Narrative:

I had been flying with this captain for 6 days total during the month. I was performing the landing to runway 18L at cvg. I had called for final flaps of 35 degrees and the captain selected them. After the flaps moved to 35 degrees the PNF (captain) is supposed to verify the last 3 items on the before landing checklist (flaps to 35 degrees, autoplt off, yaw damper off). I noticed that I did not get these calls. At approximately 500 ft AGL I looked to my left and noticed the captain appeared to be asleep. To verify that he was asleep and not incapacitated (not that sleep is not incapacitation) I asked him to verify that we were cleared to land. He woke up and asked the tower and we, in fact, were cleared to land as I already knew. He had been falling asleep during the cruise portions of the flight many times during the previous 6 days. When I asked him why he was so sleepy he just said it was because he had just eaten. Later on jul/sat/95 we were taking off from runway 24L in dayton. It was my takeoff. Below 60 KTS the captain steers with the nosewheel steering. I am supposed to advance the power levers until the 'automatic coarsen armed' light comes on. At this point the PF (myself) is supposed to stop advancing the power levers and the PNF (captain) is supposed to continue advancing them to within 10-15 percent of target torque. At this point the PNF is supposed to arm the ctot (constant torque on takeoff). The captain did call 'automatic coarsen armed,' but did not continue advancing power levers or arm the ctot. The captain had been forgetting to 'FLIP switches' the whole trip so I simply reached down and armed the ctot's myself. At this point the captain 'woke up!' I decided not to abort because when I realized that he had been asleep was when he woke up and now he was awake. I have approached the professional standards board with my union and they are confronting the captain and corroborating my experiences with other first officer's. I wanted to submit this so you could document it along with your sleep studies. The second item is the same captain exceeded airspeed limits for class D airspace. At 2500 ft MSL we were indicating 230 KTS at 3.0 DME (as indicated on the RNAV) at huntington, wv. The captain didn't seem to care. He also had heavy eyes (sleepy). Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the first officer was flying a saab sf 340B and this was the second 4 day trip in a row with him. The captain is known among the first officer's for falling asleep according to the reporter. This trip was much worse than the previous one. This time the captain fell asleep in almost every phase of flight on every leg. The first officer said that he attempted to have the captain fly or do other duties to keep him performing, but the captain refused to go along. He attempted to politely criticize the captain's sleeping and his rest habits to no avail. Later after he reported the sleepy captain to the union's professional standards committee he was initially reprimanded for not aborting the takeoff where the captain failed to set the power. He explained that by this time he had become used to the captain sleeping or just forgetting to accomplish some of his duties. An abort at the speed that they were going at the time may have caused the captain to do something incorrect as he suddenly awoke. As it was the captain did awake as the full takeoff power came in, however, he was expecting this. Later the union representative apologized when other first officer's came forth. Also later the captain failed several check rides and reverted to first officer. The captain did see a doctor under union instructions, but he continues to commute from a long distance and his sleepiness has been noticed by his capts.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC BEHAVIOR -- ACR CAPT KEPT FALLING ASLEEP AND FO CONTACTED THE UNION PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE.

Narrative: I HAD BEEN FLYING WITH THIS CAPT FOR 6 DAYS TOTAL DURING THE MONTH. I WAS PERFORMING THE LNDG TO RWY 18L AT CVG. I HAD CALLED FOR FINAL FLAPS OF 35 DEGS AND THE CAPT SELECTED THEM. AFTER THE FLAPS MOVED TO 35 DEGS THE PNF (CAPT) IS SUPPOSED TO VERIFY THE LAST 3 ITEMS ON THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST (FLAPS TO 35 DEGS, AUTOPLT OFF, YAW DAMPER OFF). I NOTICED THAT I DID NOT GET THESE CALLS. AT APPROX 500 FT AGL I LOOKED TO MY L AND NOTICED THE CAPT APPEARED TO BE ASLEEP. TO VERIFY THAT HE WAS ASLEEP AND NOT INCAPACITATED (NOT THAT SLEEP IS NOT INCAPACITATION) I ASKED HIM TO VERIFY THAT WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. HE WOKE UP AND ASKED THE TWR AND WE, IN FACT, WERE CLRED TO LAND AS I ALREADY KNEW. HE HAD BEEN FALLING ASLEEP DURING THE CRUISE PORTIONS OF THE FLT MANY TIMES DURING THE PREVIOUS 6 DAYS. WHEN I ASKED HIM WHY HE WAS SO SLEEPY HE JUST SAID IT WAS BECAUSE HE HAD JUST EATEN. LATER ON JUL/SAT/95 WE WERE TAKING OFF FROM RWY 24L IN DAYTON. IT WAS MY TKOF. BELOW 60 KTS THE CAPT STEERS WITH THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING. I AM SUPPOSED TO ADVANCE THE PWR LEVERS UNTIL THE 'AUTO COARSEN ARMED' LIGHT COMES ON. AT THIS POINT THE PF (MYSELF) IS SUPPOSED TO STOP ADVANCING THE PWR LEVERS AND THE PNF (CAPT) IS SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE ADVANCING THEM TO WITHIN 10-15 PERCENT OF TARGET TORQUE. AT THIS POINT THE PNF IS SUPPOSED TO ARM THE CTOT (CONSTANT TORQUE ON TKOF). THE CAPT DID CALL 'AUTO COARSEN ARMED,' BUT DID NOT CONTINUE ADVANCING PWR LEVERS OR ARM THE CTOT. THE CAPT HAD BEEN FORGETTING TO 'FLIP SWITCHES' THE WHOLE TRIP SO I SIMPLY REACHED DOWN AND ARMED THE CTOT'S MYSELF. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT 'WOKE UP!' I DECIDED NOT TO ABORT BECAUSE WHEN I REALIZED THAT HE HAD BEEN ASLEEP WAS WHEN HE WOKE UP AND NOW HE WAS AWAKE. I HAVE APCHED THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS BOARD WITH MY UNION AND THEY ARE CONFRONTING THE CAPT AND CORROBORATING MY EXPERIENCES WITH OTHER FO'S. I WANTED TO SUBMIT THIS SO YOU COULD DOCUMENT IT ALONG WITH YOUR SLEEP STUDIES. THE SECOND ITEM IS THE SAME CAPT EXCEEDED AIRSPD LIMITS FOR CLASS D AIRSPACE. AT 2500 FT MSL WE WERE INDICATING 230 KTS AT 3.0 DME (AS INDICATED ON THE RNAV) AT HUNTINGTON, WV. THE CAPT DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE. HE ALSO HAD HVY EYES (SLEEPY). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO WAS FLYING A SAAB SF 340B AND THIS WAS THE SECOND 4 DAY TRIP IN A ROW WITH HIM. THE CAPT IS KNOWN AMONG THE FO'S FOR FALLING ASLEEP ACCORDING TO THE RPTR. THIS TRIP WAS MUCH WORSE THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE. THIS TIME THE CAPT FELL ASLEEP IN ALMOST EVERY PHASE OF FLT ON EVERY LEG. THE FO SAID THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE CAPT FLY OR DO OTHER DUTIES TO KEEP HIM PERFORMING, BUT THE CAPT REFUSED TO GO ALONG. HE ATTEMPTED TO POLITELY CRITICIZE THE CAPT'S SLEEPING AND HIS REST HABITS TO NO AVAIL. LATER AFTER HE RPTED THE SLEEPY CAPT TO THE UNION'S PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE HE WAS INITIALLY REPRIMANDED FOR NOT ABORTING THE TKOF WHERE THE CAPT FAILED TO SET THE PWR. HE EXPLAINED THAT BY THIS TIME HE HAD BECOME USED TO THE CAPT SLEEPING OR JUST FORGETTING TO ACCOMPLISH SOME OF HIS DUTIES. AN ABORT AT THE SPD THAT THEY WERE GOING AT THE TIME MAY HAVE CAUSED THE CAPT TO DO SOMETHING INCORRECT AS HE SUDDENLY AWOKE. AS IT WAS THE CAPT DID AWAKE AS THE FULL TKOF PWR CAME IN, HOWEVER, HE WAS EXPECTING THIS. LATER THE UNION REPRESENTATIVE APOLOGIZED WHEN OTHER FO'S CAME FORTH. ALSO LATER THE CAPT FAILED SEVERAL CHK RIDES AND REVERTED TO FO. THE CAPT DID SEE A DOCTOR UNDER UNION INSTRUCTIONS, BUT HE CONTINUES TO COMMUTE FROM A LONG DISTANCE AND HIS SLEEPINESS HAS BEEN NOTICED BY HIS CAPTS.

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.