Narrative:

En route from lax to nrt (tokyo, japan) passenger has medical problems. Doctor on board who happened to be cardiologist is consulted and passenger continues to have chest pains, etc. Phone patch through sfo commercial radio is established with hospital. After doctor on board and hospital talked, it was decided by both parties that passenger was in need of immediate medical attention that can only be provided by hospital and the flight is diverted to anc. At this time we were approximately 6 hours into our crossing and 115 mins from anc. We landed in anc after a block time of 7 hours 49 mins. Passenger was deplaned by paramedics and emergency personnel in anc. In our limited communications with airline through ACARS and commercial, we were questioning our legality to continue our flight to nrt. Once we had landed in anc we were told by our scheduling personnel that we were in no violation of FARS and that no warning flags were appearing in our flight or on our schedule through the computer. After a check of our flight operations manual we could not determine that we would be in violation of any far because we were not scheduled to check any flight time limitation for a non augmented flag carrier flight crew. Also told by crew scheduling that there were no reserve crews in anc to replace us nor were there any hotels for passenger or crew in anc due to cruise lines in town for tourist season and no hotels available. Therefore, because of the vagueness of the writing of the FARS and the assurance of crew scheduling that we were legal to continue our trip because we had diverted due to medical emergency and we were not scheduled to stop in anc, we were legal to continue our flight to nrt. Therefore we reported anc and arrived nrt for a 6 hour 57 min block-to-block time. This, plus our lax-anc leg of 7 hours 49 mins block, gave us a total flight time of 14 hours 46 mins. Supplemental information from acn 448920: scheduled passenger flight from lax-nrt non stop with single crew of 3 scheduled time about 11 hours. We diverted to anc, about 2 hours out of the way due to ill passenger. We were under 'time' pressure to get airborne due to the fact the flight attendants have an 18 hour duty day limit. Our decision to continue was based on the crew coordinator saying we were legal. Duty time about 17 hours 30 mins. Supplemental information from acn 448922: I was captain on flight lax-nrt, single crewed and with a planned flight time under 10 hours 30 mins and a scheduled duty time of less than 13 hours. We contacted the airline's crew scheduling department and asked them to research the FARS. Upon return to base and further research, I determined that in fact I had led my crew well beyond the flight/duty limits governed by the FARS. I believe the problem can be avoided by better training of crew schedulers and provide access to a full set of part 121 FARS at the scheduling office and in the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-200 CREW IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THEIR LEGALITY BUT CONTINUES THEIR FLT TO NRT FROM LAX AFTER AN EMER DIVERSION AND LNDG FOR A PAX AT ANC, AK.

Narrative: ENRTE FROM LAX TO NRT (TOKYO, JAPAN) PAX HAS MEDICAL PROBS. DOCTOR ON BOARD WHO HAPPENED TO BE CARDIOLOGIST IS CONSULTED AND PAX CONTINUES TO HAVE CHEST PAINS, ETC. PHONE PATCH THROUGH SFO COMMERCIAL RADIO IS ESTABLISHED WITH HOSPITAL. AFTER DOCTOR ON BOARD AND HOSPITAL TALKED, IT WAS DECIDED BY BOTH PARTIES THAT PAX WAS IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTN THAT CAN ONLY BE PROVIDED BY HOSPITAL AND THE FLT IS DIVERTED TO ANC. AT THIS TIME WE WERE APPROX 6 HRS INTO OUR XING AND 115 MINS FROM ANC. WE LANDED IN ANC AFTER A BLOCK TIME OF 7 HRS 49 MINS. PAX WAS DEPLANED BY PARAMEDICS AND EMER PERSONNEL IN ANC. IN OUR LIMITED COMS WITH AIRLINE THROUGH ACARS AND COMMERCIAL, WE WERE QUESTIONING OUR LEGALITY TO CONTINUE OUR FLT TO NRT. ONCE WE HAD LANDED IN ANC WE WERE TOLD BY OUR SCHEDULING PERSONNEL THAT WE WERE IN NO VIOLATION OF FARS AND THAT NO WARNING FLAGS WERE APPEARING IN OUR FLT OR ON OUR SCHEDULE THROUGH THE COMPUTER. AFTER A CHK OF OUR FLT OPS MANUAL WE COULD NOT DETERMINE THAT WE WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF ANY FAR BECAUSE WE WERE NOT SCHEDULED TO CHK ANY FLT TIME LIMITATION FOR A NON AUGMENTED FLAG CARRIER FLC. ALSO TOLD BY CREW SCHEDULING THAT THERE WERE NO RESERVE CREWS IN ANC TO REPLACE US NOR WERE THERE ANY HOTELS FOR PAX OR CREW IN ANC DUE TO CRUISE LINES IN TOWN FOR TOURIST SEASON AND NO HOTELS AVAILABLE. THEREFORE, BECAUSE OF THE VAGUENESS OF THE WRITING OF THE FARS AND THE ASSURANCE OF CREW SCHEDULING THAT WE WERE LEGAL TO CONTINUE OUR TRIP BECAUSE WE HAD DIVERTED DUE TO MEDICAL EMER AND WE WERE NOT SCHEDULED TO STOP IN ANC, WE WERE LEGAL TO CONTINUE OUR FLT TO NRT. THEREFORE WE RPTED ANC AND ARRIVED NRT FOR A 6 HR 57 MIN BLOCK-TO-BLOCK TIME. THIS, PLUS OUR LAX-ANC LEG OF 7 HRS 49 MINS BLOCK, GAVE US A TOTAL FLT TIME OF 14 HRS 46 MINS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 448920: SCHEDULED PAX FLT FROM LAX-NRT NON STOP WITH SINGLE CREW OF 3 SCHEDULED TIME ABOUT 11 HRS. WE DIVERTED TO ANC, ABOUT 2 HRS OUT OF THE WAY DUE TO ILL PAX. WE WERE UNDER 'TIME' PRESSURE TO GET AIRBORNE DUE TO THE FACT THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAVE AN 18 HR DUTY DAY LIMIT. OUR DECISION TO CONTINUE WAS BASED ON THE CREW COORDINATOR SAYING WE WERE LEGAL. DUTY TIME ABOUT 17 HRS 30 MINS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 448922: I WAS CAPT ON FLT LAX-NRT, SINGLE CREWED AND WITH A PLANNED FLT TIME UNDER 10 HRS 30 MINS AND A SCHEDULED DUTY TIME OF LESS THAN 13 HRS. WE CONTACTED THE AIRLINE'S CREW SCHEDULING DEPT AND ASKED THEM TO RESEARCH THE FARS. UPON RETURN TO BASE AND FURTHER RESEARCH, I DETERMINED THAT IN FACT I HAD LED MY CREW WELL BEYOND THE FLT/DUTY LIMITS GOVERNED BY THE FARS. I BELIEVE THE PROB CAN BE AVOIDED BY BETTER TRAINING OF CREW SCHEDULERS AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO A FULL SET OF PART 121 FARS AT THE SCHEDULING OFFICE AND IN THE COCKPIT.

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.