B777 FLT CREW IS INFORMED AFTER THE FACT THAT THEY MAY HAVE HAD A FLAP EXCEEDANCE DURING APPROACH AFTER TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.

Narrative

I WAS CONTACTED TODAY BY THE UNION AND ADVISED TO FILL OUT A SAFETY RPT ABOUT AN INCIDENT OF FLAP OVERSPEED (10.5 KTS) ON APCH TO ZZZ. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY; THE FO WAS FLYING THE APCH ON THE NIGHT OF ARR. THE WX WAS CLR; THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS; WHICH I RECALL; WERE SOME WIND GUSTS ON APCH. I DO NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THE APCH NOR THE INCIDENT OF FLAP OVERSPEED. THE DAY WAS VERY UNUSUAL STARTING FROM WHEN WE ARRIVED IN OPS. WHEN WE WALKED IN THE DOOR; I WAS IMMEDIATELY SUMMONED TO A PHONE CALL FROM CREW TRACKING. CREW TRACKING STATED THAT THEY WERE TAKING MY RELIEF PLT; AND WE WOULD BE FLYING A 2-MAN CREW THAT EVENING. CREW TRACKING REMOVED OUR THIRD PLT TO BE REASSIGNED TO ANOTHER FLT THAT WAS DIVERTED. AFTER BEING ASSURED BY CREW TRACKING THAT WE WERE IN FACT LEGAL; WE WERE DISPATCHED AS A 2-MAN CREW. THE ADDITIONAL TIME IN OPS SORTING THIS OUT; AND THE LOSS OF 1 CREW MEMBER PUT US BEHIND FROM THE BEGINNING. ABOUT 4 HRS INTO FLT; WE WERE CONTACTED VIA ACARS AND INFORMED THAT WE WERE IN FACT NOT LEGAL TO PROCEED (8 HRS 5 MINS SCHEDULED; 7 HRS 45 MIN FLT PLAN) AS A 2-MAN CREW; AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO LAND SHORT; DIVERT INTO ZZZ TO MAINTAIN OUR LEGALITY OF UNDER 8 HRS SCHEDULE (7 HRS 55 MINS). WE WOULD THEN BE REPLACED AND DEADHEAD. THIS SET UP A FLURRY OF ACARS AND SATCOM MESSAGES FOR THE REMAINING DURATION OF THIS FLT. WE HAD PAX AND CREW CONCERNS TO DEAL WITH; CUSTOMS QUESTIONS AND CREW ISSUES TO DISTRACT US ENDLESSLY. THIS WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST FATIGUING FLTS I HAVE BEEN ON IN MANY YRS. NOT TO MENTION NEITHER THE CAPT NOR THE FO HAD BEEN INTO ZZZ IN A LONG TIME. ALTHOUGH WE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE APCH; SOME LAST MIN CHANGES ON THE APCH MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE LACK OF ATTN TO THE FLAP SPD. CERTAINLY THE FATIGUE FACTOR FROM THIS FLT COULD HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE; AND BOTH THE CAPT AND THE FO RARELY IF EVER OPERATE THE B777 AS A 2-MAN CREW.