Narrative:

This report is being written in response to a situation where I was forced to accept a trip by our director of operations even though I advised him that I was fatigued and did not feel I could safely operate the flight due to being fatigued. When queried by him in regard to my previous flying and subsequent rest, he claimed that I was adequately rested and he would not accept my refusal to fly. My duty day was done and this flight would add over 4 more hours to my duty day. While my total duty time over the past 2 days was not unduly long (approximately 15 hours), each day required me to wake up at XA00 am. These early reports, coupled with an interrupted sleep the night before were the cause of my feeling tired at the time of the incident. When the director of operation would not let met leave, I tried other methods to get out of the trip including invoking certain contract sections and demanding 'draft pay' to sway them against me. At this point, the director of operations told me, 'do the trip or give me your identify.' this is the equivalent of demanding your resignation. At this point, I was so stressed, and fearful of losing my job that I capitulated and flew the trip. I feel passenger safety was compromised and the heavy-handed tactics of the director of operations were reprehensible. I still am angry at myself for giving in to him. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: because the reporter was so upset at having his job put on the line and forced to fly when exhausted, he said some things to the operations director that got him 2 days off without pay. The charge was crew scheduler abuse and a company hearing is imminent. Reporter sent a copy of the ASRS report to this company and the local FAA inspector who said, 'we are looking into it.' reporter related another company incident in which a pilot was reassigned after a long and tiring trip. He got into an argument over the telephone in a public place and was overheard by one of the passenger scheduled for the flight. The passenger canceled his flight and wrote a letter to the company. The pilot was fired. Reporter says that there are many factors that can affect a pilot's alertness and flight capabilities. For example, a sick child kept the pilot awake all night and the trip the next day is 5 legs, poor WX and in a busy air traffic corridor -- not the best for safe operations. Of course blanket approval of claiming fatigue would bring with it abuse. However, it wouldn't take long to note who was and wasn't abusing a more realistic approach to fatigue.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT FATIGUE. FLY OR LOSE THE JOB.

Narrative: THIS RPT IS BEING WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO A SIT WHERE I WAS FORCED TO ACCEPT A TRIP BY OUR DIRECTOR OF OPS EVEN THOUGH I ADVISED HIM THAT I WAS FATIGUED AND DID NOT FEEL I COULD SAFELY OPERATE THE FLT DUE TO BEING FATIGUED. WHEN QUERIED BY HIM IN REGARD TO MY PREVIOUS FLYING AND SUBSEQUENT REST, HE CLAIMED THAT I WAS ADEQUATELY RESTED AND HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT MY REFUSAL TO FLY. MY DUTY DAY WAS DONE AND THIS FLT WOULD ADD OVER 4 MORE HRS TO MY DUTY DAY. WHILE MY TOTAL DUTY TIME OVER THE PAST 2 DAYS WAS NOT UNDULY LONG (APPROX 15 HRS), EACH DAY REQUIRED ME TO WAKE UP AT XA00 AM. THESE EARLY RPTS, COUPLED WITH AN INTERRUPTED SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE WERE THE CAUSE OF MY FEELING TIRED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. WHEN THE DIRECTOR OF OP WOULD NOT LET MET LEAVE, I TRIED OTHER METHODS TO GET OUT OF THE TRIP INCLUDING INVOKING CERTAIN CONTRACT SECTIONS AND DEMANDING 'DRAFT PAY' TO SWAY THEM AGAINST ME. AT THIS POINT, THE DIRECTOR OF OPS TOLD ME, 'DO THE TRIP OR GIVE ME YOUR IDENT.' THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT OF DEMANDING YOUR RESIGNATION. AT THIS POINT, I WAS SO STRESSED, AND FEARFUL OF LOSING MY JOB THAT I CAPITULATED AND FLEW THE TRIP. I FEEL PAX SAFETY WAS COMPROMISED AND THE HEAVY-HANDED TACTICS OF THE DIRECTOR OF OPS WERE REPREHENSIBLE. I STILL AM ANGRY AT MYSELF FOR GIVING IN TO HIM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: BECAUSE THE RPTR WAS SO UPSET AT HAVING HIS JOB PUT ON THE LINE AND FORCED TO FLY WHEN EXHAUSTED, HE SAID SOME THINGS TO THE OPS DIRECTOR THAT GOT HIM 2 DAYS OFF WITHOUT PAY. THE CHARGE WAS CREW SCHEDULER ABUSE AND A COMPANY HEARING IS IMMINENT. RPTR SENT A COPY OF THE ASRS RPT TO THIS COMPANY AND THE LCL FAA INSPECTOR WHO SAID, 'WE ARE LOOKING INTO IT.' RPTR RELATED ANOTHER COMPANY INCIDENT IN WHICH A PLT WAS REASSIGNED AFTER A LONG AND TIRING TRIP. HE GOT INTO AN ARGUMENT OVER THE TELEPHONE IN A PUBLIC PLACE AND WAS OVERHEARD BY ONE OF THE PAX SCHEDULED FOR THE FLT. THE PAX CANCELED HIS FLT AND WROTE A LETTER TO THE COMPANY. THE PLT WAS FIRED. RPTR SAYS THAT THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT A PLT'S ALERTNESS AND FLT CAPABILITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, A SICK CHILD KEPT THE PLT AWAKE ALL NIGHT AND THE TRIP THE NEXT DAY IS 5 LEGS, POOR WX AND IN A BUSY AIR TFC CORRIDOR -- NOT THE BEST FOR SAFE OPS. OF COURSE BLANKET APPROVAL OF CLAIMING FATIGUE WOULD BRING WITH IT ABUSE. HOWEVER, IT WOULDN'T TAKE LONG TO NOTE WHO WAS AND WASN'T ABUSING A MORE REALISTIC APCH TO FATIGUE.

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.