2026 Q1 Newsletter – Fatigue Committee Update

Fatigue Committee Update

The Fatigue Committee encourages all pilots to review the following quick list of fatigue‑reporting do’s and don’ts.

Do’s and don’ts for fatigue reports:

Do: if you need it, use the program.

Fatigue is an essential safety program, and it is our responsibly as pilots to never operate an aircraft if we ever feel it would be unsafe to do so. Pilots can also file proactive reports – which are purely informational and do not constitute actually calling out fatigued – if they feel an assignment or schedule is likely to cause fatigue or a report in hindsight if they have actually experienced fatigue in flight, as this data can be very useful to safety efforts.

Don’t: forecast fatigue. 

A pilot is considered to be forecasting fatigue if they claim fatigue in advance of actually experiencing it. Pilots should call out only when they feel they are not able to operate the immediately upcoming leg, simulator event, or deadhead without any remaining opportunity to achieve rest. Phrases such as “looking ahead at my long duty day” are likely to result in a rejected report.

Do: Be concise. 

The joint union and company panel that reviews fatigue reports is responsible for determining the primary cause of fatigue including if it was operationally or non-operationally induced. Please avoid extraneous or irrelevant details if possible. As fatigue reports are part of a vital safety program, please refrain from commenting on unrelated concerns such as contract negotiations or stations issues in your report.

Don’t: use AI

The FRRC has seen an uptick in fatigue report language that appears to be AI-generated. We would strongly caution our pilots against using AI without due concern for the potential inaccuracy, open-source security issues, or due professionalism these safety reports necessitate.

Fly safe,
Fatigue Committee
fatigue@apa2118.org