Date: 201809
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: First Officer
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Time Pressure; Communication Breakdown
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Pre-flight
Result: General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Contributing factors: Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
Primary problem: Company Policy

Narrative: I was an A320 First Officer on short call reserve and started a Reserve Assignment Period (RAP) at XA:00 [local] at my home. At XJ:26 [local]; I was called by Crew Scheduling to fly. On the initial call; I expressed reservations about having sufficient time to arrive at the airport and fly the sequence before the end of my Reserve Duty Period (RDP); as I lived two hours drive-time away; but not having the information in front of me; I didn't definitively know; so I accepted the assignment. After hanging up; I went to my computer and reviewed the sequence and saw that the computer was showing that my RDP would expire at XP:00 [local]. I called Crew Scheduling back at XJ:34 [local]; where I was eventually transferred to a Supervisor. I expressed my reservations about being assigned to this flight; as I did not think I had adequate time to get down to ZZZ and preflight the aircraft before I would time out. At that time; the computer data for the flight showed a departure time of XK:00 [local] (with a generated sign-in time of XJ:00 [local]; which was 26 minutes before the first time I was called) and a land time XN:32 [at destination airport]. I realized that I wouldn't be leaving the house until XK:00 [local] at the earliest; and knowing that in perfect weather and traffic conditions; that it takes just under two hours to drive from my house to the parking garage at ZZZ airport. I did quick math and realized that if a XK:00 [local] departure time would result in a XN:32 [destination airport] land time; then a XM:00 [local] departure time would mean a XP:32 land time; leaving only 28 minutes of legality. I stated that that was for a XM:00 [local] departure time. Best case; I would be arriving at the parking garage at XM:00 [local]; not pushing back from the gate at that time. I made it very clear in this conversation that I would not be arriving at the airport until; best case; XM:00 [local]. I was informed by the Supervisor that the computer showed a XM:42 [local] Maximum Off Time (MOT); and that the trip was therefore legal and that I had to take it. Because of this sense of urgency; I stopped my inquiries with the Supervisor and hurried to get ready and leave; and with the delays from the second phone call and from driving at night on wet roads; I did not park at the parking garage at ZZZ until XM:24 [local]. While removing the bags from my truck; I was called by my Captain to inform me that we had been cancelled. After he told me this; he told me that something had seemed wrong about this from the start; and that he had been looking at the FAR 117 rules regarding Flight Duty Periods (FDP) and RDPs; and that he realized that I was never legal for this trip from the start.As stated above; I began my RAP for the day at XA:00 [local]. I was initially called by Crew Scheduling at XJ:26 [local] for what showed in the computer as a XK:00 [local] departure; with a XJ:00 [local] sign-in (in other words; the sign-in time in the computer was 26 minutes before I was even called). I notified the Scheduler that I was two hours away from the airport; but no times were changed in the system. When I called back at XJ:34 [local] for my eight minute phone call with a Supervisor; I also informed them that I lived two hours drive-time away; and that I would not be arriving at the airport until at or after XM:00 [local]. Even though I had repeatedly stated that I could not arrive at the airport any earlier than XM:00 [local] (and had I been sitting in my truck; with engine running; in uniform; bags loaded; when they first called at XJ:26 [local]; I could not have arrived any earlier than XL:30 [local] with perfect road conditions). The only change to the departure time was that a delay of 15 minutes was entered at XJ:42 [local] (the time that the phone call with the Supervisor ended); making the new departure time XK:15 [local].These artificial departure times (of XK:00 [local]; later changed to XK:15 [local] after my phone call to the Supervisor) showed me to be legal for a trip when in fact I was not legal. The XL:00 [local] and XK:15 [local] departure times created XJ:00 and XJ:15 [local] sign-in times. With a scheduled sign-in time between XJ:00-XJ:59 [local]; the maximum FDP is 11 hours and the maximum RDP is 15 hours; meaning that my RDP was legal until XP:00 [local]. However; since I wasn't even called the first time until XJ:26 [local]; and that I had repeatedly stated that I lived two hours drive-time away; my scheduled sign-in time should have been no earlier than XL:30 [local]; or even more accurately; the estimated XM:00 [local] arrival time that I told them. If; after my phone call with the Crew Scheduling Supervisor; the departure time for the flight had been changed to accurately reflect my estimated XM:00 [local] arrival at the parking garage as opposed to a completely inaccurate and useless 15 minute departure delay; then I would have immediately shown in the computer as being illegal for the trip; as with a sign-in time of XL:00-XO:59 [local]; the maximum FDP is 9 hours and the maximum RDP is 13 hours; meaning that my RDP would have expired at XN:00 [local]; well before the XP:00 [local] time that the computer was generating and that Crew Scheduling was using in assigning me the trip. Whether this incremental departure time change of XK:00 [local] to XK:15 [local] at the end of my phone call was done in ignorance or with knowledge aforethought; it set me up to fly an illegal flight. This illegal flight was only avoided by sheer luck; as had I not had reservations about having sufficient time and had I also been ready to immediately walk out the door after the first phone call; even with the imperfect road conditions; I would have likely arrived at the airport around XL:50 [local] with enough time to rush and possibly make the inaccurate XM:43 [local] MOT (a MOT based upon a RDP that expired at XP:00 [local] and not XM:00 [local]).This event occurred due to inaccurate times entered into the computer by Crew Scheduling; and an extreme sense of urgency from Crew Scheduling for me to leave the house and begin my drive; resulting in me just accepting the RDP times generated by the computer and not checking the FDP/RDP times myself.After being informed of the pilot's estimated arrival time (or at a minimum; the GPS derived drive-time); Crew Scheduling must immediately update departure and sign-in times accordingly in order to allow the computer to generate accurate legality times.




Synopsis: An air carrier First Officer reported that artificial departure times showed a pilot to be legal for a trip when in fact the pilot was not legal.