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Captain of an air carrier MD88 complains about company policies that cause fatigue, ie, cutting back on maintenance and reserve fuel. Also, longer duty days that have 3-5 hour waiting periods between flts at hub airports.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 363822 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199703 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : atl |
| State Reference | GA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | MD-88 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | ground : parked other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 190 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 600 |
| ASRS Report | 363822 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | other Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
Our company is spending a lot of money on crew resource training, safety programs, and other management supported window dressing training to warn us to be ever vigilant, especially in light of several incidents. However, it occurred to me that the reason for an increase in problems is due to the work environment our operationally challenged management has created. By cutting back on maintenance and reserve fuel to 'be competitive' they have increased the distrs and stress level in the cockpit. By continued violations of contract working condition rules they run crews ragged with frequent, undesired trip extensions. They also increase the fatigue factor with longer duty days, resulting not from more flying but 3-5 hour situation- arounds at hub airports. As air carrier X wastes money trying to find the root of problems with consultants, it need only look in the mirror to find the source.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CAPT OF AN ACR MD88 COMPLAINS ABOUT COMPANY POLICIES THAT CAUSE FATIGUE, IE, CUTTING BACK ON MAINT AND RESERVE FUEL. ALSO, LONGER DUTY DAYS THAT HAVE 3-5 HR WAITING PERIODS BTWN FLTS AT HUB ARPTS.
Narrative: OUR COMPANY IS SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON CREW RESOURCE TRAINING, SAFETY PROGRAMS, AND OTHER MGMNT SUPPORTED WINDOW DRESSING TRAINING TO WARN US TO BE EVER VIGILANT, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF SEVERAL INCIDENTS. HOWEVER, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE REASON FOR AN INCREASE IN PROBS IS DUE TO THE WORK ENVIRONMENT OUR OPERATIONALLY CHALLENGED MGMNT HAS CREATED. BY CUTTING BACK ON MAINT AND RESERVE FUEL TO 'BE COMPETITIVE' THEY HAVE INCREASED THE DISTRS AND STRESS LEVEL IN THE COCKPIT. BY CONTINUED VIOLATIONS OF CONTRACT WORKING CONDITION RULES THEY RUN CREWS RAGGED WITH FREQUENT, UNDESIRED TRIP EXTENSIONS. THEY ALSO INCREASE THE FATIGUE FACTOR WITH LONGER DUTY DAYS, RESULTING NOT FROM MORE FLYING BUT 3-5 HR SIT- AROUNDS AT HUB ARPTS. AS ACR X WASTES MONEY TRYING TO FIND THE ROOT OF PROBS WITH CONSULTANTS, IT NEED ONLY LOOK IN THE MIRROR TO FIND THE SOURCE.
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.