FAA INSPECTOR ACCUSED THE SO OF SLEEPING ON THE FLT. RPTR QUOTES NASA STUDY ABOUT PLT 'MICRO-NAP BLACKOUTS.

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I WAS THE CAPT OF FLT ABCD OF DEC/TUE/03. IT WAS OUR THIRD OF 4 SCHEDULED LEGS ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF OUR WK OF ALL NIGHT FLYING. WE HAD BEGUN DUTY AT XA00 THE PREVIOUS EVENING; AND WE HAD BEEN ON DUTY FOR 10 HRS. OUR DUTY DAY TOTALED 13.5 HRS WHEN IT ENDED AT OUR FINAL DEST -- IAH. THIS WAS TYPICAL FOR A NIGHT FREIGHT TRIP; A 12-14 HR DUTY DAY WITH A 10-12 HR REST PERIOD; 5 DAYS A WK. THE FAA ACR INSPECTOR IN THE JUMPSEAT THOUGHT THAT THE FE HAD GONE TO SLEEP AFTER ABOUT 1 HR OF CRUISE FLT; JUST AFTER SUNRISE. THE FE WAS ADAMANT THAT HE WAS NOT ASLEEP. I HAD NOT NOTICED ANY PROB IN GETTING FUEL READINGS AT THE FLT PLAN CHK POINTS OR WHEN HE ACCOMPLISHED HIS TASKS (READING CHKLISTS; GETTING ATIS; AND PREPARING A LNDG DATA CARD). I DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THE FE HAD BEEN ASLEEP. STAYING ALERT AND AWAKE IS A CONSTANT PROB WHEN FLYING 'ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE CLOCK;' ESPECIALLY DURING THE HRS NEAR SUNRISE ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE WK WHEN CHANGING FROM AN ALL DAY TO ALL NIGHT SCHEDULE. I THOUGHT THAT A NASA SLEEP STUDY THAT WAS MADE SEVERAL YRS AGO DESCRIBED 'MICRO-NAP BLACKOUTS' AS THE MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD THAT OCCURRED WHEN YOUR BODY REALLY NEEDED SLEEP. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS 'MICRO-NAP BLACKOUT' ON BOTH LONG AND SHORT DUTY DAYS. IT SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHANGE OVER FROM A DAY TO A NIGHT SCHEDULE. THE STUDY HAD FOUND THAT SHORT NAPS IN CRUISE FLT PROVIDED ENOUGH REST TO PREVENT THE 'MICRO-NAP BLACKOUTS' THAT COULD OCCUR DURING THE APCH AND LNDG PHASES OF FLT. THE FAA NEVER ALLOWED CRUISE NAPS THOUGH; EVEN THOUGH; IT WOULD MEET THE PHYSICAL NEEDS OF YOUR BODY AND MAKE FOR A SAFER APCH AND LNDG PHASE OF FLT.