A 747 FRTR CREW REFUSED A FLT DUE TO FATIGUE.

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AFTER BEING HELD 'ON CALL' FOR NEARLY 12 HRS; AND AFTER REQUESTING TIME OFF FOR CREW REST; AND AFTER THE CAPT; FO AND MYSELF INDIVIDUALLY; INDICATED IT WOULD BE UNSAFE TO OPERATE A 6-HR FLT FROM PHL TO OAK (BEGINNING AT XCAM); AN ACR SUPVR DIRECTED US TO OPERATE THE FLT. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY TO EVERYONE; WE REFUSED AND NOW OUR JOBS ARE IN JEOPARDY. ON JAN; FRI; 1994; I WAS THE SO ON AN ACR B-747 CREW WHICH HAD BEEN RESCHEDULED TO DEADHEAD AT PHL. WE WERE SCHEDULED FOR AN XN45 HOTEL PICKUP IN PHL AND AN XO15 TKOF FOR A FLT FROM PHL TO OAK. AFTER THE FO AND I HAD CHKED OUT OF THE HOTEL AND AS THE CAPT WAS CHKING OUT; HE RECEIVED A MESSAGE WHICH SAID 'STAY PUT; YOUR TRIP IS LATE; PLEASE CALL PHILLY GATE.' FROM XY30 UNTIL APPROX XX15 ON JAN/SAT; WE WERE KEPT ON CALL WITH NO RELEASE TIME; NO RESCHEDULE TIME OR ANY OTHER GUIDANCE FOR WHEN OR IF WE WOULD DEPART. MANY CALLS WERE MADE TO PHL OPS; MANY ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO CALL SCHEDULING; PLUS EACH OF US CHKED FOR MESSAGES FREQUENTLY. AT NO TIME WERE WE ABLE TO FIND OUT WHAT TIME OUR FLT WOULD OPERATE; OR WHAT TIME TO PLAN ON IF IT DID OPERATE. AT NO TIME DID WE RECEIVE A SINGLE CALL FROM CREW SCHEDULING. AFTER NEARLY 12 HRS OF WAITING AND; BEGINNING AT APPROX XW30; THE CAPT ATTEMPTED TO CALL SCHEDULING. IT TOOK UNTIL XX15 TO GET THROUGH TO THEM. AFTER SEVERAL MINS; SCHEDULING INDICATED THEY WANTED US TO DEPART THE HOTEL AT XB00 FOR A XC00 TKOF TO OAK. THE CAPT INDICATED WE HAD BEEN UP FOR MANY HRS WAITING TO BE CALLED AND WE WERE QUITE TIRED. HE THEN CONFERRED THE FO AND MYSELF. WE EXPRESSED WE WERE FATIGUED; AND TO FLY A 6-HR TRIP AT XC00 WOULD BE UNSAFE. THE CAPT TOLD SCHEDULING WE NEEDED SOME SLEEP BEFORE MAKING THE FLT AND REQUESTED ABOUT 8 HRS OF REST. THE CAPT WAS THEN HANDED OVER TO A SUPVR AND REPEATED THE INFO OUTLINED ABOVE. AFTER SEVERAL MINS; THE CAPT GAVE THE PHONE TO THE FO; WHO SHORTLY THEREAFTER HANDED THE PHONE TO ME. THE PERSON ON THE PHONE IDENTED HIMSELF AS MR X AND I THINK HE SAID HE WAS AN ASSISTANT MGR OR ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT. WITH NO DISCUSSION OF WHAT WAS GOING ON; HE SAID 'I AM DIRECTING YOU TO OPERATE THIS FLT AND I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU WILL TAKE IT.' AT FIRST I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS; HOW CAN I TAKE A FLT WITHOUT A CAPT AND AN FO? I TOLD HIM WE HAD BEEN ON CALL ALL DAY; I HAD BEEN WAITING AROUND IN MY UNIFORM ALL DAY AND IN MY OPINION IT WOULD BE UNSAFE TO FLY IT. HE ASKED ME NOTHING ABOUT WHY I FELT IT WOULD BE UNSAFE. HE SAID; 'WE HAVE REVIEWED YOUR REST AND WE BELIEVE YOU ARE RESTED. I AM DIRECTING YOU TO OPERATE THE FLT. WILL YOU TAKE IT?' AFTER OVERCOMING MY DISBELIEF THAT SOMEONE IN A LEADERSHIP POS WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION WOULD DIRECT A CREW TO OPERATE AN UNSAFE FLT; I TOLD HIM NO. HE THEN SAID; 'YOU ALL ARE RELEASED FROM DUTY; WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU LATER.' I THEN ASKED HIM TO WAIT AND GIVE THIS INFO TO THE CAPT; AND I GAVE THE CAPT THE PHONE. WE DID NOT OPERATE THE FLT AND WE DEADHEADED HOME THE AFTERNOON OF JAN/SUN/94. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ENTIRE CREW WAS TAKEN OFF SCHEDULE FOR 2 WKS WITH PAY WHILE THE ACR WAS MAKING UP ITS MIND WHAT TO DO NEXT. AFTER A HEARING WITH ACR MGMNT AND PLT'S UNION; EACH CREW MEMBER WAS GIVEN A 'LETTER OF WARNING' TO BE PLACED IN HIS PERSONNEL JACKET. THE RPTR DID NOT KNOW WHETHER THIS LETTER WAS TO PERMANENT OR IF IT HAD A 'DROP DEAD' DATE ON IT WHEN IT WOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY REMOVED. THE PLT'S UNION HAD FILED A GRIEVANCE WITH THE ACR TO ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE LETTER NOW. ALL CONVERSATIONS WITH CREW SCHEDULE PERSONNEL AND FLC PERSONS ARE RECORDED. THE PLT'S UNION WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THE PERTINENT TAPE WHICH WAS PASSED ON TO THE NTSB.