Narrative:

On mar/thu/96, my crew was scheduled for an early morning departure (see enclosed trip pairing.) captain, first officer, and flight engineer, all reported for check-in at XA15, which commenced our duty day. Upon reporting for check-in, dispatch informed the crew that our aircraft was down for maintenance, and an alternate plan was being revised by crew scheduling. The new plan called for us to deadhead to chicago at XB00 CST, ferry from ord to grr, and then fly live from grr to las. With all the changes to our schedule, we arrived at las at XG38 PST. With a scheduled check-in of XJ00 PST and a XK00 PST departure, there was no point in going to the hotel for our 4 hour 15 min scheduled layover. The crew had lunch and proceeded back to our crew lounge to wait for our departure. When we checked in with dispatch, we were informed of a new departure time of XL00 PST. Once the aircraft arrived at the gate, it was discovered we had no flight attendant crew for our flight. By the time a flight attendant crew was procured, our cockpit crew was almost 15 hours into our duty day. Crew scheduling informed us that we were considered to be off duty 15 mins past arrival in las. We were told that we were legal to fly by crew scheduling. It should be mentioned that the ferry flts, ord-grr and grb-ord, are considered by crew schedulers to be operated under part 91. The ord- msp leg was a deadhead leg for our crew. Crew schedulers contend that we were off duty from XG53 PST to XL39 PST, although we never left the airport. As a crew, our concern is the gray area of on duty or off duty. And, although this may all be legal in the eyes of crew scheduling, it is in our belief that, due to the length of our duty day, that sleep deprivation jeopardized the safety of the segments las-grb and grb-ord. If far 121.505 is considered, we believe that, our duty day ended at XP15 CST. Our concern is solely for the safety of passenger and crew.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE ACFT PROBS AND LACK OF FLT ATTENDANTS CAUSED FLC TO BE DELAYED PROGRESSIVELY UNTIL THEY WERE INVOLVED IN A VERY LONG DUTY PERIOD. RPTR FO CONCERNS FOR SAFETY FOR PAX AND FATIGUED FLC. ACR POLICY SCHEDULING.

Narrative: ON MAR/THU/96, MY CREW WAS SCHEDULED FOR AN EARLY MORNING DEP (SEE ENCLOSED TRIP PAIRING.) CAPT, FO, AND FE, ALL RPTED FOR CHK-IN AT XA15, WHICH COMMENCED OUR DUTY DAY. UPON RPTING FOR CHK-IN, DISPATCH INFORMED THE CREW THAT OUR ACFT WAS DOWN FOR MAINT, AND AN ALTERNATE PLAN WAS BEING REVISED BY CREW SCHEDULING. THE NEW PLAN CALLED FOR US TO DEADHEAD TO CHICAGO AT XB00 CST, FERRY FROM ORD TO GRR, AND THEN FLY LIVE FROM GRR TO LAS. WITH ALL THE CHANGES TO OUR SCHEDULE, WE ARRIVED AT LAS AT XG38 PST. WITH A SCHEDULED CHK-IN OF XJ00 PST AND A XK00 PST DEP, THERE WAS NO POINT IN GOING TO THE HOTEL FOR OUR 4 HR 15 MIN SCHEDULED LAYOVER. THE CREW HAD LUNCH AND PROCEEDED BACK TO OUR CREW LOUNGE TO WAIT FOR OUR DEP. WHEN WE CHKED IN WITH DISPATCH, WE WERE INFORMED OF A NEW DEP TIME OF XL00 PST. ONCE THE ACFT ARRIVED AT THE GATE, IT WAS DISCOVERED WE HAD NO FLT ATTENDANT CREW FOR OUR FLT. BY THE TIME A FLT ATTENDANT CREW WAS PROCURED, OUR COCKPIT CREW WAS ALMOST 15 HRS INTO OUR DUTY DAY. CREW SCHEDULING INFORMED US THAT WE WERE CONSIDERED TO BE OFF DUTY 15 MINS PAST ARR IN LAS. WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WERE LEGAL TO FLY BY CREW SCHEDULING. IT SHOULD BE MENTIONED THAT THE FERRY FLTS, ORD-GRR AND GRB-ORD, ARE CONSIDERED BY CREW SCHEDULERS TO BE OPERATED UNDER PART 91. THE ORD- MSP LEG WAS A DEADHEAD LEG FOR OUR CREW. CREW SCHEDULERS CONTEND THAT WE WERE OFF DUTY FROM XG53 PST TO XL39 PST, ALTHOUGH WE NEVER LEFT THE ARPT. AS A CREW, OUR CONCERN IS THE GRAY AREA OF ON DUTY OR OFF DUTY. AND, ALTHOUGH THIS MAY ALL BE LEGAL IN THE EYES OF CREW SCHEDULING, IT IS IN OUR BELIEF THAT, DUE TO THE LENGTH OF OUR DUTY DAY, THAT SLEEP DEPRIVATION JEOPARDIZED THE SAFETY OF THE SEGMENTS LAS-GRB AND GRB-ORD. IF FAR 121.505 IS CONSIDERED, WE BELIEVE THAT, OUR DUTY DAY ENDED AT XP15 CST. OUR CONCERN IS SOLELY FOR THE SAFETY OF PAX AND CREW.

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.