Narrative:

Action taken: docked one day's pay. The following is the sequence of events leading up to my not answering the phone during my legal crew rest on nov/wed/95. I arrived in lax on nov/wed/95 at XA15 after flying the all nighter flight hnl-lax, arriving in lax at XA15 of nov/wed/95, then dead heading to sfo on flight kk and arriving in sfo at XC08. My legal crew rest would have expired at XQ08, since it should be 14 hours. The display for the reserves showed legal at XP16 (which is common scheduling practice and I believe incorrect). I picked up a ticket at the ticket counter approximately XD00, and saw our chief pilot approximately XE00. After an emergency dental appointment, I got to sleep approximately XK00. By that time I had been up approximately 20 hours. In order for me to get sufficient sleep and be available for another assignment when my legal rest expired at XP00, I shut off my phone. Crew scheduler X attempted to contact me at XN05, XN15, and XN25 and left messages stating that he had another all-nighter for me to fly 4 hours later at XR10. If he had called me at XP00, when my crew rest expired, I would have been able to fly the trip for him. When he tried to call me at XN00 and had awakened me at that time, after 3 hours sleep, he would have interrupted my sleep, and I would have been physically unable to fly another all-nighter. He never made another attempt to contact me after my legal crew rest expired. Had he done so I would have been properly rested, I would have answered my phone, and I would have flown his trip for him. He then stated on my record and sent a meter to the chief pilot, that I was unavailable for assignment for identify TTT, flight zz with a departure time of XR10. That was incorrect. I was available to fly the trip, had he made any attempt to contact me when my crew rest expired. I have never missed a trip in 35 yrs of flying and I consider this accusation an insult. When I talked to him the next evening, he stated that I should have known about my being next in line to fly that trip on the morning of the nov/wed/95, because it was on the reserve display in the computer. I did not know that I was next in line to fly that trip, or any other trip. Furthermore, if scheduling knew that I was next in line to fly the trip already in the morning, then they should have assigned the trip to me then, to give me sufficient time to get proper crew rest. In view of the foregoing, and with due respect to scheduling, and yy airlines, I feel that I did everything in my power to be ready for assignment in spite of scheduling's attempts to wake me, after 3 hours of sleep. Furthermore, in spite of what is said, I was ready for assignment, and I was available for assignment, when my crew rest expired and I was legal to fly. Furthermore, this business of waking a pilot during his legal crew rest for assignment, when other methods of notification are available, in this case before and after my crew rest, is common practice at yy scheduling. It is a blatant disregard for safe operating procedures and an accident waiting to happen. Horror stories abound among practically every yy pilot regarding this unsafe practice.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT NOT AVAILABLE FOR FLT DUTY.

Narrative: ACTION TAKEN: DOCKED ONE DAY'S PAY. THE FOLLOWING IS THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO MY NOT ANSWERING THE PHONE DURING MY LEGAL CREW REST ON NOV/WED/95. I ARRIVED IN LAX ON NOV/WED/95 AT XA15 AFTER FLYING THE ALL NIGHTER FLT HNL-LAX, ARRIVING IN LAX AT XA15 OF NOV/WED/95, THEN DEAD HEADING TO SFO ON FLT KK AND ARRIVING IN SFO AT XC08. MY LEGAL CREW REST WOULD HAVE EXPIRED AT XQ08, SINCE IT SHOULD BE 14 HRS. THE DISPLAY FOR THE RESERVES SHOWED LEGAL AT XP16 (WHICH IS COMMON SCHEDULING PRACTICE AND I BELIEVE INCORRECT). I PICKED UP A TICKET AT THE TICKET COUNTER APPROX XD00, AND SAW OUR CHIEF PLT APPROX XE00. AFTER AN EMER DENTAL APPOINTMENT, I GOT TO SLEEP APPROX XK00. BY THAT TIME I HAD BEEN UP APPROX 20 HRS. IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET SUFFICIENT SLEEP AND BE AVAILABLE FOR ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT WHEN MY LEGAL REST EXPIRED AT XP00, I SHUT OFF MY PHONE. CREW SCHEDULER X ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ME AT XN05, XN15, AND XN25 AND LEFT MESSAGES STATING THAT HE HAD ANOTHER ALL-NIGHTER FOR ME TO FLY 4 HRS LATER AT XR10. IF HE HAD CALLED ME AT XP00, WHEN MY CREW REST EXPIRED, I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FLY THE TRIP FOR HIM. WHEN HE TRIED TO CALL ME AT XN00 AND HAD AWAKENED ME AT THAT TIME, AFTER 3 HRS SLEEP, HE WOULD HAVE INTERRUPTED MY SLEEP, AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO FLY ANOTHER ALL-NIGHTER. HE NEVER MADE ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO CONTACT ME AFTER MY LEGAL CREW REST EXPIRED. HAD HE DONE SO I WOULD HAVE BEEN PROPERLY RESTED, I WOULD HAVE ANSWERED MY PHONE, AND I WOULD HAVE FLOWN HIS TRIP FOR HIM. HE THEN STATED ON MY RECORD AND SENT A METER TO THE CHIEF PLT, THAT I WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR ASSIGNMENT FOR IDENT TTT, FLT ZZ WITH A DEP TIME OF XR10. THAT WAS INCORRECT. I WAS AVAILABLE TO FLY THE TRIP, HAD HE MADE ANY ATTEMPT TO CONTACT ME WHEN MY CREW REST EXPIRED. I HAVE NEVER MISSED A TRIP IN 35 YRS OF FLYING AND I CONSIDER THIS ACCUSATION AN INSULT. WHEN I TALKED TO HIM THE NEXT EVENING, HE STATED THAT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT MY BEING NEXT IN LINE TO FLY THAT TRIP ON THE MORNING OF THE NOV/WED/95, BECAUSE IT WAS ON THE RESERVE DISPLAY IN THE COMPUTER. I DID NOT KNOW THAT I WAS NEXT IN LINE TO FLY THAT TRIP, OR ANY OTHER TRIP. FURTHERMORE, IF SCHEDULING KNEW THAT I WAS NEXT IN LINE TO FLY THE TRIP ALREADY IN THE MORNING, THEN THEY SHOULD HAVE ASSIGNED THE TRIP TO ME THEN, TO GIVE ME SUFFICIENT TIME TO GET PROPER CREW REST. IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, AND WITH DUE RESPECT TO SCHEDULING, AND YY AIRLINES, I FEEL THAT I DID EVERYTHING IN MY PWR TO BE READY FOR ASSIGNMENT IN SPITE OF SCHEDULING'S ATTEMPTS TO WAKE ME, AFTER 3 HRS OF SLEEP. FURTHERMORE, IN SPITE OF WHAT IS SAID, I WAS READY FOR ASSIGNMENT, AND I WAS AVAILABLE FOR ASSIGNMENT, WHEN MY CREW REST EXPIRED AND I WAS LEGAL TO FLY. FURTHERMORE, THIS BUSINESS OF WAKING A PLT DURING HIS LEGAL CREW REST FOR ASSIGNMENT, WHEN OTHER METHODS OF NOTIFICATION ARE AVAILABLE, IN THIS CASE BEFORE AND AFTER MY CREW REST, IS COMMON PRACTICE AT YY SCHEDULING. IT IS A BLATANT DISREGARD FOR SAFE OPERATING PROCS AND AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. HORROR STORIES ABOUND AMONG PRACTICALLY EVERY YY PLT REGARDING THIS UNSAFE PRACTICE.

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.