Narrative:

We had 5 legs on this night, and we were flying an aircraft with 2 MEL's on it, the autoplt and the mach trim single channel. Before we took our first leg, we called maintenance and requested that our aircraft be swapped or fixed, because we did not want to fly it the full 5 legs past XA00 our time. We again called maintenance and dispatch after we flew 2 legs to ZZZ, and again requested a repair or a swap. We landed in las after flying 3 legs, and it was now almost XA00. We called dispatch and asked what was being done to relieve us of this aircraft. Nothing was done at all, and we were expected to fly this aircraft as is to ZZZ1 and back. The operations agents had already put all the through passenger on another flight that was leaving shortly for ZZZ1 so we were going to fly an empty aircraft to ZZZ1 and bring back 21 passenger to las. I learned that there was an aircraft on the ground in ZZZ1, and they could have waited an hour to put our passenger on their aircraft. I relayed this information to the dispatcher and to the system duty officer, who was now conferenced in. I explained to the system duty officer that we have called twice about this, and we are uncomfortable taking this aircraft to ZZZ1 as is. We stated: 1) our bodies are in a different time zone. 2) our aircraft has no autoplt. 3) we called maintenance controller before we even flew the first leg of the trip. 4) we have been up for 15 hours already. The system duty officer just could not understand anything I was trying to convey to him, and he still asked 'why don't you want to take this aircraft?' he countered my reasons with his reasons: 1) you have only been on duty for less than 5 hours. 2) you have had 16 hours 52 mins of rest, so you are legal. 3) you are going to inconvenience the passenger in ZZZ1. Apparently, there was no aircraft to swap with for at least an hour. The system duty officer insisted on calling the chief pilot on duty. After a brief explanation as to what was happening, the chief pilot's office asked 'so, what is the problem?' I told him the same things I told the system duty officer. Again, I pleaded my case and after all this, the chief pilot's office said 'what does the autoplts being inoperative have to do with anything?' at this point, I knew further discussion was fruitless. After all this, the chief pilot's office said that '...has no sympathy for you guys.' now, I felt definite pressure to go, which is what we did. Before we departed, we were given the clarr 1 arrival to las. Soon after we departed, we were given direct skebr. We were filed on our release the skebr 1 arrival, which we were not allowed not do because of the MEL. On our descent to las, we were issued 13000 ft. I went off to get the ATIS, and when I returned, the controller asked to 'confirm our heading out of skebr.' we both went heads down to confirm this, and 10 seconds later, we heard the altitude alerter and the 'bank angle' aural warning. I looked up, and we were 250 ft off our altitude and in a 40 degree bank. We quickly recovered and continued to las on vectors. We landed 17 hours after we woke up that morning without further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-500 CREW HAD BOTH AUTOPLTS MEL'ED INOP AND ONE CHANNEL OF THE PITCH TRIM MEL'ED INOP.

Narrative: WE HAD 5 LEGS ON THIS NIGHT, AND WE WERE FLYING AN ACFT WITH 2 MEL'S ON IT, THE AUTOPLT AND THE MACH TRIM SINGLE CHANNEL. BEFORE WE TOOK OUR FIRST LEG, WE CALLED MAINT AND REQUESTED THAT OUR ACFT BE SWAPPED OR FIXED, BECAUSE WE DID NOT WANT TO FLY IT THE FULL 5 LEGS PAST XA00 OUR TIME. WE AGAIN CALLED MAINT AND DISPATCH AFTER WE FLEW 2 LEGS TO ZZZ, AND AGAIN REQUESTED A REPAIR OR A SWAP. WE LANDED IN LAS AFTER FLYING 3 LEGS, AND IT WAS NOW ALMOST XA00. WE CALLED DISPATCH AND ASKED WHAT WAS BEING DONE TO RELIEVE US OF THIS ACFT. NOTHING WAS DONE AT ALL, AND WE WERE EXPECTED TO FLY THIS ACFT AS IS TO ZZZ1 AND BACK. THE OPS AGENTS HAD ALREADY PUT ALL THE THROUGH PAX ON ANOTHER FLT THAT WAS LEAVING SHORTLY FOR ZZZ1 SO WE WERE GOING TO FLY AN EMPTY ACFT TO ZZZ1 AND BRING BACK 21 PAX TO LAS. I LEARNED THAT THERE WAS AN ACFT ON THE GND IN ZZZ1, AND THEY COULD HAVE WAITED AN HR TO PUT OUR PAX ON THEIR ACFT. I RELAYED THIS INFO TO THE DISPATCHER AND TO THE SYS DUTY OFFICER, WHO WAS NOW CONFERENCED IN. I EXPLAINED TO THE SYS DUTY OFFICER THAT WE HAVE CALLED TWICE ABOUT THIS, AND WE ARE UNCOMFORTABLE TAKING THIS ACFT TO ZZZ1 AS IS. WE STATED: 1) OUR BODIES ARE IN A DIFFERENT TIME ZONE. 2) OUR ACFT HAS NO AUTOPLT. 3) WE CALLED MAINT CTLR BEFORE WE EVEN FLEW THE FIRST LEG OF THE TRIP. 4) WE HAVE BEEN UP FOR 15 HRS ALREADY. THE SYS DUTY OFFICER JUST COULD NOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING I WAS TRYING TO CONVEY TO HIM, AND HE STILL ASKED 'WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS ACFT?' HE COUNTERED MY REASONS WITH HIS REASONS: 1) YOU HAVE ONLY BEEN ON DUTY FOR LESS THAN 5 HRS. 2) YOU HAVE HAD 16 HRS 52 MINS OF REST, SO YOU ARE LEGAL. 3) YOU ARE GOING TO INCONVENIENCE THE PAX IN ZZZ1. APPARENTLY, THERE WAS NO ACFT TO SWAP WITH FOR AT LEAST AN HR. THE SYS DUTY OFFICER INSISTED ON CALLING THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY. AFTER A BRIEF EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE ASKED 'SO, WHAT IS THE PROB?' I TOLD HIM THE SAME THINGS I TOLD THE SYS DUTY OFFICER. AGAIN, I PLEADED MY CASE AND AFTER ALL THIS, THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE SAID 'WHAT DOES THE AUTOPLTS BEING INOP HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?' AT THIS POINT, I KNEW FURTHER DISCUSSION WAS FRUITLESS. AFTER ALL THIS, THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE SAID THAT '...HAS NO SYMPATHY FOR YOU GUYS.' NOW, I FELT DEFINITE PRESSURE TO GO, WHICH IS WHAT WE DID. BEFORE WE DEPARTED, WE WERE GIVEN THE CLARR 1 ARR TO LAS. SOON AFTER WE DEPARTED, WE WERE GIVEN DIRECT SKEBR. WE WERE FILED ON OUR RELEASE THE SKEBR 1 ARR, WHICH WE WERE NOT ALLOWED NOT DO BECAUSE OF THE MEL. ON OUR DSCNT TO LAS, WE WERE ISSUED 13000 FT. I WENT OFF TO GET THE ATIS, AND WHEN I RETURNED, THE CTLR ASKED TO 'CONFIRM OUR HEADING OUT OF SKEBR.' WE BOTH WENT HEADS DOWN TO CONFIRM THIS, AND 10 SECONDS LATER, WE HEARD THE ALT ALERTER AND THE 'BANK ANGLE' AURAL WARNING. I LOOKED UP, AND WE WERE 250 FT OFF OUR ALT AND IN A 40 DEG BANK. WE QUICKLY RECOVERED AND CONTINUED TO LAS ON VECTORS. WE LANDED 17 HRS AFTER WE WOKE UP THAT MORNING WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.