Narrative:

I arrived at mdw at the completion of a 3-DAY pairing and was immediately summoned to the jetway phone to take a call from scheduling to inform me that I was being assigned to a 2-DAY leaving mdw the following afternoon. Despite an ongoing family situation that demanded my attention and required my getting up early to run errands and attempt to arrange child care, etc, I showed up for the assignment on time. Upon arriving in city after the first leg, I was informed that my eventual overnight rest was being reduced to 9 hours 45 mins from the original 13 hours plus. I informed scheduling that, as I was already tired, this would not be sufficient rest for what was going to be a long next day (12+ hours of duty). Scheduling said it was far legal and there was nothing they could do. I then arranged to speak to the chief pilot on duty and tried to explain to him that I was already tired heading into my 5TH straight day of flying and that it was likely I would have to call in fatigued if they could not give me adequate rest in city. He informed me that what they were doing was reasonable and that I could not call in fatigued in advance. I told him I was reluctant to wait until the last min and risk causing the cancellation or delay of a flight, and he suggested that he did not want me to do that but repeated that I could not call in fatigued in advance. After a less than restful very short night's sleep, I arrived for my revised assignment on time and decided to just see how I felt. The first leg and subsequent deadheading back to city went ok, but I was very noticeably not up to my usual standards. As we arrived back in city with about 10 mins before my next flight, I was very tired and not at all ready to tackle a 5 hour flight across the country. Still, the chief pilot's words that I was reasonable and my own strong desire to not cause the cancellation or delay of the flight caused me to proceed ahead. I told my first officer I was very tired and asked him to fly and keep a close eye on me. During the flight, I fell asleep several times for brief periods, missed radio calls and was just generally not with it. We arrived without incident, with the exception of a company ats [an updated version of SELCAL] call to inform us of a missed center frequency change. In retrospect, I should have bit the bullet and not flown the flight, a decision made extremely difficult though, given a gate area full of anxious passenger and a company attitude that if it's far legal, it's ok coupled with a policy that does not allow one to call in fatigued in advance of the pending event. The company encourages us to call in sick well in advance to give them time to cover a trip, but is in effect strongly discouraging a fatigue call by the current last min only policy. Pilots, especially those on rerte or assignments should be able to tell scheduling that, although a particular assignment may be technically far legal, they cannot accept it because of lack of adequate real rest provisions. Additionally, we all live in the real world of family obligations and other outside influences. What is adequate rest to one person on a particular day and time may be something entirely different to someone else with a lot of other things going on. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is a line holder. In the case of reassignments, he indicated that the company is allowed to reschedule, generally speaking, up to far limits for crew duty and rest considerations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 PLT RPTS FALLING ASLEEP IN THE COCKPIT DURING THE LAST LEG OF A FLT SEQUENCE THAT HAD BEEN EXTENDED 2 DAYS.

Narrative: I ARRIVED AT MDW AT THE COMPLETION OF A 3-DAY PAIRING AND WAS IMMEDIATELY SUMMONED TO THE JETWAY PHONE TO TAKE A CALL FROM SCHEDULING TO INFORM ME THAT I WAS BEING ASSIGNED TO A 2-DAY LEAVING MDW THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON. DESPITE AN ONGOING FAMILY SIT THAT DEMANDED MY ATTN AND REQUIRED MY GETTING UP EARLY TO RUN ERRANDS AND ATTEMPT TO ARRANGE CHILD CARE, ETC, I SHOWED UP FOR THE ASSIGNMENT ON TIME. UPON ARRIVING IN CITY AFTER THE FIRST LEG, I WAS INFORMED THAT MY EVENTUAL OVERNIGHT REST WAS BEING REDUCED TO 9 HRS 45 MINS FROM THE ORIGINAL 13 HRS PLUS. I INFORMED SCHEDULING THAT, AS I WAS ALREADY TIRED, THIS WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT REST FOR WHAT WAS GOING TO BE A LONG NEXT DAY (12+ HRS OF DUTY). SCHEDULING SAID IT WAS FAR LEGAL AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I THEN ARRANGED TO SPEAK TO THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY AND TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT I WAS ALREADY TIRED HEADING INTO MY 5TH STRAIGHT DAY OF FLYING AND THAT IT WAS LIKELY I WOULD HAVE TO CALL IN FATIGUED IF THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME ADEQUATE REST IN CITY. HE INFORMED ME THAT WHAT THEY WERE DOING WAS REASONABLE AND THAT I COULD NOT CALL IN FATIGUED IN ADVANCE. I TOLD HIM I WAS RELUCTANT TO WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MIN AND RISK CAUSING THE CANCELLATION OR DELAY OF A FLT, AND HE SUGGESTED THAT HE DID NOT WANT ME TO DO THAT BUT REPEATED THAT I COULD NOT CALL IN FATIGUED IN ADVANCE. AFTER A LESS THAN RESTFUL VERY SHORT NIGHT'S SLEEP, I ARRIVED FOR MY REVISED ASSIGNMENT ON TIME AND DECIDED TO JUST SEE HOW I FELT. THE FIRST LEG AND SUBSEQUENT DEADHEADING BACK TO CITY WENT OK, BUT I WAS VERY NOTICEABLY NOT UP TO MY USUAL STANDARDS. AS WE ARRIVED BACK IN CITY WITH ABOUT 10 MINS BEFORE MY NEXT FLT, I WAS VERY TIRED AND NOT AT ALL READY TO TACKLE A 5 HR FLT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. STILL, THE CHIEF PLT'S WORDS THAT I WAS REASONABLE AND MY OWN STRONG DESIRE TO NOT CAUSE THE CANCELLATION OR DELAY OF THE FLT CAUSED ME TO PROCEED AHEAD. I TOLD MY FO I WAS VERY TIRED AND ASKED HIM TO FLY AND KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON ME. DURING THE FLT, I FELL ASLEEP SEVERAL TIMES FOR BRIEF PERIODS, MISSED RADIO CALLS AND WAS JUST GENERALLY NOT WITH IT. WE ARRIVED WITHOUT INCIDENT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A COMPANY ATS [AN UPDATED VERSION OF SELCAL] CALL TO INFORM US OF A MISSED CTR FREQ CHANGE. IN RETROSPECT, I SHOULD HAVE BIT THE BULLET AND NOT FLOWN THE FLT, A DECISION MADE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT THOUGH, GIVEN A GATE AREA FULL OF ANXIOUS PAX AND A COMPANY ATTITUDE THAT IF IT'S FAR LEGAL, IT'S OK COUPLED WITH A POLICY THAT DOES NOT ALLOW ONE TO CALL IN FATIGUED IN ADVANCE OF THE PENDING EVENT. THE COMPANY ENCOURAGES US TO CALL IN SICK WELL IN ADVANCE TO GIVE THEM TIME TO COVER A TRIP, BUT IS IN EFFECT STRONGLY DISCOURAGING A FATIGUE CALL BY THE CURRENT LAST MIN ONLY POLICY. PLTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE ON RERTE OR ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL SCHEDULING THAT, ALTHOUGH A PARTICULAR ASSIGNMENT MAY BE TECHNICALLY FAR LEGAL, THEY CANNOT ACCEPT IT BECAUSE OF LACK OF ADEQUATE REAL REST PROVISIONS. ADDITIONALLY, WE ALL LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD OF FAMILY OBLIGATIONS AND OTHER OUTSIDE INFLUENCES. WHAT IS ADEQUATE REST TO ONE PERSON ON A PARTICULAR DAY AND TIME MAY BE SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TO SOMEONE ELSE WITH A LOT OF OTHER THINGS GOING ON. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A LINE HOLDER. IN THE CASE OF REASSIGNMENTS, HE INDICATED THAT THE COMPANY IS ALLOWED TO RESCHEDULE, GENERALLY SPEAKING, UP TO FAR LIMITS FOR CREW DUTY AND REST CONSIDERATIONS.

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.