Reply #1: This happened in the Military Airlift Command

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

where crews would be out for 10 days with maximum duty and minimum ground rest. We lost three perfectly good C-141 cargo jets to crew fatigue; in each case the crew either descended into the ground or flew into a mountain. In one case, the crew was within an hour of their home base when ATC looked at a different aircraft and called out the MAC call sigh when giving the instruction. With three pilots and two navigators, there should have been at least one crew member who questioned the directions from air traffic control.

The mechanics of today's jets are so reliable that the one weakness is the mental state of the pilot. If he's having marital or financial problems, getting a divorce or just plain worn out, he's a bigger risk than the airplane itself.