B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
I started a short call (Reserve Availability Period) RAP at XA00Z. Not long after starting the RAP; I was called to deadhead to Miami to ferry a B757 to [the west coast] and then layover there. The flight to Miami and the ride to the hangar to pick up the aircraft was uneventful and we started our original taxi out at XI43Z. On initial taxi out; we encountered a navigational message that we tried to troubleshoot with Maintenance Control unsuccessfully and returned to the ramp at XJ50Z and parked. Maintenance resumed work on the airplane and the issue was resolved at XK52Z and the aircraft was moved to a different spot on the ramp to be fueled. Representatives said it would be about 30 minutes. We had been watching the electronically sent crew time messages after the airplane fix while waiting for fuel and started the duty extension process. The captain noted that our crew legality page had changed while I recalculated my correct RAP + Flight Duty Period (FDP) legalities to be sure. Using legalities as written in the FOM and FAR 117.21(c)(3); this provided that my duty day was the lesser of the following three: 1 The start time of the RAP plus 16 hours. 2.Using the start time of the RAP; apply Table B limit plus 4 hours; or 3. Using the start time of the FDP assigned; apply the Table B limit. Even after a 2 hour extension to the 14 hours published in FAR 117 Table B; and applying the most restrictive limit of the three items above at 16 hours total; I am officially not legal after XQ00Z according to the FOM. After the captain made many phone calls inquiring with the coordinator; the Duty Manager; and the 117 expert with the Duty Manager present; we agreed to extend to the 18 hours and XS00Z. This was done as the Duty Manager and the 117 expert assured me and the Captain that we were legal with the extension. We landed just after XR35Z; which made with taxi and debrief time just under an 18 hour duty day (XS00Z) Further research and professional phone calls after I landed indicated that although additional FAA legal interpretations and two FAA letters allowed for an extension to the 16 hours; nothing in the FOM references how one would be legal up to 18 hours. The verbiage found in the FOM does not allow anything over 16 hours. I would be in violation of the FOM by continuing past 16 hours. This report is to hopefully prevent future confusion and delays by adding correct language allowing extensions to the 16 hours or table B plus four hours up to 18 hours max.
B757 First Officer is assigned a deadhead and a ferry flight that eventually exceeds the 16 hour reserve duty day. The company asks to extend the duty day by two hours and the crew agrees. Later the First Officer learns that a reserve duty day cannot be extended.