Fatigue on a Night Cargo Rotation
A Flight Engineer on a nightly cargo rotation from Lagos to Accra, Abidjan and back has completed two sectors. Planned duty is 13 hours 40 minutes; company FRMS sets a normal maximum of 13 hours, extendable to 14 hours only with the commander's written consent and a fatigue report. The FE slept about four hours in the preceding 24 because of daytime noise near his home. During the second sector he experienced a brief microsleep and missed a checklist response; the commander repeated the challenge. The remaining sector is 1 hour 20 minutes, with Lagos weather below the company's night alternate minima. The commander says the crew is 'almost home' and wants to continue. The FE feels slow but does not want to delay the cargo.
1. Assess the FE's fitness for the remaining sector. What objective and subjective indicators matter?
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The FE is not fit to continue. The assessment should rely on both objective and subjective evidence:
- Sleep opportunity: About four hours in 24 before a night duty is a significant sleep restriction, not a minor inconvenience.
- Observed performance: A microsleep and a missed checklist response are objective performance failures. They show that the FE is already in a degraded state, not merely 'tired'.
- Subjective state: Feeling slow is consistent with the observed failures and should be taken seriously, not discounted because the FE wants to avoid delay.
- Duty limit: Planned duty of 13 hours 40 minutes exceeds the normal 13-hour maximum; the extension to 14 hours requires the commander's written consent and a fatigue report. That paperwork does not by itself make the crew fit.
- Operational complexity: Lagos weather below night alternate minima adds workload and decision pressure at the end of a long duty.
A microsleep in a required crew station is a red flag for the remaining approach and landing. The correct decision is to stop, rest or replace the FE.
2. What should the commander and FE do operationally if the FE declares fatigue before the third sector?
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The FE should declare fatigue clearly and specifically, not hint at it. The commander should treat the declaration as a safety report.
Options include:
- Delay the sector and provide a rest period that gives a real sleep opportunity, not just a coffee break.
- Replace the FE with a qualified, rested crew member if one is available.
- Divert or overnight at Accra or Abidjan and reposition the aircraft later.
- If the aircraft must return, ensure the crew composition and duty limits are lawful and that the fatigue risk is managed.
The commander should not continue merely because the crew is 'almost home'. The FE should ensure the fatigue report is written, the duty record is accurate, and the operations control centre is informed. The event should be entered into the safety reporting system without punishment for an honest declaration.
3. How should the operator and NCAA treat this event afterwards? Distinguish a just-culture response from an enforcement response.
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The event should first be treated as a safety signal, not a disciplinary matter. The operator's FRMS should review:
- Whether the roster provided adequate sleep opportunity before the night rotation.
- Whether the 13-hour normal limit and the 14-hour extension criteria are realistic and being followed.
- Whether fatigue reports are encouraged and acted on.
- Whether the commander's decision-making was influenced by commercial pressure.
A just-culture response would protect the FE for declaring fatigue and reporting the microsleep, and would focus corrective action on rostering, rest facilities and training. Enforcement would be appropriate if the FE concealed the condition, falsified the duty record, or flew while knowingly unfit, or if the operator systematically pressured crews to exceed limits.
The NCAA should review the operator's FRMS and duty records, require corrective action where the system failed, and use licence or certificate action only where the evidence shows deliberate or repeated breach.