AN FK10 FLC FAILED TO BEGIN THE DSCNT FOR A XING RESTR WHILE ON A STAR. THE FMC AND THE FLT MODE PANEL WERE SET; BUT THE ALT CAPTURE SETTING WAS NOT ARMED AND HAD NOT BEEN VERIFIED ON THE PRIMARY FLT DISPLAY. ALT XING RESTR NOT MET.

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OUR FLT WAS ON THE SHINE 5 ARR TO CHARLOTTE; NC. WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO FLABB INTXN. WE WERE AT FL330 AND ZTL CLRED US TO CROSS FLABB AT FL290. THE CAPT THEN SET FL290 IN THE FMC AND ON THE FLT MODE PANEL. THE CAPT THEN PROCEEDED TO LOCATE AND BRIEF THE APCH TO CHARLOTTE. ABOUT 4 NM FROM FLABB; ATLANTA CALLED US AND ASKED US WHY WE WERE STILL AT FL330. AT THAT POINT WE EXPEDITED OUR DSCNT IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE OUR XING RESTR. OVER FLABB INTXN WE WERE AT APPROX FL305 WHILE CONTINUING OUR DSCNT TO FL290. WE REACHED OUR ASSIGNED ALT 3-4 NM BEYOND FLABB. IT THEN OCCURRED TO US WHAT WENT WRONG. THE ALT WAS SET CORRECTLY IN THE FMC AND ON THE FMP; BUT WE DID NOT VERIFY THAT THE ALT CAPTURE SETTING WAS ARMED. FURTHER A 90 KT TAILWIND EXACERBATED THE SIT. ANOTHER POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF FLC REST ON THE PRECEDING OVERNIGHT. I ESTIMATE OUR TOTAL SLEEP TO HAVE BEEN ABOUT 6 1/2 HRS THAT NIGHT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 326870: WE RECEIVED A XING RESTR CLRNC WHILE DISCUSSING WHAT TYPE OF APCH WE WOULD LIKELY GET IN CLT. I SET UP THE XING RESTR IN THE FMC; DIALED IN THE NEW ALT (FL190) IN THE ALT ALERTER; BUT DIDN'T PULL THE ALT SET KNOB TO ARM THE DSCNT MODE. COMPANY ALT AWARENESS PROCS CALL FOR BOTH PLTS TO POINT TO THE ALT ALERTER SETTING AND TO THE NEW ALT AS IT APPEARS (IF THE SET KNOB IS PULLED) ON THE PRIMARY FLT DISPLAY. APPARENTLY WE MISSED VERIFYING THE NEW ALT WAS INDICATING ON THE PFD.