Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Fatigue; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Company Policy; Weather
After an arduous day of rapidly changing weather and after waiting for a broken deice truck; we had to deplane the passengers so as not to get too close to the tarmac delay program fines and wait for the visibility and heavy snow that moved in to clear. While waiting; my First Officer and I looked up our flight duty period limitation and decided it was 12 hours. We were supposed to fly to ORD and then continue on [two hours] for the night. We did not leave in time to make this leg happen within the 12 hour FDP limitation. I called Crew Scheduling to inform them of this and was told we had been approved for a FDP extension. I informed [them] that I;as PIC; did not approve this. They insisted that was not necessary and had me talk to the Manager on Duty. He informed me quite bluntly that PIC approval is not necessary for a FDP extension and I insisted it was and quoted part 117 which states 117.19 Flight duty period extensions. (a) For augmented and unaugmented operations; if unforeseen operational circumstances arise prior to takeoff: (1) The pilot in command and the certificate holder may extend the maximum flight duty period permitted in Tables B or C of this part up to 2 hours. This is a fairly black and white statement that shows both parties should agree to the extension. He insisted this is not the case nor within the 'spirit of the regulation.' He ultimately told me I either fly the extension or call in fatigued. I did not feel it proper to do either of these but felt intimidated and wondered what repercussions would come of my being adamant in my stance. I was unwilling to break a regulation and decided that calling in fatigued was my only option yet not a desired outcome. My understanding of part 117; I thought was fairly solid. Company management has bent some sentences to use part 117 as a coercion tool to add 2 hours of flight duty period to every single day of flying with no recourse for the crew members. It is now recorded as a fatigue event which it really is not. The Company now does not have to report the FDP extension to the FAA nor do they have to financially cover me for the trip because I was forced to call in fatigued or suffer the consequences. There is no way to avoid another event such as this until the Company stops intimidating crews into extending their day.
CRJ200 Captain reports being intimidated by his duty Manager into accepting a two hour extension to his duty day under FAR 117 without the Captain's consent; necessitating a fatigue call.