Narrative:

During a cargo charter flight from mia-pim-mia, our DC8 crew exceeded the 12 hour flight time limitation on international flts by far 121 supplemental operators. Total flight time in 24 hour period was 13.4 hours. The excessive flight time was a result of our dispatcher not anticipating that our aircraft would not be allowed to overfly cuba. The original dispatch of 5 hours 30 mins mia-pim and 5 hours 30 mins pim-mia was for a flight that would've been through cuban airspace. When dispatch was notified that a cuban overflt was not authority/authorized, they redispatched us on a non cuban airspace route of mia- pim, 6 hours 10 mins, and pim-mia 6 hours 11 mins ete. Neither any member of the crew nor the dispatcher realized that the flight would then be scheduled for 12 hours 21 mins total ete, and thus exceed the 12 hour limitation. Another concern was raised due to the increased fuel required to complete the longer, non cuban overflt trip. This occurred when we were forced to bump cargo to allow for an acceptable maximum takeoff weight and maximum landing weight. Our client, an air cargo company, recently crashed a 707 in ecuador, ostensibly due to a confusion between kilograms and pounds when quantifying their cargo weight. The overloaded 707 subsequently crashed and killed 78 people, was responsible for reconfiguring and reweighing the cargo pallets, trucked the pallets away and returned with the supposedly lighter pallets in an amazingly short time. As far as I know there is no other organization weighing the pallets, which is a potential hazard due to their history of overloaded aircraft. I recently had a conversation with an FAA inspector who warned me that this cargo group has a history of contracting for a given cargo weight, example: 85000 pounds and actually loading far more on the aircraft. Someone from our carrier should be present when the loads are weighed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIR CARGO ACFT FLC SCHEDULED FOR OVER 12 HRS WITHOUT A RELIEF CREW MEMBER FOR INTL OVERWATER OP. FLC WORK SCHEDULING. THE SO ALSO VOICES CONCERNS RELATED TO ACTUAL CARGO PALLET WTS AS CARGO WT RESTR IMPOSED FOR FUEL ACFT GROSS WT REQUIREMENTS. EXTRA FUEL REQUIRED.

Narrative: DURING A CARGO CHARTER FLT FROM MIA-PIM-MIA, OUR DC8 CREW EXCEEDED THE 12 HR FLT TIME LIMITATION ON INTL FLTS BY FAR 121 SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATORS. TOTAL FLT TIME IN 24 HR PERIOD WAS 13.4 HRS. THE EXCESSIVE FLT TIME WAS A RESULT OF OUR DISPATCHER NOT ANTICIPATING THAT OUR ACFT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO OVERFLY CUBA. THE ORIGINAL DISPATCH OF 5 HRS 30 MINS MIA-PIM AND 5 HRS 30 MINS PIM-MIA WAS FOR A FLT THAT WOULD'VE BEEN THROUGH CUBAN AIRSPACE. WHEN DISPATCH WAS NOTIFIED THAT A CUBAN OVERFLT WAS NOT AUTH, THEY REDISPATCHED US ON A NON CUBAN AIRSPACE RTE OF MIA- PIM, 6 HRS 10 MINS, AND PIM-MIA 6 HRS 11 MINS ETE. NEITHER ANY MEMBER OF THE CREW NOR THE DISPATCHER REALIZED THAT THE FLT WOULD THEN BE SCHEDULED FOR 12 HRS 21 MINS TOTAL ETE, AND THUS EXCEED THE 12 HR LIMITATION. ANOTHER CONCERN WAS RAISED DUE TO THE INCREASED FUEL REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE LONGER, NON CUBAN OVERFLT TRIP. THIS OCCURRED WHEN WE WERE FORCED TO BUMP CARGO TO ALLOW FOR AN ACCEPTABLE MAXIMUM TKOF WT AND MAX LNDG WT. OUR CLIENT, AN AIR CARGO COMPANY, RECENTLY CRASHED A 707 IN ECUADOR, OSTENSIBLY DUE TO A CONFUSION BTWN KILOGRAMS AND LBS WHEN QUANTIFYING THEIR CARGO WT. THE OVERLOADED 707 SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED AND KILLED 78 PEOPLE, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR RECONFIGURING AND REWEIGHING THE CARGO PALLETS, TRUCKED THE PALLETS AWAY AND RETURNED WITH THE SUPPOSEDLY LIGHTER PALLETS IN AN AMAZINGLY SHORT TIME. AS FAR AS I KNOW THERE IS NO OTHER ORGANIZATION WEIGHING THE PALLETS, WHICH IS A POTENTIAL HAZARD DUE TO THEIR HISTORY OF OVERLOADED ACFT. I RECENTLY HAD A CONVERSATION WITH AN FAA INSPECTOR WHO WARNED ME THAT THIS CARGO GROUP HAS A HISTORY OF CONTRACTING FOR A GIVEN CARGO WT, EXAMPLE: 85000 LBS AND ACTUALLY LOADING FAR MORE ON THE ACFT. SOMEONE FROM OUR CARRIER SHOULD BE PRESENT WHEN THE LOADS ARE WEIGHED.

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.