Narrative:

On the morning of apr/xa/06 my crew and I started the second half of a continuous duty overnight. We went on duty the previous night. We had a rest period of about 6-7 hours at our destination. That rest period after you consider the time to and from the hotel and pre- and postflt inspections and checklists turns into about 4 hours of sleep. These continuous duty overnights are not uncommon within the airline industry. Most crews for most airlines have done these. We were on our final descent into detroit; mi. I was PF and we were cleared from some altitude above 10000 ft MSL down to 6000 ft MSL. We were flying our company specified cruise profile of 290 KTS or mach .74 when we descended below 10000 ft MSL. This is where the problem occurred; at 10000 ft MSL the FARS state that no aircraft may exceed 250 KIAS. We continued the descent at this speed until just before we leveled at 6000 ft MSL and I noticed the speed error and promptly extended full flight spoilers and leveled to a descent rate of approximately 500 FPM to slow down at the maximum rate possible while maintaining a legal rate of descent to 6000 ft MSL. The captain and I both missed this error that caused no problems in this scenario. However; in many more likely scenarios the airspace around detroit is much more congested than it happened to be that morning and we could have caused serious traffic collision issues if not complex spacing problems for ATC. I believe the main cause of this violation was insufficient crew alertness due to lack of rest. One would never imagine with all of the regulations set in place for crew rest in today's industry there would be this kind of problem. However; continuous duty overnights; I believe; fell through the cracks of legislation in crew rest. They are misleading and misunderstood by crews. The human body wants to sleep during the rest period allotted on continuous duty overnights; however; 4 hours of rest is hardly sufficient to maintain safe operation of a high speed aircraft hauling passenger or freight. I believe that with proper preparation and knowledge of continuous duty overnights; crews could learn to manage the time during the day for rest as well but most crews do not; they simply go home; live out a normal day and come to work that night already fatigued not even considering the implications of their decisions. Also; 1 or 2 continuous duty overnights in a row are not too difficult to stay rested. However; during the fourth or fifth continuous duty overnight; no matter what the crew's rest habits are; they are going to be fatigued. This does not only apply to just the pilots but flight attendants as well. They are in place mainly for the safety of the passenger and if they are not doing their job as well as they could be due to fatigue; then the passenger's safety is compromised as well. This creates a dangerous situation waiting for a time to happen. Yet all over the country; flight crews practice this unsafe habit daily. I believe that more training about the dangers of fatigue and more liberal work rules on missing a trip due to fatigue should be set in place. I believe that with increased rest requirements should also be set in place in this industry. For example make the minimum amount of rest be 7 hours on a continuous duty overnight giving the crews more rest. Increased crew vigilance about their upcoming trips and flts should also be stressed; so that simple mistakes during the flight that are not corrected do not turn into large air disasters.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CL65 FLT CREW EXCEEDED 250 KTS BELOW 10000 FT IN DSCNT INTO DTW.

Narrative: ON THE MORNING OF APR/XA/06 MY CREW AND I STARTED THE SECOND HALF OF A CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHT. WE WENT ON DUTY THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. WE HAD A REST PERIOD OF ABOUT 6-7 HRS AT OUR DEST. THAT REST PERIOD AFTER YOU CONSIDER THE TIME TO AND FROM THE HOTEL AND PRE- AND POSTFLT INSPECTIONS AND CHKLISTS TURNS INTO ABOUT 4 HRS OF SLEEP. THESE CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHTS ARE NOT UNCOMMON WITHIN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY. MOST CREWS FOR MOST AIRLINES HAVE DONE THESE. WE WERE ON OUR FINAL DSCNT INTO DETROIT; MI. I WAS PF AND WE WERE CLRED FROM SOME ALT ABOVE 10000 FT MSL DOWN TO 6000 FT MSL. WE WERE FLYING OUR COMPANY SPECIFIED CRUISE PROFILE OF 290 KTS OR MACH .74 WHEN WE DSNDED BELOW 10000 FT MSL. THIS IS WHERE THE PROB OCCURRED; AT 10000 FT MSL THE FARS STATE THAT NO ACFT MAY EXCEED 250 KIAS. WE CONTINUED THE DSCNT AT THIS SPD UNTIL JUST BEFORE WE LEVELED AT 6000 FT MSL AND I NOTICED THE SPD ERROR AND PROMPTLY EXTENDED FULL FLT SPOILERS AND LEVELED TO A DSCNT RATE OF APPROX 500 FPM TO SLOW DOWN AT THE MAX RATE POSSIBLE WHILE MAINTAINING A LEGAL RATE OF DSCNT TO 6000 FT MSL. THE CAPT AND I BOTH MISSED THIS ERROR THAT CAUSED NO PROBS IN THIS SCENARIO. HOWEVER; IN MANY MORE LIKELY SCENARIOS THE AIRSPACE AROUND DETROIT IS MUCH MORE CONGESTED THAN IT HAPPENED TO BE THAT MORNING AND WE COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS TFC COLLISION ISSUES IF NOT COMPLEX SPACING PROBS FOR ATC. I BELIEVE THE MAIN CAUSE OF THIS VIOLATION WAS INSUFFICIENT CREW ALERTNESS DUE TO LACK OF REST. ONE WOULD NEVER IMAGINE WITH ALL OF THE REGS SET IN PLACE FOR CREW REST IN TODAY'S INDUSTRY THERE WOULD BE THIS KIND OF PROB. HOWEVER; CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHTS; I BELIEVE; FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS OF LEGISLATION IN CREW REST. THEY ARE MISLEADING AND MISUNDERSTOOD BY CREWS. THE HUMAN BODY WANTS TO SLEEP DURING THE REST PERIOD ALLOTTED ON CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHTS; HOWEVER; 4 HRS OF REST IS HARDLY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAFE OP OF A HIGH SPD ACFT HAULING PAX OR FREIGHT. I BELIEVE THAT WITH PROPER PREPARATION AND KNOWLEDGE OF CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHTS; CREWS COULD LEARN TO MANAGE THE TIME DURING THE DAY FOR REST AS WELL BUT MOST CREWS DO NOT; THEY SIMPLY GO HOME; LIVE OUT A NORMAL DAY AND COME TO WORK THAT NIGHT ALREADY FATIGUED NOT EVEN CONSIDERING THE IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR DECISIONS. ALSO; 1 OR 2 CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHTS IN A ROW ARE NOT TOO DIFFICULT TO STAY RESTED. HOWEVER; DURING THE FOURTH OR FIFTH CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHT; NO MATTER WHAT THE CREW'S REST HABITS ARE; THEY ARE GOING TO BE FATIGUED. THIS DOES NOT ONLY APPLY TO JUST THE PLTS BUT FLT ATTENDANTS AS WELL. THEY ARE IN PLACE MAINLY FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PAX AND IF THEY ARE NOT DOING THEIR JOB AS WELL AS THEY COULD BE DUE TO FATIGUE; THEN THE PAX'S SAFETY IS COMPROMISED AS WELL. THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION WAITING FOR A TIME TO HAPPEN. YET ALL OVER THE COUNTRY; FLT CREWS PRACTICE THIS UNSAFE HABIT DAILY. I BELIEVE THAT MORE TRAINING ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FATIGUE AND MORE LIBERAL WORK RULES ON MISSING A TRIP DUE TO FATIGUE SHOULD BE SET IN PLACE. I BELIEVE THAT WITH INCREASED REST REQUIREMENTS SHOULD ALSO BE SET IN PLACE IN THIS INDUSTRY. FOR EXAMPLE MAKE THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF REST BE 7 HRS ON A CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHT GIVING THE CREWS MORE REST. INCREASED CREW VIGILANCE ABOUT THEIR UPCOMING TRIPS AND FLTS SHOULD ALSO BE STRESSED; SO THAT SIMPLE MISTAKES DURING THE FLT THAT ARE NOT CORRECTED DO NOT TURN INTO LARGE AIR DISASTERS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.