A320
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 70; Flight Crew Total 10000; Flight Crew Type 3000
Fatigue; Time Pressure
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Company Policy; Human Factors; Weather
I was scheduled for a Class II line check featuring a [northeast airport] to Saint Maarten (TNCM) dead head flight with an hour plus on the ground and then me flying the aircraft back as the Captain where I would also receive training and a check ride. I had an early report time; which for me is a cross town assignment making for a long drive and a very early get up to deal with traffic associated with [the area]. Looking at the trip a week or so prior to departure; I cringed at how long of a day it was going to be especially having to fly and receive training and checking after a dead head in the cabin of a full aircraft. While legal; I know of no pilot who considers dead heading in the cabin of full aircraft restful in any respect. I got to TNCM already tired. I felt like I had been put in a box by scheduling and had expressed my concerns with my Chief pilot about this trip a few days prior; asking him; 'Why are we building training like this?' This was not an operational necessity; it was a choice made by the line check desk to have me trained under these conditions. I contemplated declaring myself fatigued in TNCM but I felt tremendous pressure to fly the flight. I knew if I did not operate the flight we would have 150 stranded passengers and the flight would cancel. I also knew that I would have to deal with a ration of phone calls and perhaps even threats of discipline if I canceled the flight. I told my Check Airman that I was dead tired and he; coming off of a 25 hour TNCM layover; agreed with me; stating that this was a poor way to schedule training and that in his opinion a flying leg down with a layover and a flying leg out was the correct way for a pilot to see both the entry and exit into TNCM (which can be challenging) and to receive the Class II Training. We were planned at max gross; every seat full; taking off from TNCM; with a planned landing fuel of 5.9 LBS. While I was very tired; we had an uneventful flight up to the East Coast; flying the planned profile altitudes and cruise speeds. ATC had us descend nearly 200 miles from destination and with the over burn due to heavier than forecast head winds; fuel started to become an issue. New York ATC vectoring into sequence compounded the over burn issue and we declared 'Minimum Fuel.' We were eventually vectored onto the final just as a rain storm was rolling onto the field. We picked up heavy precipitation at approximately 500 FT AGL and with the fuel at 3.8; I thought to myself; this is going to be a very bad situation if we have to go around for wind shear now. We made an uneventful landing but I recall my heart beating in my chest rather rapidly for the last 15 minutes of the flight due to the fuel situation; weather and the countless cups of coffee I was forced to drink throughout the day to overcome the fatiguing nature of this training assignment. I recall thinking to myself while waiting in line to clear customs that this assignment had red flags all over it prior to it beginning. With 25+ years of military and civilian aviation experience; I saw the potential difficulties prior to beginning the assignment and even voiced my concerns to my Chief pilot with the complaints being answered with 'nothing I can really do for you; it's all legal.' Every mishap happens with a chain of events that proceeds it and while this situation ended normally; I walked off that aircraft absolutely spent and had difficulty sleeping again that night thinking about the 'what ifs.' By the time I left the airport I had been on the property for over 13 hours; had over 8.5 hours of combined dead head and flight time and had not slept for 17+ hours. It was one of the longest and most stressful days I have had flying in a long time and again this was not part of some irregular operation; this was scheduled training. Note: The Check Airman who conducted the training was both fair and competent; and while the day was a completely negative experience by the nature of the schedule; theCheck Airman did his duties in a professional manner considering the circumstances.
A320 Captain describes a fatiguing training/line check scenario beginning with a long drive for an early check in to deadhead to TNCM. Training/checking occurs on the return leg ending with a low fuel declaration and landing in a down pour.