MLG OVERSHOT ASSIGNED ALT WHILE DSNDING TOWARD DFW.

Narrative

WE WERE DSNDING ON THE BOWIE ARR INTO DFW; LEVEL AT FL180 AND 250 KIAS. OUR NEXT CLRNC WAS TO DSND TO CROSS KAGEL INTXN AT 10000 FT; EXPEDITE THROUGH 16000 FT. WE REPLIED AND THEN REQUESTED DEV TO S AND W OF COURSE FOR WX; TSTMS ON ARR PATH. CLRED TO DEV AS REQUESTED. CTLR AT ZFW ASKED HOW FAR WE NEEDED TO GO BEFORE TURNING BACK TO COURSE. WE REPLIED 30-35 MI. ZFW RESPONDED IN THAT CASE PROCEED DIRECT TO GLEN ROSE FOR THE GLEN ROSE ARR. CAPT FLYING TUNED GLEN ROSE AND TURNED DIRECT AND SAID DSNDING TO 11000 FT -- OH; IS IT 10000 FT? LOOKING AT ALT SET KNOB; COPLT THEN ASKED ZFW TO VERIFY ALT AT KAGEL. NO RESPONSE FROM ZFW TO QUESTION; BUT DIRECTED US TO CHANGE TO FT WORTH ON 127.0. WE CHKED IN WITH 'DIRECT TO GLEN ROSE; DSNDING TO 10000 FT.' AT THAT TIME WE WERE AT 11300 FT. DESCENDING THROUGH 10500; FT WORTH ASKED OUR ALTITUDE. FO REPLIED 10300 FT DECENDING TO 10000 FT. FT WORTH SAID 'YOUR ASSIGNED ALT WAS 11000 FT; YOU HAVE TFC 10 MI S CLBING TO 10000 FT; (PAUSE) DSND IMMEDIATELY TO 9000 FT.' WE RESPONDED AND EXPEDITED TO 9000 FT. TIME WAS XX15Z. WE THEN APOLOGIZED FOR THE CONFUSION AND SAID WE CHKED IN WITH DSNDING TO 10000 FT. FT WORTH RESPONDED; NO IT'S MY FAULT FOR NOT CATCHING YOUR CHK-IN; NO PROB. THE CAUSE OF THE PROB WAS A HEARBACK PROB WITH THE CLRNC AND A READBACK PROB WITH CTR. WE WERE DISTR MOMENTARILY BY TUNING A NEW VOR AND PROCEEDING DIRECT; BUT WHEN THE CAPT CONFIRMED THE DSCNT ALT AND SAW THE CONFUSION; THE FO IMMEDIATELY REQUESTED CONFIRMATION FROM CTR BUT DUE TO CONGESTED FREQ WAS NOT ABLE TO GET A REPLY BEFORE THE NEXT FREQ CHANGE. WE WERE STILL ABOVE 11000 FT SO WE CHKED IN DSNDING TO 10000 FT AND THAT WAS NOT CHALLENGED BY THE NEW CTLR. WE SHOULD HAVE SAID 'VERIFY DSCNT ALT OF 10000 FT?' TO POINT OUT THE CONFUSION.