Narrative:

I am filing this report because of the unsafe requirements of west coast crews flying early east coast departures. Trip XXX requires an sfo crew to wake up at XA15 body clock time, during the window of circadian low. There is no way to safely fly this trip even with coffee and trying to rally. Mental capacity is much diminished and any testing could easily prove this. If someone will simply survey any west coast crew after flying one of these XF00 east coast departures, you will find an overwhelming response of safety being compromised by flying fatigued. You typically don't even realize it until sometime at cruise and then it is too late. Our only option is to cancel the flight the morning of departure. This puts too much pressure on the crew to try to 'rally to the occasion' and perform. It is unsafe and has got to stop. There were no particular incidents on this flight and we did nothing we know of incorrectly. This is not the point. Had some major malfunction occurred, who knows how well or poorly we may have responded. This issue can be swept under the table or someone can start talking to crews after flying such trips and I think you will be shocked. I have yet to fly one of these with any pilot or talk to any pilot who has flown them who hasn't mentioned being fatigued.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 PLT IS CONCERNED ABOUT WEST COAST DOMICILED CREW'S FATIGUE DURING EARLY MORNING EAST COAST TIME DEPS.

Narrative: I AM FILING THIS RPT BECAUSE OF THE UNSAFE REQUIREMENTS OF WEST COAST CREWS FLYING EARLY EAST COAST DEPS. TRIP XXX REQUIRES AN SFO CREW TO WAKE UP AT XA15 BODY CLOCK TIME, DURING THE WINDOW OF CIRCADIAN LOW. THERE IS NO WAY TO SAFELY FLY THIS TRIP EVEN WITH COFFEE AND TRYING TO RALLY. MENTAL CAPACITY IS MUCH DIMINISHED AND ANY TESTING COULD EASILY PROVE THIS. IF SOMEONE WILL SIMPLY SURVEY ANY WEST COAST CREW AFTER FLYING ONE OF THESE XF00 EAST COAST DEPS, YOU WILL FIND AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE OF SAFETY BEING COMPROMISED BY FLYING FATIGUED. YOU TYPICALLY DON'T EVEN REALIZE IT UNTIL SOMETIME AT CRUISE AND THEN IT IS TOO LATE. OUR ONLY OPTION IS TO CANCEL THE FLT THE MORNING OF DEP. THIS PUTS TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE CREW TO TRY TO 'RALLY TO THE OCCASION' AND PERFORM. IT IS UNSAFE AND HAS GOT TO STOP. THERE WERE NO PARTICULAR INCIDENTS ON THIS FLT AND WE DID NOTHING WE KNOW OF INCORRECTLY. THIS IS NOT THE POINT. HAD SOME MAJOR MALFUNCTION OCCURRED, WHO KNOWS HOW WELL OR POORLY WE MAY HAVE RESPONDED. THIS ISSUE CAN BE SWEPT UNDER THE TABLE OR SOMEONE CAN START TALKING TO CREWS AFTER FLYING SUCH TRIPS AND I THINK YOU WILL BE SHOCKED. I HAVE YET TO FLY ONE OF THESE WITH ANY PLT OR TALK TO ANY PLT WHO HAS FLOWN THEM WHO HASN'T MENTIONED BEING FATIGUED.

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.