Narrative:

I would like to bring up the issue of crew rest as it pertains to pilots on reserve, and the diminishing quality of that rest period brought on by company schedulers. Blocking in from a 3 day trip at XA47 I was told by the agent that I was selected for a random drug test. That completed, I finally arrived home at XD15, to find out that crew schedules already called wanting to assign me for future duty that day. Considering the time of day coupled with the fact that I had only 8.5 hours remaining for crew rest, I did not try to return their call. During my remaining rest period, I was called by schedulers 5 times, greatly disrupting my sleep and overall quality of rest. This is not a one time occurrence, but a situation that has arisen many times recently. A scheduler will call late at night during a rest period, to assign a trip that does not sign in until the next afternoon. I believe that this adversely affects safety of flight and should be considered a violation of rules concerning crew rest. If rest periods for crew members are important, then they should be treated as such and be truly uninterrupted periods of rest. No attempt should be made by the company to interrupt that rest by attempting to contact a crew member in an effort to assign future duty until his required rest is over.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 CREW MEMBER IS NOT BEING GIVEN FAR REQUIRED REST PERIODS BTWN TRIPS, WHILE ON RESERVE.

Narrative: I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP THE ISSUE OF CREW REST AS IT PERTAINS TO PLTS ON RESERVE, AND THE DIMINISHING QUALITY OF THAT REST PERIOD BROUGHT ON BY COMPANY SCHEDULERS. BLOCKING IN FROM A 3 DAY TRIP AT XA47 I WAS TOLD BY THE AGENT THAT I WAS SELECTED FOR A RANDOM DRUG TEST. THAT COMPLETED, I FINALLY ARRIVED HOME AT XD15, TO FIND OUT THAT CREW SCHEDULES ALREADY CALLED WANTING TO ASSIGN ME FOR FUTURE DUTY THAT DAY. CONSIDERING THE TIME OF DAY COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT I HAD ONLY 8.5 HRS REMAINING FOR CREW REST, I DID NOT TRY TO RETURN THEIR CALL. DURING MY REMAINING REST PERIOD, I WAS CALLED BY SCHEDULERS 5 TIMES, GREATLY DISRUPTING MY SLEEP AND OVERALL QUALITY OF REST. THIS IS NOT A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE, BUT A SIT THAT HAS ARISEN MANY TIMES RECENTLY. A SCHEDULER WILL CALL LATE AT NIGHT DURING A REST PERIOD, TO ASSIGN A TRIP THAT DOES NOT SIGN IN UNTIL THE NEXT AFTERNOON. I BELIEVE THAT THIS ADVERSELY AFFECTS SAFETY OF FLT AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A VIOLATION OF RULES CONCERNING CREW REST. IF REST PERIODS FOR CREW MEMBERS ARE IMPORTANT, THEN THEY SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH AND BE TRULY UNINTERRUPTED PERIODS OF REST. NO ATTEMPT SHOULD BE MADE BY THE COMPANY TO INTERRUPT THAT REST BY ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT A CREW MEMBER IN AN EFFORT TO ASSIGN FUTURE DUTY UNTIL HIS REQUIRED REST IS OVER.

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.