Sixty-eighty per cent of UPS pilots polled recently in a survey by the Independent Pilots Association (IPA) strongly disagree with company's claim that it "mitigates fatigue risk" in routings and scheduling, reports American Shipper.
The vast majority of UPS pilots have felt fatigued on duty, with 95 per cent of the respondents saying they have been fatigued, said the survey. But when asked to describe their work life, 66 per cent found it satisfactory.
When asked if UPS manages threats to fatigue and prevents fatigue risk, 62 per cent of the pilots disagreed strongly, while 28 per cent of the pilots disagreed somewhat, the report said.
The survey was presented by the IPA to a National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into a UPS A300-600 Alabama crash at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in August, killing both crew members.
The plane crashed on approach, and according to the flight voice recorder, the pilots had been complaining about a lack of sleep. They had also been talking about sleep requirements and different standards for cargo and passenger aircraft.
Said NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman: "There is no reason to exempt pilots simply because they carry pallets rather than passengers. A fatigued pilot is a fatigued pilot, and pilots flying on the backside of the clock are more susceptible."
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