Narrative:

The night before the subject flight, I went to bed about YA00. I got up just after YB00 and was out the door and on the road to the airport by XA00. I caught the bus from the parking lot at approximately XB30 and was in the briefing room at SC50. Sign-in for this trip was XD00, but traffic uncertainties in the atlanta area require me to plan for increased travel time. The predep briefing was hampered by the lack of a plotting chart for the extremely northern route over which we had been dispatched. Following coordination with the chief pilot, adequate substitutions were arranged. Likewise, the pushback and taxi phases were complicated by #2 fadec, cargo door test and autobrake failures, all of which were ultimately resolved. Departure and climb out from atl were normal. Shortly after top of climb, the relief crew constructed the relief facility and began their 3 hour break. When they returned to assume their flying duties, the flight was at a point west of churchill, manitoba, along hudson bay. I inquired as to the amount of rest that they had been able to get. They informed me that they had not slept. Weighing this, and my own prior inability to achieve proper rest in this particular type of rest facility, I decided that this crew would be dangerously fatigued when it came time to approach a high density airport at the end of another ten or more hours in the air. I discussed my concern with the other 3 pilots, and I decided at that point that it was in everyone's best interests to divert and get a fresh crew. Pdx was the logical divert location due to the availability of MD11 reserve crews, and I decided to divert there. Following some initial communications difficulties with flight control, the divert was coordinated. The remainder of the flight to pdx was normal. Our passenger were accommodated on another flight from pdx to nrt. I believe all the decisions I made on this trip were operationally sound, prudent and safe, and in the best interests of the passenger, the crew and the company.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD11 INTL CREW DIVERTS TO PDX DUE TO INADEQUATE REST.

Narrative: THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SUBJECT FLT, I WENT TO BED ABOUT YA00. I GOT UP JUST AFTER YB00 AND WAS OUT THE DOOR AND ON THE ROAD TO THE ARPT BY XA00. I CAUGHT THE BUS FROM THE PARKING LOT AT APPROX XB30 AND WAS IN THE BRIEFING ROOM AT SC50. SIGN-IN FOR THIS TRIP WAS XD00, BUT TFC UNCERTAINTIES IN THE ATLANTA AREA REQUIRE ME TO PLAN FOR INCREASED TRAVEL TIME. THE PREDEP BRIEFING WAS HAMPERED BY THE LACK OF A PLOTTING CHART FOR THE EXTREMELY NORTHERN RTE OVER WHICH WE HAD BEEN DISPATCHED. FOLLOWING COORD WITH THE CHIEF PLT, ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTIONS WERE ARRANGED. LIKEWISE, THE PUSHBACK AND TAXI PHASES WERE COMPLICATED BY #2 FADEC, CARGO DOOR TEST AND AUTOBRAKE FAILURES, ALL OF WHICH WERE ULTIMATELY RESOLVED. DEP AND CLBOUT FROM ATL WERE NORMAL. SHORTLY AFTER TOP OF CLB, THE RELIEF CREW CONSTRUCTED THE RELIEF FACILITY AND BEGAN THEIR 3 HR BREAK. WHEN THEY RETURNED TO ASSUME THEIR FLYING DUTIES, THE FLT WAS AT A POINT W OF CHURCHILL, MANITOBA, ALONG HUDSON BAY. I INQUIRED AS TO THE AMOUNT OF REST THAT THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO GET. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD NOT SLEPT. WEIGHING THIS, AND MY OWN PRIOR INABILITY TO ACHIEVE PROPER REST IN THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF REST FACILITY, I DECIDED THAT THIS CREW WOULD BE DANGEROUSLY FATIGUED WHEN IT CAME TIME TO APCH A HIGH DENSITY ARPT AT THE END OF ANOTHER TEN OR MORE HRS IN THE AIR. I DISCUSSED MY CONCERN WITH THE OTHER 3 PLTS, AND I DECIDED AT THAT POINT THAT IT WAS IN EVERYONE'S BEST INTERESTS TO DIVERT AND GET A FRESH CREW. PDX WAS THE LOGICAL DIVERT LOCATION DUE TO THE AVAILABILITY OF MD11 RESERVE CREWS, AND I DECIDED TO DIVERT THERE. FOLLOWING SOME INITIAL COMS DIFFICULTIES WITH FLT CTL, THE DIVERT WAS COORDINATED. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT TO PDX WAS NORMAL. OUR PAX WERE ACCOMMODATED ON ANOTHER FLT FROM PDX TO NRT. I BELIEVE ALL THE DECISIONS I MADE ON THIS TRIP WERE OPERATIONALLY SOUND, PRUDENT AND SAFE, AND IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PAX, THE CREW AND THE COMPANY.

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.