Narrative:

Began working for shared ownership/far part 135 charter operator on friday. Received a call from scheduler on tuesday informing me of a trip beginning wednesday. I was assigned as first officer. It was my 4TH trip since starting with the company, and the first time flying with this captain. Scheduler told me our departure was XA15 from oma, and to report our duty time as no earlier than XA00, no matter what time we needed to show up. I questioned her about our duty time, since company policy is duty time begins 1 hour prior to departure. She said our chief pilot would preflight the aircraft. She then provided the following itinerary: wednesday -- XA00 report on duty. XA15 depart oma for morristown, nj. XE00 depart morristown with passenger for sydney, nova scotia, followed by repos flight to bos. XL00 depart bos with passenger for ft lauderdale. I suspected the decision to have us depart on wednesday was to keep from having to pay extra salary and the night's hotel bill or repositioning. Upon arrival at FBO in omaha, found aircraft had no coffee, ice or newspapers on board, and engine, pitot and static wick covers were still installed. Captain informed me that our itinerary was changed due to boxing day in canada. We had to add a stop in halifax, ns, to clear customs. We departed at approximately XD45. Arrived in morristown. Departed with 2 passenger for halifax. Arrived in halifax, cleared customs and continued to sydney, ns. After deplaning passenger and refueling, we discovered the aircraft battery had insufficient voltage for engine starting. We requested a gpu from ramp crew. Approximately 30 mins later, we had gpu hooked up and continued our empty leg to bos. Arrived at bos at approximately __00 and were escorted by flight support personnel to immigration and then customs. Departed bos with passenger at approximately XA30 [1 1/2 hours late) for ft lauderdale. Experienced unforecast 150 KT headwinds en route. Approximately 1 hour into the flight, the captain and I determined we would have to divert en route for fuel. We chose charleston, sc. I contacted contracted company support to relay the message to our company that we were making an unplanned fuel stop at charleston due to headwinds, our duty time ended at __00, and we would contact them on ground at charleston. Contacted contract support and she informed us that she had not gotten through to company, but would keep trying. Captain asked me to relay information on fuel stop to passenger. The lead passenger asked if his party would be able to make it to ft lauderdale that night. I told him that was out of my realm to answer, but we had informed our company of the situation and would have an answer for him after we were on the ground. After landing, the captain told me he had spoken with our scheduler. She said she had contacted management, and that it was legal to continue if the duty day and flight time were exceeded due to an unplanned fuel stop for unforecast excessive headwinds. This was relayed to me by the captain, and I responded that I felt fit to continue. We departed charleston and arrived at ft lauderdale approximately XA30. Our 15 hour 30 min duty day and 11.4 block time, exceeded far part 135 regulations by 1 hour 30 mins and 1.4 flight hours. Found the causes to be 1) over ambitious scheduling, 2) additional leg due to stop in halifax, ns, 3) low battery voltage required 30 min wait for ground cart, 4) 150 KT headwinds required unplanned fuel stop, 5) new crew working together deliberately without rushing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE400 CHARTER CREW FLIES PAST THE TIME LIMITS FOR ON DUTY AND FLT TIME WHEN PLANNING DOES NOT MEET REALITY AFTER DEP FROM BOS, MA.

Narrative: BEGAN WORKING FOR SHARED OWNERSHIP/FAR PART 135 CHARTER OPERATOR ON FRIDAY. RECEIVED A CALL FROM SCHEDULER ON TUESDAY INFORMING ME OF A TRIP BEGINNING WEDNESDAY. I WAS ASSIGNED AS FO. IT WAS MY 4TH TRIP SINCE STARTING WITH THE COMPANY, AND THE FIRST TIME FLYING WITH THIS CAPT. SCHEDULER TOLD ME OUR DEP WAS XA15 FROM OMA, AND TO RPT OUR DUTY TIME AS NO EARLIER THAN XA00, NO MATTER WHAT TIME WE NEEDED TO SHOW UP. I QUESTIONED HER ABOUT OUR DUTY TIME, SINCE COMPANY POLICY IS DUTY TIME BEGINS 1 HR PRIOR TO DEP. SHE SAID OUR CHIEF PLT WOULD PREFLT THE ACFT. SHE THEN PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING ITINERARY: WEDNESDAY -- XA00 RPT ON DUTY. XA15 DEPART OMA FOR MORRISTOWN, NJ. XE00 DEPART MORRISTOWN WITH PAX FOR SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA, FOLLOWED BY REPOS FLT TO BOS. XL00 DEPART BOS WITH PAX FOR FT LAUDERDALE. I SUSPECTED THE DECISION TO HAVE US DEPART ON WEDNESDAY WAS TO KEEP FROM HAVING TO PAY EXTRA SALARY AND THE NIGHT'S HOTEL BILL OR REPOSITIONING. UPON ARR AT FBO IN OMAHA, FOUND ACFT HAD NO COFFEE, ICE OR NEWSPAPERS ON BOARD, AND ENG, PITOT AND STATIC WICK COVERS WERE STILL INSTALLED. CAPT INFORMED ME THAT OUR ITINERARY WAS CHANGED DUE TO BOXING DAY IN CANADA. WE HAD TO ADD A STOP IN HALIFAX, NS, TO CLR CUSTOMS. WE DEPARTED AT APPROX XD45. ARRIVED IN MORRISTOWN. DEPARTED WITH 2 PAX FOR HALIFAX. ARRIVED IN HALIFAX, CLRED CUSTOMS AND CONTINUED TO SYDNEY, NS. AFTER DEPLANING PAX AND REFUELING, WE DISCOVERED THE ACFT BATTERY HAD INSUFFICIENT VOLTAGE FOR ENG STARTING. WE REQUESTED A GPU FROM RAMP CREW. APPROX 30 MINS LATER, WE HAD GPU HOOKED UP AND CONTINUED OUR EMPTY LEG TO BOS. ARRIVED AT BOS AT APPROX __00 AND WERE ESCORTED BY FLT SUPPORT PERSONNEL TO IMMIGRATION AND THEN CUSTOMS. DEPARTED BOS WITH PAX AT APPROX XA30 [1 1/2 HRS LATE) FOR FT LAUDERDALE. EXPERIENCED UNFORECAST 150 KT HEADWINDS ENRTE. APPROX 1 HR INTO THE FLT, THE CAPT AND I DETERMINED WE WOULD HAVE TO DIVERT ENRTE FOR FUEL. WE CHOSE CHARLESTON, SC. I CONTACTED CONTRACTED COMPANY SUPPORT TO RELAY THE MESSAGE TO OUR COMPANY THAT WE WERE MAKING AN UNPLANNED FUEL STOP AT CHARLESTON DUE TO HEADWINDS, OUR DUTY TIME ENDED AT __00, AND WE WOULD CONTACT THEM ON GND AT CHARLESTON. CONTACTED CONTRACT SUPPORT AND SHE INFORMED US THAT SHE HAD NOT GOTTEN THROUGH TO COMPANY, BUT WOULD KEEP TRYING. CAPT ASKED ME TO RELAY INFO ON FUEL STOP TO PAX. THE LEAD PAX ASKED IF HIS PARTY WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO FT LAUDERDALE THAT NIGHT. I TOLD HIM THAT WAS OUT OF MY REALM TO ANSWER, BUT WE HAD INFORMED OUR COMPANY OF THE SIT AND WOULD HAVE AN ANSWER FOR HIM AFTER WE WERE ON THE GND. AFTER LNDG, THE CAPT TOLD ME HE HAD SPOKEN WITH OUR SCHEDULER. SHE SAID SHE HAD CONTACTED MGMNT, AND THAT IT WAS LEGAL TO CONTINUE IF THE DUTY DAY AND FLT TIME WERE EXCEEDED DUE TO AN UNPLANNED FUEL STOP FOR UNFORECAST EXCESSIVE HEADWINDS. THIS WAS RELAYED TO ME BY THE CAPT, AND I RESPONDED THAT I FELT FIT TO CONTINUE. WE DEPARTED CHARLESTON AND ARRIVED AT FT LAUDERDALE APPROX XA30. OUR 15 HR 30 MIN DUTY DAY AND 11.4 BLOCK TIME, EXCEEDED FAR PART 135 REGS BY 1 HR 30 MINS AND 1.4 FLT HRS. FOUND THE CAUSES TO BE 1) OVER AMBITIOUS SCHEDULING, 2) ADDITIONAL LEG DUE TO STOP IN HALIFAX, NS, 3) LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE REQUIRED 30 MIN WAIT FOR GND CART, 4) 150 KT HEADWINDS REQUIRED UNPLANNED FUEL STOP, 5) NEW CREW WORKING TOGETHER DELIBERATELY WITHOUT RUSHING.

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.