Narrative:

The incident for which I am reporting involves exceeding 8 hours (scheduled) flight time under far part 135 and the sequence of events which caused it to go unnoticed by scheduling and the flight crew. The original trip was legally scheduled for just under the 8 hour limit, and 5 legs. On our early morning inbound flight, WX at the destination airport (visibility 1/8 mi in fog) required a 30 min hold and eventual diversion to an alternate airport. Upon arrival at the alternate, company dispatch was contacted to discuss WX and our next destination. I expected a lengthy wait at our alternate for the WX at our initial destination to improve before we could depart and expected to lose our next 2 flts outbound from cvg as originally scheduled, and instructions to ferry from our alternate to our home base at cvg when the WX permitted. However, we were instructed to bypass cvg and ferry the aircraft to gso and pick up the scheduled return flight. At this point crew scheduling noticed that once back from these legs, our final 2 legs would put us over 8 hours, and entered an amendment to our trip to avoid exceeding our scheduled 8 hours. Our trip was rescheduled with 2 shorter legs to maintain legality, and a warning notice entered into the schedule computer to notify us of the changes to our trip. Upon our arrival we were notified to contact crew scheduling for a message, when we landed inbound from gso. At some point during the day crew scheduling had a shift change and a power failure of some sort which rendered the scheduling computers inaccessible. They knew there was a message for us left by the previous schedulers, but were unable to retrieve any information from the computers. We (the flight crew) were also unable to access the scheduling computer for revisions/information concerning our trip assignment. With a short ground time, a fueled and boarded aircraft, we once again advised dispatch and awaited an update. We were advised to complete our trip, as further information was unavailable to them and to us. During our final leg, myself and first officer calculated our actual flight times and estimated exceeding 8 hours. However, actual flight time is not a factor and we could not determine our scheduled time. Needless to say we exceeded our scheduled 8 hour limit by 10 mins and actual by 48 mins. Solution: in the future, insist that scheduled block times be available to the crew regardless of the status of scheduling computers, or any other incidentals before accepting any flight assignment. It would also help if there was more regulatory pressure on airline scheduling to maintain system reliability, so all necessary information may be available to flcs. Also, schedules with a lot more flexibility would aid avoiding this problem instead of the well known abusive practice of scheduling trips right to the maximum legal limit.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN LTT QUESTIONED THEIR LEGAL STATUS OF SCHEDULED FLT DUTY.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT FOR WHICH I AM RPTING INVOLVES EXCEEDING 8 HRS (SCHEDULED) FLT TIME UNDER FAR PART 135 AND THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WHICH CAUSED IT TO GO UNNOTICED BY SCHEDULING AND THE FLC. THE ORIGINAL TRIP WAS LEGALLY SCHEDULED FOR JUST UNDER THE 8 HR LIMIT, AND 5 LEGS. ON OUR EARLY MORNING INBOUND FLT, WX AT THE DEST ARPT (VISIBILITY 1/8 MI IN FOG) REQUIRED A 30 MIN HOLD AND EVENTUAL DIVERSION TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT. UPON ARR AT THE ALTERNATE, COMPANY DISPATCH WAS CONTACTED TO DISCUSS WX AND OUR NEXT DEST. I EXPECTED A LENGTHY WAIT AT OUR ALTERNATE FOR THE WX AT OUR INITIAL DEST TO IMPROVE BEFORE WE COULD DEPART AND EXPECTED TO LOSE OUR NEXT 2 FLTS OUTBOUND FROM CVG AS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED, AND INSTRUCTIONS TO FERRY FROM OUR ALTERNATE TO OUR HOME BASE AT CVG WHEN THE WX PERMITTED. HOWEVER, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO BYPASS CVG AND FERRY THE ACFT TO GSO AND PICK UP THE SCHEDULED RETURN FLT. AT THIS POINT CREW SCHEDULING NOTICED THAT ONCE BACK FROM THESE LEGS, OUR FINAL 2 LEGS WOULD PUT US OVER 8 HRS, AND ENTERED AN AMENDMENT TO OUR TRIP TO AVOID EXCEEDING OUR SCHEDULED 8 HRS. OUR TRIP WAS RESCHEDULED WITH 2 SHORTER LEGS TO MAINTAIN LEGALITY, AND A WARNING NOTICE ENTERED INTO THE SCHEDULE COMPUTER TO NOTIFY US OF THE CHANGES TO OUR TRIP. UPON OUR ARR WE WERE NOTIFIED TO CONTACT CREW SCHEDULING FOR A MESSAGE, WHEN WE LANDED INBOUND FROM GSO. AT SOME POINT DURING THE DAY CREW SCHEDULING HAD A SHIFT CHANGE AND A PWR FAILURE OF SOME SORT WHICH RENDERED THE SCHEDULING COMPUTERS INACCESSIBLE. THEY KNEW THERE WAS A MESSAGE FOR US LEFT BY THE PREVIOUS SCHEDULERS, BUT WERE UNABLE TO RETRIEVE ANY INFO FROM THE COMPUTERS. WE (THE FLC) WERE ALSO UNABLE TO ACCESS THE SCHEDULING COMPUTER FOR REVISIONS/INFO CONCERNING OUR TRIP ASSIGNMENT. WITH A SHORT GND TIME, A FUELED AND BOARDED ACFT, WE ONCE AGAIN ADVISED DISPATCH AND AWAITED AN UPDATE. WE WERE ADVISED TO COMPLETE OUR TRIP, AS FURTHER INFO WAS UNAVAILABLE TO THEM AND TO US. DURING OUR FINAL LEG, MYSELF AND FO CALCULATED OUR ACTUAL FLT TIMES AND ESTIMATED EXCEEDING 8 HRS. HOWEVER, ACTUAL FLT TIME IS NOT A FACTOR AND WE COULD NOT DETERMINE OUR SCHEDULED TIME. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE EXCEEDED OUR SCHEDULED 8 HR LIMIT BY 10 MINS AND ACTUAL BY 48 MINS. SOLUTION: IN THE FUTURE, INSIST THAT SCHEDULED BLOCK TIMES BE AVAILABLE TO THE CREW REGARDLESS OF THE STATUS OF SCHEDULING COMPUTERS, OR ANY OTHER INCIDENTALS BEFORE ACCEPTING ANY FLT ASSIGNMENT. IT WOULD ALSO HELP IF THERE WAS MORE REGULATORY PRESSURE ON AIRLINE SCHEDULING TO MAINTAIN SYS RELIABILITY, SO ALL NECESSARY INFO MAY BE AVAILABLE TO FLCS. ALSO, SCHEDULES WITH A LOT MORE FLEXIBILITY WOULD AID AVOIDING THIS PROB INSTEAD OF THE WELL KNOWN ABUSIVE PRACTICE OF SCHEDULING TRIPS RIGHT TO THE MAX LEGAL LIMIT.

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.