Narrative:

Your receipt of this report is unusual: it's for a flight that did not occur. I am a captain for a full-service FBO headquartered in winston-salem, nc. On jul/sun/97, I had flown a 'pilot services' trip for a customer who had bought a king C90B from my company. I arrived home from this trip at XC00 am monday morning and slept until XK30. Having slept so late, when it was late pm, I wanted to go to bed but I was too awake, so I surfed the internet until XA15 am tuesday morning. By then, I had gotten so tired that I was literally fighting to keep my eyes open, so I went to bed. At XA19 am a company dispatcher telephoned to tell me that he had a trip for me and that I needed to drive to gso immediately. Knowing full well that I had no business flying an airplane when I was that tired, I told the dispatcher that I could not fly the trip because of my fatigue. Some other pilots heard that I had done this and reported me to my company's director of operations. He grounded me until he was able to speak to me 3 days later. In his office, I was basically told that it better not happen again and that I need to 'manage' my rest better. During our conversation, I was not allowed to bring up my point, so I'm bringing it up to you, it is relevant to every commercial aircraft operator. In my case as an on-demand charter pilot, I am expected to be ready to fly 24 hours a day outside of a required 10 hour rest period following a trip. People go to sleep at night when they are tired. People cannot go to sleep when they're not tired. Therefore, if a pilot gets called for a trip as he's laying down to go to sleep (because he's tired), he shouldn't fly -- I've seen the mistakes that I and others have made due to fatigue. But in this on-demand charter business, we have to fly or face termination from employment. Afterward, someone brought to my attention that I would have been better off to have lied to my dispatcher, telling him that I was sick. I take pride in my honesty and integrity to always do what is right. However, the next time I have to make a choice between jeopardizing my job (and thus my career) or the lives of myself, a crew member, and passenger, I'll swallow my pride and lie. I've read that pilots claiming that they're too tired to fly is becoming more and more acceptable: it certainly isn't here. Please help make a change so that honest people like myself can tell the truth. My suggestion which seems to be the only realistic way to resolve this problem is by FAA requiring operators to split reserve days in half between 2 reservists, ie, only allowing pilots to serve on reserve for 12 hour shifts. Don't listen to airline mgrs cry about the added costs this would entail. If we really want zero accidents, this will be a major step in that direction. The day after I had been counseled on this event by management, I was disturbed by another chilling thought. On one sat, I had gotten up at XD30 am to fly with the same customer mentioned above. I was off duty at XN00 pm that afternoon. After I had gotten home, I began thinking of all of the possibilities in which my company and this industry due to lax FARS expects of me. Legally, I could have been dispatched out on a trip at xxoo that night and been expected to fly again and endure up to a 14 hour day -- after having gotten up at XD30 am. This type of scheduling is an unrealistic and impossible expectation of the human body. The only way I could possibly always be ready and safe for a 14 hour duty day is if I'm always at home asleep when off duty, waiting for that phone call that may or may not come. FARS further only require my company to give me 13 hours off every quarter. This means that my company can legally schedule me to fly 78 14-hour days in a row. I've never seen it that bad here but I have flown 21 days in a row and another pilot once flew 31 days in a row. Being so fatigued then that I was about to drop, a day of relief was provided to me after my many days of 'whining' as they call it. I was wrong to allow my company to schedule me for trips in that manner.I've learned from that and other mistakes. Deciding that I wasn't going to let it happen again has gotten me into trouble. It goes without saying that I'm looking for another job much more aggressively now. I can always get another job, but I can't get another life.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT FOR ON DEMAND CHARTER OP RPT RESCHEDULING WHICH LEADS TO FATIGUE PROBS WITH 24 HR ON CALL CONDITION.

Narrative: YOUR RECEIPT OF THIS RPT IS UNUSUAL: IT'S FOR A FLT THAT DID NOT OCCUR. I AM A CAPT FOR A FULL-SVC FBO HEADQUARTERED IN WINSTON-SALEM, NC. ON JUL/SUN/97, I HAD FLOWN A 'PLT SVCS' TRIP FOR A CUSTOMER WHO HAD BOUGHT A KING C90B FROM MY COMPANY. I ARRIVED HOME FROM THIS TRIP AT XC00 AM MONDAY MORNING AND SLEPT UNTIL XK30. HAVING SLEPT SO LATE, WHEN IT WAS LATE PM, I WANTED TO GO TO BED BUT I WAS TOO AWAKE, SO I SURFED THE INTERNET UNTIL XA15 AM TUESDAY MORNING. BY THEN, I HAD GOTTEN SO TIRED THAT I WAS LITERALLY FIGHTING TO KEEP MY EYES OPEN, SO I WENT TO BED. AT XA19 AM A COMPANY DISPATCHER TELEPHONED TO TELL ME THAT HE HAD A TRIP FOR ME AND THAT I NEEDED TO DRIVE TO GSO IMMEDIATELY. KNOWING FULL WELL THAT I HAD NO BUSINESS FLYING AN AIRPLANE WHEN I WAS THAT TIRED, I TOLD THE DISPATCHER THAT I COULD NOT FLY THE TRIP BECAUSE OF MY FATIGUE. SOME OTHER PLTS HEARD THAT I HAD DONE THIS AND RPTED ME TO MY COMPANY'S DIRECTOR OF OPS. HE GROUNDED ME UNTIL HE WAS ABLE TO SPEAK TO ME 3 DAYS LATER. IN HIS OFFICE, I WAS BASICALLY TOLD THAT IT BETTER NOT HAPPEN AGAIN AND THAT I NEED TO 'MANAGE' MY REST BETTER. DURING OUR CONVERSATION, I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO BRING UP MY POINT, SO I'M BRINGING IT UP TO YOU, IT IS RELEVANT TO EVERY COMMERCIAL ACFT OPERATOR. IN MY CASE AS AN ON-DEMAND CHARTER PLT, I AM EXPECTED TO BE READY TO FLY 24 HRS A DAY OUTSIDE OF A REQUIRED 10 HR REST PERIOD FOLLOWING A TRIP. PEOPLE GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT WHEN THEY ARE TIRED. PEOPLE CANNOT GO TO SLEEP WHEN THEY'RE NOT TIRED. THEREFORE, IF A PLT GETS CALLED FOR A TRIP AS HE'S LAYING DOWN TO GO TO SLEEP (BECAUSE HE'S TIRED), HE SHOULDN'T FLY -- I'VE SEEN THE MISTAKES THAT I AND OTHERS HAVE MADE DUE TO FATIGUE. BUT IN THIS ON-DEMAND CHARTER BUSINESS, WE HAVE TO FLY OR FACE TERMINATION FROM EMPLOYMENT. AFTERWARD, SOMEONE BROUGHT TO MY ATTN THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF TO HAVE LIED TO MY DISPATCHER, TELLING HIM THAT I WAS SICK. I TAKE PRIDE IN MY HONESTY AND INTEGRITY TO ALWAYS DO WHAT IS RIGHT. HOWEVER, THE NEXT TIME I HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE BTWN JEOPARDIZING MY JOB (AND THUS MY CAREER) OR THE LIVES OF MYSELF, A CREW MEMBER, AND PAX, I'LL SWALLOW MY PRIDE AND LIE. I'VE READ THAT PLTS CLAIMING THAT THEY'RE TOO TIRED TO FLY IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE ACCEPTABLE: IT CERTAINLY ISN'T HERE. PLEASE HELP MAKE A CHANGE SO THAT HONEST PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF CAN TELL THE TRUTH. MY SUGGESTION WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY REALISTIC WAY TO RESOLVE THIS PROB IS BY FAA REQUIRING OPERATORS TO SPLIT RESERVE DAYS IN HALF BTWN 2 RESERVISTS, IE, ONLY ALLOWING PLTS TO SERVE ON RESERVE FOR 12 HR SHIFTS. DON'T LISTEN TO AIRLINE MGRS CRY ABOUT THE ADDED COSTS THIS WOULD ENTAIL. IF WE REALLY WANT ZERO ACCIDENTS, THIS WILL BE A MAJOR STEP IN THAT DIRECTION. THE DAY AFTER I HAD BEEN COUNSELED ON THIS EVENT BY MGMNT, I WAS DISTURBED BY ANOTHER CHILLING THOUGHT. ON ONE SAT, I HAD GOTTEN UP AT XD30 AM TO FLY WITH THE SAME CUSTOMER MENTIONED ABOVE. I WAS OFF DUTY AT XN00 PM THAT AFTERNOON. AFTER I HAD GOTTEN HOME, I BEGAN THINKING OF ALL OF THE POSSIBILITIES IN WHICH MY COMPANY AND THIS INDUSTRY DUE TO LAX FARS EXPECTS OF ME. LEGALLY, I COULD HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED OUT ON A TRIP AT XXOO THAT NIGHT AND BEEN EXPECTED TO FLY AGAIN AND ENDURE UP TO A 14 HR DAY -- AFTER HAVING GOTTEN UP AT XD30 AM. THIS TYPE OF SCHEDULING IS AN UNREALISTIC AND IMPOSSIBLE EXPECTATION OF THE HUMAN BODY. THE ONLY WAY I COULD POSSIBLY ALWAYS BE READY AND SAFE FOR A 14 HR DUTY DAY IS IF I'M ALWAYS AT HOME ASLEEP WHEN OFF DUTY, WAITING FOR THAT PHONE CALL THAT MAY OR MAY NOT COME. FARS FURTHER ONLY REQUIRE MY COMPANY TO GIVE ME 13 HRS OFF EVERY QUARTER. THIS MEANS THAT MY COMPANY CAN LEGALLY SCHEDULE ME TO FLY 78 14-HR DAYS IN A ROW. I'VE NEVER SEEN IT THAT BAD HERE BUT I HAVE FLOWN 21 DAYS IN A ROW AND ANOTHER PLT ONCE FLEW 31 DAYS IN A ROW. BEING SO FATIGUED THEN THAT I WAS ABOUT TO DROP, A DAY OF RELIEF WAS PROVIDED TO ME AFTER MY MANY DAYS OF 'WHINING' AS THEY CALL IT. I WAS WRONG TO ALLOW MY COMPANY TO SCHEDULE ME FOR TRIPS IN THAT MANNER.I'VE LEARNED FROM THAT AND OTHER MISTAKES. DECIDING THAT I WASN'T GOING TO LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN HAS GOTTEN ME INTO TROUBLE. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT I'M LOOKING FOR ANOTHER JOB MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVELY NOW. I CAN ALWAYS GET ANOTHER JOB, BUT I CAN'T GET ANOTHER LIFE.

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.