG DUTY PERIOD (13 PLUS 16 HRS). BY DOING SO, THE CREW MEMBER WILL HAVE BEEN UP, AWAKE, IN EXCESS OF 20 HRS WHEN HE ARRIVES AT THE ARPT AT THE END OF THE DEADHEAD. IN A STATE OF UTTER FATIGUE, HE THEN FACES THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF HIS WORK WK: THE DRIVE HOME. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE AND AVOIDABLE SAFETY RISK THAT I BELIEVE IS NOT CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE SCHEDULE BUILDING PROCESS. THE SAFETY ISSUE COULD BE CURED BY SIMPLY SCHEDULING AN INTERVENING REST BREAK PRIOR TO THE DEADHEAD. THIS IS HOW ALL OF OUR OTHER PAIRINGS WITH DEADHEADS ARE BUILT.

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.