Narrative:

Pilot fatigue: day 1 scheduled duty 9 hours 56 mins; actual duty 10 hours 6 mins. Day 2 scheduled duty 5 hours 48 mins; actual duty 4 hours 50 mins. Day 3 scheduled duty 5 hours 5 mins; actual duty 11 hours 3 mins. Day 4 scheduled duty 9 hours 23 mins; called fatigued after 3 hours 26 mins. The first day was scheduled for 9 hours 56 mins of duty time and went as scheduled. Arrived at layover hotel XB30. Quiet room when I arrived in it; but loud construction noise and the person in the next room talking woke me up at XJ15. That interruption and the events of day 2 was what started an escalating fatigue and stress situation. We were scheduled for a 5 hour 48 min duty day on day 2; but our ZZZ-ZZZ1 segment had a creeping mechanical delay that eventually turned into a cancellation. But not before we had boarded a full plane load of spring break and vacationing passenger. We were the last flight out of ZZZ that night and the csr's had no seats to re-accommodate anyone the next day. This made for a very stressful delay and the eventual unloading of everyone. Our flight attendants did a great job; but we didn't have enough csr's to help everyone -- long lines and short tempers were common. Maintenance not knowing whether they had the part or not; and if they could do the fix or not; or any kind of timely estimate of how long it might take; all added to the stress level. My crew stayed on the empty plane awaiting a decision about a delay or cancellation. I finally called operations and was informed that the flight had canceled 25 mins earlier! Nobody notified the crew. The crew desk tried to show an off duty time of about 30 mins prior to our actual off duty time of XA00; they corrected that after I insisted it be corrected. We then made our way to the pick-up point only to have a fully loaded van driver tell us another van was on the way and would be there in about 10 mins. We waited 30 mins for a van and then rode 20 mins to the hotel. The company no longer provides contractually required transportation; so we have to ride the hotel vans or pay our own way. We had 9 hours 'behind the door' at the hotel and ended up with a 10 hour 45 mi block-to-block layover. Had we been 1 min less; we would have been limited to a 10 hour duty day. We were on duty 4 hours 50 mins and were worn out from the delay; cancellation and subsequent short tempered passenger. We were reassigned for day 3 and began with an 'extra' segment on the same aircraft (that was now fixed) and operated ZZZ-ZZZ1. We changed aircraft and deadheaded ZZZ1-ZZZ2 then operated XXX2-ZZZ1. Another plane change and we operated ZZZ1-ZZZ3. 4 legs; 3 airplanes. We stay in a hotel attached to the terminal in ZZZ3. We are stranded there. By the time we got to ZZZ3; all the food vendors in the airport were closed leaving only the hotel's very expensive and slow food service available. I was too tired to wait. My first officer and I were exhausted; our scheduled 5 hour 5 min duty day ended up being 11 hours 3 mins. Neither one of us had a restful night sleep and after operating ZZZ3-ZZZ1; we called in fatigued. Micro naps and missed calls is no way to operate an aircraft! The company consistently schedules us with minimum day off schedules; inefficient trips and applies a double standard to fatigue issues in that they do not include fatigue in the contractual sick call criteria. So calling fatigued means a loss of pay.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 737-300 FLT CREW NOTIFIED THE AIRLINE THAT THEY COULD NO LONGER CONTINUE THEIR FLT SCHEDULE DUE TO FATIGUE.

Narrative: PLT FATIGUE: DAY 1 SCHEDULED DUTY 9 HRS 56 MINS; ACTUAL DUTY 10 HRS 6 MINS. DAY 2 SCHEDULED DUTY 5 HRS 48 MINS; ACTUAL DUTY 4 HRS 50 MINS. DAY 3 SCHEDULED DUTY 5 HRS 5 MINS; ACTUAL DUTY 11 HRS 3 MINS. DAY 4 SCHEDULED DUTY 9 HRS 23 MINS; CALLED FATIGUED AFTER 3 HRS 26 MINS. THE FIRST DAY WAS SCHEDULED FOR 9 HRS 56 MINS OF DUTY TIME AND WENT AS SCHEDULED. ARRIVED AT LAYOVER HOTEL XB30. QUIET ROOM WHEN I ARRIVED IN IT; BUT LOUD CONSTRUCTION NOISE AND THE PERSON IN THE NEXT ROOM TALKING WOKE ME UP AT XJ15. THAT INTERRUPTION AND THE EVENTS OF DAY 2 WAS WHAT STARTED AN ESCALATING FATIGUE AND STRESS SITUATION. WE WERE SCHEDULED FOR A 5 HR 48 MIN DUTY DAY ON DAY 2; BUT OUR ZZZ-ZZZ1 SEGMENT HAD A CREEPING MECHANICAL DELAY THAT EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO A CANCELLATION. BUT NOT BEFORE WE HAD BOARDED A FULL PLANE LOAD OF SPRING BREAK AND VACATIONING PAX. WE WERE THE LAST FLT OUT OF ZZZ THAT NIGHT AND THE CSR'S HAD NO SEATS TO RE-ACCOMMODATE ANYONE THE NEXT DAY. THIS MADE FOR A VERY STRESSFUL DELAY AND THE EVENTUAL UNLOADING OF EVERYONE. OUR FLT ATTENDANTS DID A GREAT JOB; BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH CSR'S TO HELP EVERYONE -- LONG LINES AND SHORT TEMPERS WERE COMMON. MAINT NOT KNOWING WHETHER THEY HAD THE PART OR NOT; AND IF THEY COULD DO THE FIX OR NOT; OR ANY KIND OF TIMELY ESTIMATE OF HOW LONG IT MIGHT TAKE; ALL ADDED TO THE STRESS LEVEL. MY CREW STAYED ON THE EMPTY PLANE AWAITING A DECISION ABOUT A DELAY OR CANCELLATION. I FINALLY CALLED OPS AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE FLT HAD CANCELED 25 MINS EARLIER! NOBODY NOTIFIED THE CREW. THE CREW DESK TRIED TO SHOW AN OFF DUTY TIME OF ABOUT 30 MINS PRIOR TO OUR ACTUAL OFF DUTY TIME OF XA00; THEY CORRECTED THAT AFTER I INSISTED IT BE CORRECTED. WE THEN MADE OUR WAY TO THE PICK-UP POINT ONLY TO HAVE A FULLY LOADED VAN DRIVER TELL US ANOTHER VAN WAS ON THE WAY AND WOULD BE THERE IN ABOUT 10 MINS. WE WAITED 30 MINS FOR A VAN AND THEN RODE 20 MINS TO THE HOTEL. THE COMPANY NO LONGER PROVIDES CONTRACTUALLY REQUIRED TRANSPORTATION; SO WE HAVE TO RIDE THE HOTEL VANS OR PAY OUR OWN WAY. WE HAD 9 HRS 'BEHIND THE DOOR' AT THE HOTEL AND ENDED UP WITH A 10 HR 45 MI BLOCK-TO-BLOCK LAYOVER. HAD WE BEEN 1 MIN LESS; WE WOULD HAVE BEEN LIMITED TO A 10 HR DUTY DAY. WE WERE ON DUTY 4 HRS 50 MINS AND WERE WORN OUT FROM THE DELAY; CANCELLATION AND SUBSEQUENT SHORT TEMPERED PAX. WE WERE REASSIGNED FOR DAY 3 AND BEGAN WITH AN 'EXTRA' SEGMENT ON THE SAME ACFT (THAT WAS NOW FIXED) AND OPERATED ZZZ-ZZZ1. WE CHANGED ACFT AND DEADHEADED ZZZ1-ZZZ2 THEN OPERATED XXX2-ZZZ1. ANOTHER PLANE CHANGE AND WE OPERATED ZZZ1-ZZZ3. 4 LEGS; 3 AIRPLANES. WE STAY IN A HOTEL ATTACHED TO THE TERMINAL IN ZZZ3. WE ARE STRANDED THERE. BY THE TIME WE GOT TO ZZZ3; ALL THE FOOD VENDORS IN THE ARPT WERE CLOSED LEAVING ONLY THE HOTEL'S VERY EXPENSIVE AND SLOW FOOD SVC AVAILABLE. I WAS TOO TIRED TO WAIT. MY FO AND I WERE EXHAUSTED; OUR SCHEDULED 5 HR 5 MIN DUTY DAY ENDED UP BEING 11 HRS 3 MINS. NEITHER ONE OF US HAD A RESTFUL NIGHT SLEEP AND AFTER OPERATING ZZZ3-ZZZ1; WE CALLED IN FATIGUED. MICRO NAPS AND MISSED CALLS IS NO WAY TO OPERATE AN ACFT! THE COMPANY CONSISTENTLY SCHEDULES US WITH MINIMUM DAY OFF SCHEDULES; INEFFICIENT TRIPS AND APPLIES A DOUBLE STANDARD TO FATIGUE ISSUES IN THAT THEY DO NOT INCLUDE FATIGUE IN THE CONTRACTUAL SICK CALL CRITERIA. SO CALLING FATIGUED MEANS A LOSS OF PAY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.