Narrative:

This report concerns crew fatigue. I reported to the aircraft at XC00 (XB00 on my body clock) on monday for the second day of a 2-DAY trip for a part 121 carrier. While I knew I was tired; I didn't think it was because of anything different from any other early morning wake-up. The aircraft had an MEL item concerning a pack deflector door. Both the captain and I misread the MEL and we subsequently performed a bleeds off takeoff when one was not required. After takeoff; I reconfigured the engine/APU bleed valves out of order. While not a big mistake; it is one I do not usually make and one that I have done correctly hundreds of times. Also; the departure controller informed us that our transponder code was 1 digit off. Before we landed in ord 1 hour later; I had missed 2 radio calls from center and misread my call sign several times on readbacks. By this time I was wondering what was wrong with me and feeling like an idiot; I was behind the plane and just moving slower than usual; missing little things. I was very experienced on this plane and had flown this leg/flight dozens of times. The approach into ord was uneventful and we prepared for our second leg. This leg was also uneventful; but at this point I knew I was having a bad day and was paying extra attention to everything. The captain flew the last leg. I suspect he was tired as well; since I caught him on 2 taxi mistakes. One he tried to turn the wrong way and another where he almost missed our gate; thinking we had a different one. By the time we finished up; I just wanted to get home and take a nap. It was not until that afternoon while sitting at home and reviewing the mistakes I had that day; that I realized that I had flown 6 out of the last 7 days for a total of 25 hours. All of my departures had been XC00 shows. Most of them had been XC00 shows eastern time which meant an XA15 wake-up on my central time body clock. This type of fatigue was different from the normal; 'I'm just tired; since this is an early wake-up' that I had experienced in my 16 yrs of professional flying. I had had a decent night's sleep the night before; but for the past 6 days I had been getting up at XA00 or so in the morning and it was starting to wear. In yrs past; when airline schedules allowed a recoup after a trip; pilots could readjust after flying strange hours. I had flown a 4 day trip with all early wake-ups; had 1 day off then went back out on a 2 day. This schedule is becoming more and more commonplace as pilots are required to fly more hours/days per month due to demands placed upon them in the new work environment. When I started at my airline; a 75 hour month was lots of time; now 85-95 hours is the norm. This job is no longer the gravy train it used to be. There was a reason why we had days off between trips. What worked for us was adherence to SOP and good crew coordination. The captain was watching me and I watched him and we were able to back each other up; once we realized that we were making more mistakes than usual. Our experience in the plane helped as well; but this could have been a gotcha since experience may have caused me/us to 'go through the motions' instead of really looking at something.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 PLT HAS CONCERN WITH HIS FLT SCHEDULE AND FATIGUE.

Narrative: THIS RPT CONCERNS CREW FATIGUE. I RPTED TO THE ACFT AT XC00 (XB00 ON MY BODY CLOCK) ON MONDAY FOR THE SECOND DAY OF A 2-DAY TRIP FOR A PART 121 CARRIER. WHILE I KNEW I WAS TIRED; I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS BECAUSE OF ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER EARLY MORNING WAKE-UP. THE ACFT HAD AN MEL ITEM CONCERNING A PACK DEFLECTOR DOOR. BOTH THE CAPT AND I MISREAD THE MEL AND WE SUBSEQUENTLY PERFORMED A BLEEDS OFF TKOF WHEN ONE WAS NOT REQUIRED. AFTER TKOF; I RECONFIGURED THE ENG/APU BLEED VALVES OUT OF ORDER. WHILE NOT A BIG MISTAKE; IT IS ONE I DO NOT USUALLY MAKE AND ONE THAT I HAVE DONE CORRECTLY HUNDREDS OF TIMES. ALSO; THE DEP CTLR INFORMED US THAT OUR XPONDER CODE WAS 1 DIGIT OFF. BEFORE WE LANDED IN ORD 1 HR LATER; I HAD MISSED 2 RADIO CALLS FROM CTR AND MISREAD MY CALL SIGN SEVERAL TIMES ON READBACKS. BY THIS TIME I WAS WONDERING WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME AND FEELING LIKE AN IDIOT; I WAS BEHIND THE PLANE AND JUST MOVING SLOWER THAN USUAL; MISSING LITTLE THINGS. I WAS VERY EXPERIENCED ON THIS PLANE AND HAD FLOWN THIS LEG/FLT DOZENS OF TIMES. THE APCH INTO ORD WAS UNEVENTFUL AND WE PREPARED FOR OUR SECOND LEG. THIS LEG WAS ALSO UNEVENTFUL; BUT AT THIS POINT I KNEW I WAS HAVING A BAD DAY AND WAS PAYING EXTRA ATTN TO EVERYTHING. THE CAPT FLEW THE LAST LEG. I SUSPECT HE WAS TIRED AS WELL; SINCE I CAUGHT HIM ON 2 TAXI MISTAKES. ONE HE TRIED TO TURN THE WRONG WAY AND ANOTHER WHERE HE ALMOST MISSED OUR GATE; THINKING WE HAD A DIFFERENT ONE. BY THE TIME WE FINISHED UP; I JUST WANTED TO GET HOME AND TAKE A NAP. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THAT AFTERNOON WHILE SITTING AT HOME AND REVIEWING THE MISTAKES I HAD THAT DAY; THAT I REALIZED THAT I HAD FLOWN 6 OUT OF THE LAST 7 DAYS FOR A TOTAL OF 25 HRS. ALL OF MY DEPS HAD BEEN XC00 SHOWS. MOST OF THEM HAD BEEN XC00 SHOWS EASTERN TIME WHICH MEANT AN XA15 WAKE-UP ON MY CENTRAL TIME BODY CLOCK. THIS TYPE OF FATIGUE WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE NORMAL; 'I'M JUST TIRED; SINCE THIS IS AN EARLY WAKE-UP' THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED IN MY 16 YRS OF PROFESSIONAL FLYING. I HAD HAD A DECENT NIGHT'S SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE; BUT FOR THE PAST 6 DAYS I HAD BEEN GETTING UP AT XA00 OR SO IN THE MORNING AND IT WAS STARTING TO WEAR. IN YRS PAST; WHEN AIRLINE SCHEDULES ALLOWED A RECOUP AFTER A TRIP; PLTS COULD READJUST AFTER FLYING STRANGE HRS. I HAD FLOWN A 4 DAY TRIP WITH ALL EARLY WAKE-UPS; HAD 1 DAY OFF THEN WENT BACK OUT ON A 2 DAY. THIS SCHEDULE IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMONPLACE AS PLTS ARE REQUIRED TO FLY MORE HRS/DAYS PER MONTH DUE TO DEMANDS PLACED UPON THEM IN THE NEW WORK ENVIRONMENT. WHEN I STARTED AT MY AIRLINE; A 75 HR MONTH WAS LOTS OF TIME; NOW 85-95 HRS IS THE NORM. THIS JOB IS NO LONGER THE GRAVY TRAIN IT USED TO BE. THERE WAS A REASON WHY WE HAD DAYS OFF BTWN TRIPS. WHAT WORKED FOR US WAS ADHERENCE TO SOP AND GOOD CREW COORD. THE CAPT WAS WATCHING ME AND I WATCHED HIM AND WE WERE ABLE TO BACK EACH OTHER UP; ONCE WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE MAKING MORE MISTAKES THAN USUAL. OUR EXPERIENCE IN THE PLANE HELPED AS WELL; BUT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A GOTCHA SINCE EXPERIENCE MAY HAVE CAUSED ME/US TO 'GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS' INSTEAD OF REALLY LOOKING AT SOMETHING.

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.