FO OF AN A320 FEELS PRESSURED TO FLY BEYOND CONTRACTUAL LIMITS. DUTY DAY WOULD HAVE EXCEEDED 14.5 HOURS.

Date: 2005-09

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

FO OF AN A320 FEELS PRESSURED TO FLY BEYOND CONTRACTUAL LIMITS. DUTY DAY WOULD HAVE EXCEEDED 14.5 HOURS.

Narrative

ID WAS SCHEDULED WITH DUTY IN AT 0846 LOCAL TIME. SCHEDULED TO FLY TO ZZZ; SIT FOR 2:59; FLY TO ZZZ1; SIT FOR 3:00; AND FINAL LEG TO ZZZ2. DUTY DAY SCHEDULED FOR 12:51. WHILE SITTING ON TXWY WAITING FOR GATE ON RETURN FLT TO ZZZ1; RECEIVED ACARS MESSAGE TO CONTACT THE CREW DESK AT 1656 LOCAL TIME. GOT TO THE GATE AND CALLED THE CREW DESK. WAS TOLD THAT THEY WANTED ME TO FERRY THE AIRPLANE BACK TO ZZZ1 AFTER LANDING IN ZZZ2 DUE TO A VOR OUTAGE. I ASKED WHAT THEY WERE 'OFFERING' AS AN INCENTIVE TO GO WELL PAST THE 14 HOUR DUTY DAY TO TURN THE AIRPLANE AND DO A SECOND LEG INVOLVING A SPECIAL QUAL ARPT; IN VERY MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AFTER A LONG DUTY DAY. I WAS TOLD I WOULD BE REASSIGNED -- SO NO INCENTIVE EXCEPT THE EXPECTATION THAT I WOULD LOSE FLYING TIME AND PAY IF I DIDN'T AGREE TO WAIVE DUTY DAY. I DECLINED TO WAIVE MY DUTY DAY. I WAS TOLD TO BE AVAILABLE IN ZZZ1 OPS AND THAT I MAY BE REASSIGNED. AT 1833 LOCAL; I WAS PAGED BY THE CREW DESK. THE DUTY MANAGER WANTED TO SPEAK TO ME. HE QUESTIONED ME ABOUT GOING TO ZZZ2 AND BACK. BY HIS TONE; I FELT PRESSURED AS TO WHY I HAD'T WAIVED MY DUTY DAY TO FLY THE AIRPLANE BACK. HE COMMENTED THAT; 'A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BUSTING THEIR ASSES ALL DAY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.' I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS WILLING TO FLY MY TRIP AS ASSIGNED (FLT ZZZ1-ZZZ2). HE CONFIRMED TO THE LAYOVER AND I SAID YES. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE RETURN FLT; I SAID I DIDN'T FEEL IT WAS SAFE AFTER A LONG DUTY DAY TO DO THE SECOND LEG IN THE MOUNTAINS. HE TOLD ME THAT I WOULD BE DISPLACED OFF THE TRIP. I ASKED HIM TO CONFIRM THE CORRECT SPELLING OF HIS NAME AND THAT COMPLETED THE CALL. BETWEEN THE COMMENTS FROM THE CREW DESK AND ESPECIALLY FROM THE FLT OPS DUTY MANAGER; I FELT VERY PRESSURED TO WAIVE MY CREW DUTY DAY. BETWEEN THE EXPECTATION OF LOSING PAY FOR NOT COMPLYING WITH THE EXPECTATION TO WAIVE; AND THE FODM PUTTING THE WEIGHT OF THE OP ON ME FOR CAUSING WASTED TIME AND EFFORT; I FELT PRESSURED TO CONTINUE INTO WHAT I FELT WAS UNSAFE WHILE BEING TIRED FROM A LONG DUTY DAY -- WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A MINIMUM OF 14:30 DUTY DAY HAD I FLOWN THE RETURN LEG FROM ZZZ2 TO ZZZ1. I CONTINUED TO REFUSE TO FLY THE RETURN FLT AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TOLD BY THE CREW DESK AT 1855 LOCAL THAT I WOULD FLY TO ZZZ2 AS SCHEDULED. I HAD NO DISAGREEMENT WITH THAT. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS AMOUNT OF PRESSURE FROM MANAGEMENT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FORCE SOMEONE TO FLY AN AIRPLANE WHEN IT IS UNSAFE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.