Narrative:

Trip included a long layover with an early morning departure from the hotel at XA50 PDT. With an XA00 wake-up; both the first officer and I went to bed early around XQ00. However; the hotel fire alarm system went off repeatedly from around XR00 XU00; awakening me and resulting in me getting less than 4 hours of uninterrupted rest. When I work up at XA00 I was tired but felt that I could power my way through day 4 of this trip. The 1ST leg of the day; was uneventful. On-time departure; on-time arrival; in issues; no problems (I did the walkaround). Prior to the 2ND leg of the day; the first officer discovered several minor maintenance write-ups (missing or loose airframe screws and a damaged/illegible fuel vent placard) that I had missed during my walkaround prior to the first flight. We logged the write-ups via ACARS and called maintenance on the radio. When the mechanic arrived; he called us on the ground-to-cockpit interphone and asked to be shown exactly where the screws were located. The first officer went down the jetway stairs and showed the mechanic. When the first officer returned he was visibly upset (angry and pissed-off). The mechanic had proceeded to over-torque and strip the screws into the metal (the screws were still loose and holding nothing) and then the mechanic told the first officer; 'it's just a (explicit) placard; who cares if it's there?' in the meantime; no less than 4 supervisors were watching everyone's moves and glaring menacingly at us. The service rep kept asking us when we'd be ready to go and we told him several times that we were waiting on the mechanic; assuming he was replacing the placard. We finally allowed the service rep to close the door and then the mechanic took that opportunity to pencil-whip the maintenance request; claiming the fuel vent placard was damaged but legible (it was not). The first officer and I weren't all that concerned about the placard; but we were still a little disappointed with the screw-stripping. We elected to fly the aircraft anyway because the mechanic had approved and signed off the repair and we didn't want to get into a pissing contest with the mechanic; the 4 supervisors or get personally sued by the air carrier for a job action delaying the flight. After that fiasco; our fatigue kicked in and we started making mistakes by the numbers. I missed no less than 10 radio calls; we didn't immediately accelerate to climb speed (280 KTS) climbing out of 10000 for which we were repeatedly chastised by the center controller. I asked the controller several times what speed he needed and he demanded that I tell him during the climb out what my expected cruising speed at altitude would be in KIAS (KTS IAS); as opposed to planned mach number (% of mach). It's been a while since I've done an icet (indicated-calibrated-equivalent-true) airspeed problem and so we informed him we were planning mach .73 which would be around 250 KIAS. Again; I asked him what speed he needed; we would have been happy to oblige. We're getting dumped on by mechanics and supervisors for making legitimate write-ups; we're getting dumped on by ATC for flying legitimate airspds and we're tired from lack of sleep due to fire alarms at the hotel. Obviously; the first officer and I were a danger to the national airspace system. So; immediately after landing; taxi-in and shut down of the aircraft; we called in fatigued for the balance of the trip. 'What part of; the system is broken; there are not adequate safety buffers and someone's going to crash an airplane; so let's blame it on a job action by unions and the pilots. Doesn't air carrier or the FAA get ?' air carrier and ATC may drive somebody else into the ground; but it ain't gonna be me! Have a nice day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CAPT REPORTS FIRE ALARMS AT LAYOVER HOTEL RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT REST. LOW MORALE AND LACK OF SUPPORT FROM MANAGEMENT AND OTHER EMPLOYEE GROUPS IS ALSO DESCRIBED IN THIS FATIGUE RPT.

Narrative: TRIP INCLUDED A LONG LAYOVER WITH AN EARLY MORNING DEP FROM THE HOTEL AT XA50 PDT. WITH AN XA00 WAKE-UP; BOTH THE FO AND I WENT TO BED EARLY AROUND XQ00. HOWEVER; THE HOTEL FIRE ALARM SYS WENT OFF REPEATEDLY FROM AROUND XR00 XU00; AWAKENING ME AND RESULTING IN ME GETTING LESS THAN 4 HRS OF UNINTERRUPTED REST. WHEN I WORK UP AT XA00 I WAS TIRED BUT FELT THAT I COULD PWR MY WAY THROUGH DAY 4 OF THIS TRIP. THE 1ST LEG OF THE DAY; WAS UNEVENTFUL. ON-TIME DEP; ON-TIME ARR; IN ISSUES; NO PROBS (I DID THE WALKAROUND). PRIOR TO THE 2ND LEG OF THE DAY; THE FO DISCOVERED SEVERAL MINOR MAINT WRITE-UPS (MISSING OR LOOSE AIRFRAME SCREWS AND A DAMAGED/ILLEGIBLE FUEL VENT PLACARD) THAT I HAD MISSED DURING MY WALKAROUND PRIOR TO THE FIRST FLT. WE LOGGED THE WRITE-UPS VIA ACARS AND CALLED MAINT ON THE RADIO. WHEN THE MECH ARRIVED; HE CALLED US ON THE GND-TO-COCKPIT INTERPHONE AND ASKED TO BE SHOWN EXACTLY WHERE THE SCREWS WERE LOCATED. THE FO WENT DOWN THE JETWAY STAIRS AND SHOWED THE MECH. WHEN THE FO RETURNED HE WAS VISIBLY UPSET (ANGRY AND PISSED-OFF). THE MECH HAD PROCEEDED TO OVER-TORQUE AND STRIP THE SCREWS INTO THE METAL (THE SCREWS WERE STILL LOOSE AND HOLDING NOTHING) AND THEN THE MECH TOLD THE FO; 'IT'S JUST A (EXPLICIT) PLACARD; WHO CARES IF IT'S THERE?' IN THE MEANTIME; NO LESS THAN 4 SUPVRS WERE WATCHING EVERYONE'S MOVES AND GLARING MENACINGLY AT US. THE SVC REP KEPT ASKING US WHEN WE'D BE READY TO GO AND WE TOLD HIM SEVERAL TIMES THAT WE WERE WAITING ON THE MECH; ASSUMING HE WAS REPLACING THE PLACARD. WE FINALLY ALLOWED THE SVC REP TO CLOSE THE DOOR AND THEN THE MECH TOOK THAT OPPORTUNITY TO PENCIL-WHIP THE MAINT REQUEST; CLAIMING THE FUEL VENT PLACARD WAS DAMAGED BUT LEGIBLE (IT WAS NOT). THE FO AND I WEREN'T ALL THAT CONCERNED ABOUT THE PLACARD; BUT WE WERE STILL A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE SCREW-STRIPPING. WE ELECTED TO FLY THE ACFT ANYWAY BECAUSE THE MECH HAD APPROVED AND SIGNED OFF THE REPAIR AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO GET INTO A PISSING CONTEST WITH THE MECH; THE 4 SUPVRS OR GET PERSONALLY SUED BY THE ACR FOR A JOB ACTION DELAYING THE FLT. AFTER THAT FIASCO; OUR FATIGUE KICKED IN AND WE STARTED MAKING MISTAKES BY THE NUMBERS. I MISSED NO LESS THAN 10 RADIO CALLS; WE DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATE TO CLB SPD (280 KTS) CLBING OUT OF 10000 FOR WHICH WE WERE REPEATEDLY CHASTISED BY THE CTR CTLR. I ASKED THE CTLR SEVERAL TIMES WHAT SPD HE NEEDED AND HE DEMANDED THAT I TELL HIM DURING THE CLBOUT WHAT MY EXPECTED CRUISING SPD AT ALT WOULD BE IN KIAS (KTS IAS); AS OPPOSED TO PLANNED MACH NUMBER (% OF MACH). IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE DONE AN ICET (INDICATED-CALIBRATED-EQUIVALENT-TRUE) AIRSPD PROB AND SO WE INFORMED HIM WE WERE PLANNING MACH .73 WHICH WOULD BE AROUND 250 KIAS. AGAIN; I ASKED HIM WHAT SPD HE NEEDED; WE WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO OBLIGE. WE'RE GETTING DUMPED ON BY MECHS AND SUPVRS FOR MAKING LEGITIMATE WRITE-UPS; WE'RE GETTING DUMPED ON BY ATC FOR FLYING LEGITIMATE AIRSPDS AND WE'RE TIRED FROM LACK OF SLEEP DUE TO FIRE ALARMS AT THE HOTEL. OBVIOUSLY; THE FO AND I WERE A DANGER TO THE NATL AIRSPACE SYS. SO; IMMEDIATELY AFTER LNDG; TAXI-IN AND SHUT DOWN OF THE ACFT; WE CALLED IN FATIGUED FOR THE BAL OF THE TRIP. 'WHAT PART OF; THE SYS IS BROKEN; THERE ARE NOT ADEQUATE SAFETY BUFFERS AND SOMEONE'S GOING TO CRASH AN AIRPLANE; SO LET'S BLAME IT ON A JOB ACTION BY UNIONS AND THE PLTS. DOESN'T ACR OR THE FAA GET ?' ACR AND ATC MAY DRIVE SOMEBODY ELSE INTO THE GND; BUT IT AIN'T GONNA BE ME! HAVE A NICE DAY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.