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A DC10 crew, en route from kewr to koak, found it hard to stay awake due to the scheduling of flight pairings.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 533177 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200112 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : ztl.artcc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | DC-10 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 110 flight time total : 17000 |
| ASRS Report | 533177 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : company policies non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Flight Crew Human Performance Environmental Factor Company |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
Narrative:
During a week long trip numerous incidences of fatigue while in flight were directly related to the trip schedule that changed us over from days to nights and back again to days. This switch over was scheduled by the scheduling optimizer computer, which has no regard for sleep cycles duty times or fatigue. On the kiad layover one must try and stay up late to sleep late the next afternoon to stay up all night to operate from kiad-kewr-koak then cabin attendant across the bay to san francisco. Once in sfo the crew had to try and stay awake long enough to make sure we would sleep through the night in order to get back on a 'day' normal sleep cycle. The FLIP flop of our sleep cycles caused all 3 crew members to involuntarily nap from kewr to koak. We tried to keep the temperature in cockpit cool, talk, use oxygen and other means to stay awake but were unable to maintain any degree of alertness. Schedule should not be maximized at the expense of flight safety! Prior to implementation of 'optimized' schedule we operated all day or night trips. Optimized schedule allows company to get one more leg in per crew per week trip!
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A DC10 CREW, ENRTE FROM KEWR TO KOAK, FOUND IT HARD TO STAY AWAKE DUE TO THE SCHEDULING OF FLT PAIRINGS.
Narrative: DURING A WEEK LONG TRIP NUMEROUS INCIDENCES OF FATIGUE WHILE IN FLT WERE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE TRIP SCHEDULE THAT CHANGED US OVER FROM DAYS TO NIGHTS AND BACK AGAIN TO DAYS. THIS SWITCH OVER WAS SCHEDULED BY THE SCHEDULING OPTIMIZER COMPUTER, WHICH HAS NO REGARD FOR SLEEP CYCLES DUTY TIMES OR FATIGUE. ON THE KIAD LAYOVER ONE MUST TRY AND STAY UP LATE TO SLEEP LATE THE NEXT AFTERNOON TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT TO OPERATE FROM KIAD-KEWR-KOAK THEN CAB ACROSS THE BAY TO SAN FRANCISCO. ONCE IN SFO THE CREW HAD TO TRY AND STAY AWAKE LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE SURE WE WOULD SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT IN ORDER TO GET BACK ON A 'DAY' NORMAL SLEEP CYCLE. THE FLIP FLOP OF OUR SLEEP CYCLES CAUSED ALL 3 CREW MEMBERS TO INVOLUNTARILY NAP FROM KEWR TO KOAK. WE TRIED TO KEEP THE TEMP IN COCKPIT COOL, TALK, USE OXYGEN AND OTHER MEANS TO STAY AWAKE BUT WERE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ANY DEGREE OF ALERTNESS. SCHEDULE SHOULD NOT BE MAXIMIZED AT THE EXPENSE OF FLT SAFETY! PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION OF 'OPTIMIZED' SCHEDULE WE OPERATED ALL DAY OR NIGHT TRIPS. OPTIMIZED SCHEDULE ALLOWS COMPANY TO GET ONE MORE LEG IN PER CREW PER WEEK TRIP!
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.