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Air carrier captain reported extreme fatigue when assigned both early morning and late night flights.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1750463 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201912 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | No Specific Anomaly Occurred All Types |
Narrative:
Second time this month with pairing [number]. Each time; on day two; struggled with fatigue every bit as much as; or more than; if this was a bonafide all-nighter. [The] 6:15 et pushback [was equivalent to] 3:15 pacific time. [I had a] 1:00 wakeup; [in] pacific time. I did everything I could reasonably be expected to; to compensate. I went to bed as early as possible before the trip. On the layover I got exercise; an early dinner; and went to bed at 20:00 et. I used melatonin and earplugs but still slept fitfully. Feeling adequately - though marginally - well-rested for duty at the outset; I was still fighting microsleeps enroute. This in spite of coffee; espresso beans; and 5-Hour energy.both of the occurrences of this pairing on my line are immediately followed by a pairing whose day one operates too close to or past midnight; pacific time. That creates the need to keep myself up after release from duty between trips; in order to re-synchronize my circadian rhythm as best I can for the next day. The first time; that made for such a level of fatigue by bedtime that I felt physically ill. I was unsure I'd be fit for the next day; but I recovered.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Air carrier Captain reported extreme fatigue when assigned both early morning and late night flights.
Narrative: Second time this month with pairing [number]. Each time; on day two; struggled with fatigue every bit as much as; or more than; if this was a bonafide all-nighter. [The] 6:15 ET pushback [was equivalent to] 3:15 Pacific Time. [I had a] 1:00 wakeup; [in] Pacific Time. I did everything I could reasonably be expected to; to compensate. I went to bed as early as possible before the trip. On the layover I got exercise; an early dinner; and went to bed at 20:00 ET. I used melatonin and earplugs but still slept fitfully. Feeling adequately - though marginally - well-rested for duty at the outset; I was still fighting microsleeps enroute. This in spite of coffee; espresso beans; and 5-Hour Energy.Both of the occurrences of this pairing on my line are immediately followed by a pairing whose day one operates too close to or past midnight; Pacific Time. That creates the need to keep myself up after release from duty between trips; in order to re-synchronize my circadian rhythm as best I can for the next day. The first time; that made for such a level of fatigue by bedtime that I felt physically ill. I was unsure I'd be fit for the next day; but I recovered.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.