Narrative:

Our flight was canceled due to a maintenance problem which had been written up 5 previous times. A tentative time of XA00 local was set for departure the next day. We did not receive our hotel voucher until XN30 local and I did not get to my hotel room until XO30 local. I had not eaten lunch or dinner so went out to eat and arrived back at my room at XQ00 local. I turned down the lights, cooled it off and attempted to sleep, but my body clock was used to late bedtimes and late wakeups. My sign in times for this sequence the last 3 days were XL00-XH00 and XI00 body time. Finding myself unable to sleep at XS00 local, approximately 4 hours prior to wake up, I called crew tracking to inform them I would need more rest. I told them I could safely make an XE00 sign in. I was told to call back in 30 mins after the status of our aircraft was certain. 30 mins later, nearly midnight, tracking told me the aircraft was fixed and would go as scheduled at XC00. I repeated that I was too fatigued to wake up in 3 hours and to fly on 3 hours of sleep. I was told to show at XE00 as I requested. The crew tracker I talked to was unfamiliar with the mid sequence fatigue policy, and did not believe me when I insisted I was fatigued. He stated we have an airline to run, that he was stupefied at my claim, that he couldn't understand how a west coast based crew member could complain about an XA00 wake up after 3 straight days of late wake ups and sign INS. He seemed to think it would be easier for me than an east coast based pilot. It is actually the opposite for early wake ups. The last time I submitted an as soon as possible over a crew rest issue I was told that it was up to the individual crew member to determine their fitness for flight duty. I made that determination and met with resistance from crew tracking. They exhibited no understanding of the company mid sequence fatigue policy, no understanding of body clocks or home base time, and the lesson of a previous accident seems to have been lost in the shuffle. This situation would have been avoided completely if maintenance had properly fixed the aircraft on any of the previous 5 occasions the discrepancy occurred.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FATIGUE AND COMPANY FATIGUE POLICY BECOME AN ISSUE AFTER A FLT IS CANCELED DUE TO A RECURRENT CHRONIC MECHANICAL PROB.

Narrative: OUR FLT WAS CANCELED DUE TO A MAINT PROB WHICH HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP 5 PREVIOUS TIMES. A TENTATIVE TIME OF XA00 LCL WAS SET FOR DEP THE NEXT DAY. WE DID NOT RECEIVE OUR HOTEL VOUCHER UNTIL XN30 LCL AND I DID NOT GET TO MY HOTEL ROOM UNTIL XO30 LCL. I HAD NOT EATEN LUNCH OR DINNER SO WENT OUT TO EAT AND ARRIVED BACK AT MY ROOM AT XQ00 LCL. I TURNED DOWN THE LIGHTS, COOLED IT OFF AND ATTEMPTED TO SLEEP, BUT MY BODY CLOCK WAS USED TO LATE BEDTIMES AND LATE WAKEUPS. MY SIGN IN TIMES FOR THIS SEQUENCE THE LAST 3 DAYS WERE XL00-XH00 AND XI00 BODY TIME. FINDING MYSELF UNABLE TO SLEEP AT XS00 LCL, APPROX 4 HRS PRIOR TO WAKE UP, I CALLED CREW TRACKING TO INFORM THEM I WOULD NEED MORE REST. I TOLD THEM I COULD SAFELY MAKE AN XE00 SIGN IN. I WAS TOLD TO CALL BACK IN 30 MINS AFTER THE STATUS OF OUR ACFT WAS CERTAIN. 30 MINS LATER, NEARLY MIDNIGHT, TRACKING TOLD ME THE ACFT WAS FIXED AND WOULD GO AS SCHEDULED AT XC00. I REPEATED THAT I WAS TOO FATIGUED TO WAKE UP IN 3 HRS AND TO FLY ON 3 HRS OF SLEEP. I WAS TOLD TO SHOW AT XE00 AS I REQUESTED. THE CREW TRACKER I TALKED TO WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE MID SEQUENCE FATIGUE POLICY, AND DID NOT BELIEVE ME WHEN I INSISTED I WAS FATIGUED. HE STATED WE HAVE AN AIRLINE TO RUN, THAT HE WAS STUPEFIED AT MY CLAIM, THAT HE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW A WEST COAST BASED CREW MEMBER COULD COMPLAIN ABOUT AN XA00 WAKE UP AFTER 3 STRAIGHT DAYS OF LATE WAKE UPS AND SIGN INS. HE SEEMED TO THINK IT WOULD BE EASIER FOR ME THAN AN EAST COAST BASED PLT. IT IS ACTUALLY THE OPPOSITE FOR EARLY WAKE UPS. THE LAST TIME I SUBMITTED AN ASAP OVER A CREW REST ISSUE I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL CREW MEMBER TO DETERMINE THEIR FITNESS FOR FLT DUTY. I MADE THAT DETERMINATION AND MET WITH RESISTANCE FROM CREW TRACKING. THEY EXHIBITED NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPANY MID SEQUENCE FATIGUE POLICY, NO UNDERSTANDING OF BODY CLOCKS OR HOME BASE TIME, AND THE LESSON OF A PREVIOUS ACCIDENT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE SHUFFLE. THIS SIT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED COMPLETELY IF MAINT HAD PROPERLY FIXED THE ACFT ON ANY OF THE PREVIOUS 5 OCCASIONS THE DISCREPANCY OCCURRED.

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.