Narrative:

I will not passively, selfishly, mindlessly partake in the careless and reckless endangerment of human lives through my participation in commercial aviation as a result of hazardous scheduling processes designed to insure the financial success of the company. As a result of being scheduled at a body-use rate of over 100 hours a month from aug/wed/03 through sep/thu/03 (87 hours in 23 days), I am currently very ill. My psychological clock is awry. I was scheduled 6 east coast to europe trips in 23 days with a 2-MAN cockpit crew without any regard to circadian rhythm or morale concerns. I called the crew desk at XA00 on my last european layover the night of sep/wed/03, in hopes of being cancelled for my flight home on sep/thu/03, because of the nausea/vomiting and diarrhea I had experienced the day before from imbalance circadian rhythm. I was not cancelled. There were numerous flight cancellations due to hurricane. My flight was not one of them. I debated whether to call in sick on the phone, but since hurricane was scheduled to hit the next day, I decided to wait until closer to departure time before making the decision to call in sick. I laid awake the remainder of the morning until my wake-up call. I felt reasonably well and decided that I was safe to fly my trip, europe to east coast. In retrospect, it was an inadvertent error in judgement on my part. I was not focused. I felt my judgement was impaired. I will never do that again. When I got home, my imbalance digestive system/insomnia persisted. I am on sick list. I was a crew scheduler yrs ago. I personally experienced similar illnesses as a result of ignorance of circadian rhythm as a P-3 pilot, and consequently, would be most cautious in my scheduling of crew members to avoid the disastrous effects of sleep deprivation and insomnia. Perhaps a management person should be similarly scheduled to fly a pattern as I just endured to realize first-hand the horrible resultant physical effects and hazards to commercial aviation created by such nasty scheduling processes.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR PLT CONTENDS THAT LEGAL, BUT OPPRESSIVE FLT CREW SCHEDULING PROCS WITH DISREGARD OF CIRCADIAN RHYTHM ARE CAUSING CONDITIONS THAT ARE UNSAFE AND HAVE LED TO FATIGUE RELATED ILLNESS AND INCAPACITATION.

Narrative: I WILL NOT PASSIVELY, SELFISHLY, MINDLESSLY PARTAKE IN THE CARELESS AND RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT OF HUMAN LIVES THROUGH MY PARTICIPATION IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION AS A RESULT OF HAZARDOUS SCHEDULING PROCESSES DESIGNED TO INSURE THE FINANCIAL SUCCESS OF THE COMPANY. AS A RESULT OF BEING SCHEDULED AT A BODY-USE RATE OF OVER 100 HRS A MONTH FROM AUG/WED/03 THROUGH SEP/THU/03 (87 HRS IN 23 DAYS), I AM CURRENTLY VERY ILL. MY PSYCHOLOGICAL CLOCK IS AWRY. I WAS SCHEDULED 6 EAST COAST TO EUROPE TRIPS IN 23 DAYS WITH A 2-MAN COCKPIT CREW WITHOUT ANY REGARD TO CIRCADIAN RHYTHM OR MORALE CONCERNS. I CALLED THE CREW DESK AT XA00 ON MY LAST EUROPEAN LAYOVER THE NIGHT OF SEP/WED/03, IN HOPES OF BEING CANCELLED FOR MY FLT HOME ON SEP/THU/03, BECAUSE OF THE NAUSEA/VOMITING AND DIARRHEA I HAD EXPERIENCED THE DAY BEFORE FROM IMBALANCE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM. I WAS NOT CANCELLED. THERE WERE NUMEROUS FLT CANCELLATIONS DUE TO HURRICANE. MY FLT WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. I DEBATED WHETHER TO CALL IN SICK ON THE PHONE, BUT SINCE HURRICANE WAS SCHEDULED TO HIT THE NEXT DAY, I DECIDED TO WAIT UNTIL CLOSER TO DEP TIME BEFORE MAKING THE DECISION TO CALL IN SICK. I LAID AWAKE THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING UNTIL MY WAKE-UP CALL. I FELT REASONABLY WELL AND DECIDED THAT I WAS SAFE TO FLY MY TRIP, EUROPE TO EAST COAST. IN RETROSPECT, IT WAS AN INADVERTENT ERROR IN JUDGEMENT ON MY PART. I WAS NOT FOCUSED. I FELT MY JUDGEMENT WAS IMPAIRED. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. WHEN I GOT HOME, MY IMBALANCE DIGESTIVE SYS/INSOMNIA PERSISTED. I AM ON SICK LIST. I WAS A CREW SCHEDULER YRS AGO. I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ILLNESSES AS A RESULT OF IGNORANCE OF CIRCADIAN RHYTHM AS A P-3 PLT, AND CONSEQUENTLY, WOULD BE MOST CAUTIOUS IN MY SCHEDULING OF CREW MEMBERS TO AVOID THE DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND INSOMNIA. PERHAPS A MGMNT PERSON SHOULD BE SIMILARLY SCHEDULED TO FLY A PATTERN AS I JUST ENDURED TO REALIZE FIRST-HAND THE HORRIBLE RESULTANT PHYSICAL EFFECTS AND HAZARDS TO COMMERCIAL AVIATION CREATED BY SUCH NASTY SCHEDULING PROCESSES.

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.