Fatigue on the Last Night Sector
You are a CPL holder on the last sector of a two-pilot turboprop duty. You woke at 05:30 after 5 hours of sleep, reported at 07:00, and have now been on duty for 15 hours because of two maintenance delays. It is 22:30 local time. The next sector is 1 hour 20 minutes to a coastal airport, at night, with a non-precision approach to minima, a 25 kt crosswind, and an alternate 30 minutes away. You feel tired, have mild headache, and have had only a sandwich and coffee since 12:00. The commander says the flight is legal because the duty limit is 16 hours and asks whether you are fit to continue. You have no symptoms of illness and your last 24 hours were not unusual.
1. Assess the fatigue and fitness risk using a structured framework. What factors increase risk?
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Use IMSAFE. Fatigue is the dominant factor: 5 hours sleep, 17 hours awake by 22:30, duty 15 hours, night, and the circadian low approaching. Mild headache, only coffee and a sandwich, and dehydration worsen performance. The sector adds a non-precision approach to minima, a 25 kt crosswind, an alternate 30 minutes away, and night. Legal duty limit of 16 hours is a maximum, not a target. Fatigue degrades attention, scan, go-around decisions, and instrument interpretation. The commander’s question shifts responsibility to you; a fit-to-fly assessment must be honest, not a defence of the schedule. The risk is unacceptable without mitigation.
2. What would you do, and what mitigations would apply if the sector were delayed until after rest?
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I would declare myself not fit to continue and recommend a rest period, a crew swap, or a delay. A sandwich and caffeine are not a cure for 17 hours awake and 5 hours sleep. If the commander insists on a legal-but-fatigued flight, I would not accept the sector; the non-precision approach at night with a 25 kt crosswind is a high-workload phase. If a later departure after rest is agreed, set personal minima above the published minima, brief a monitored approach and early go-around, use the autopilot to reduce workload, and ensure the other pilot is not also fatigued. Document the decision. The safe outcome is to break the duty, not to test it at minima.