A DSNDING B757 CREW OVERSHOT THEIR ASSIGNED ALT WHEN BECOMING CONFUSED OVER CALL SIGNS AND CLRNC.

1998-12 · NASA ASRS report 424312

Date: 1998-12 · Aircraft: B757-200

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-crossing-restriction-not-met|deviation-altitude-overshoot|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

A DSNDING B757 CREW OVERSHOT THEIR ASSIGNED ALT WHEN BECOMING CONFUSED OVER CALL SIGNS AND CLRNC.

Narrative

ALTDEV BY B757 SCHEDULED ACR. LAX TO SFO. CAPT IS THE PF. EVENTS LEADING TO THE ALTDEV BEGAN BEFORE WE REACHED BIG SUR. OUR CLRNC WAS PRESENT POS DIRECT TO ANJEE ON THE BIG SUR 2 ARR INTO SFO. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC FROM FL350 TO FL310. THE CAPT SELECTED VERT SPD TO DSND THE AIRPLANE WITH THE AUTOPLT ENGAGED. FURTHER DSCNT CLRNC TO CROSS BOLDR AT 10000 FT WAS GIVEN BY ZOA. I NOTICED WE WOULD BE HIGH AT BOLDR IF WE DIDN'T INCREASE OUR RATE OF DSCNT SOON; SO I ALERTED THE CAPT THAT HE WAS STARTING TO GET HIGH ON THE DSCNT PROFILE. THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED AND SELECTED FLT LEVEL CHANGE SPD WHICH INCREASED THE RATE OF DSCNT. WE WERE STILL HIGH ON THE PROFILE; SO THE CAPT ELECTED TO USE THE SPD BRAKES. WHEN THE SPD BRAKES WERE EXTENDED; WE GOT AN UNSCHEDULED STABILIZER TRIM EICAS MESSAGE AND THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECTED. THE CAPT DECIDED TO HAND FLY THE AIRPLANE AT THAT POINT. DURING THE DSCNT I WAS GIVING PA'S AND RUNNING THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS. THE ATIS WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE SO I WAS RECHKING FOR THE NEW ATIS. AS THE DSCNT CONTINUED THE CAPT ASKED IF ATC GAVE US A 250 KT RESTR AT BOLDR. I REPLIED; 'NO; HOWEVER; IT IS PUBLISHED TO CROSS AT 250 KIAS ON THE STAR.' AT THAT POINT THE CAPT BEGAN SOME DIALOGUE ABOUT SPD RESTRS ON THE STAR. WHILE LISTENING TO WHAT HE WAS SAYING; I NOTICED WE WERE BACK ON PROFILE IN OUR CURRENT CONFIGN. WHEN THE CAPT WAS DONE SPEAKING; I TOLD HIM I DISAGREED; AND THAT WE SHOULD CROSS BOLDR AT 250 KTS. THE CAPT THEN ASKED ME TO ASK ZOA IF THEY WANTED US TO CROSS BOLDR AT 250 KTS. WHEN I CALLED ZOA THERE WAS NO REPLY. I CALLED ZOA AGAIN TO ASK IF THEY WANTED 250 KTS AT BOLDR. I LOOKED AT THE RADIO PANEL TO MAKE SURE I WAS XMITTING CORRECTLY. AT THAT SAME TIME; ZOA REPLIED; 'AFFIRMATIVE 250 KTS AT BOLDR; CONTACT BAY APCH.' THE CAPT THEN CALLED OUT 11000 FT FOR 10000 FT. I CONFIRMED OUR ALT AND CALLED OUR 11000 FT FOR 10000 FT. WE WERE SLOWING TO 250 KTS AND WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE OUR 250 KT; 10000 FT XING RESTR AT BOLDR. I TUNED IN BAY APCH FREQ AND RPTED OUT OF 11000 FT FOR 10000 FT WITH THE ATIS. THERE WAS SOME DELAY IN BAY'S RESPONSE; THEN HE TOLD US TO TURN L TO A 270 DEG HDG AND JOIN THE SFO 090 DEG RADIAL. I REACHED UP; TURNED THE HDG BUG 270 DEGS; AND WAS ABOUT TO DIAL UP THE FREQ FOR SFO VOR WHEN THE CAPT SAID; 'THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT; ASK IF THAT CLRNC WAS FOR US.' I CALLED BAY BACK TO CONFIRM; NO REPLY. I LOOKED AT THE CHART AND NOTICED WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A R TURN TO INTERCEPT SFO 090 DEG RADIAL. I CALLED BAY AGAIN TO CONFIRM OUR CLRNC. ABOUT THE SAME TIME; I NOTICED WE HAD MISSED OUR LEVELOFF AT 10000 FT. THE CAPT LEVELED OFF AT 8500 FT AND BEGAN TO CLB BACK UP TO 10000 FT. THE MEA FOR OUR POS WAS 6000 FT. BAY FINALLY ANSWERED BACK USING OUR FLT NUMBER WITH A DIFFERENT AIRLINE NAME; THEN ASKED WHO WAS CALLING. WHEN BAY REALIZED WHO WE WERE; HE TOLD US THE CLRNC WAS FOR SOMEONE ELSE; AND TO CONTACT BAY APCH ON ANOTHER FREQ. WE CHKED IN ON THE NEXT FREQ AND WERE TOLD TO CONTINUE DSCNT TO 6000 FT. NO TFC CONFLICTS EXISTED THAT WE KNOW OF. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: STARTING DSCNT LATE; CAUSING US TO BE HIGH ON THE DSCNT PROFILE. AUTOPLT DISCONNECTING. CAPT FOCUSING TOO MUCH ATTN ON WHETHER OR NOT TO CROSS BOLDR AT 250 KTS. LATE HDOF FROM CTR TO APCH CTL. SLOW OR NO RESPONSE FROM CTR AND APCH. OUR FLT RECEIVING A CLRNC THAT WAS MEANT FOR A DIFFERENT FLT. INABILITY TO GET PROMPT CLARIFICATION TO AN AMBIGUOUS CLRNC. THE CAPT'S INATTN TO FLYING THE ACFT. MY INATTN TO WHERE THE ACFT WAS WHILE PERFORMING THE PNF DUTIES. FACTORS AFFECTING HUMAN PERFORMANCE: I BELIEVE MY LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS STEMS FROM LACK OF REST DUE TO MY RESERVE SCHEDULE. THE ENTIRE MONTH OF DECEMBER'S FLYING CONSISTED OF BACK SIDE OF THE CLOCK FLYING WITH EARLY MORNING DEPS THE FOLLOWING DAY. CALLS FOR TRIP ASSIGNMENTS WERE RECEIVED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT OR AT OTHER TIMES WHEN TRYING TO REST. MY AIRLINE RESERVE POLICY ALLOWS YOU TO BE ON CALL 24 HRS A DAY WITH NO SCHEDULED REST PERIOD. THIS CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO PLAN FOR PROPER REST DURING A BUSY MONTH. MOST TRANSPORT ACFT UTILIZE AN ALT WARNING HORN. THE B757 HAS A LIGHT ON THE ALTIMETER AND A LIGHT ON THE FORWARD ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. IF YOUR EYES ARE ON THE ALTIMETER THE ALT WARNING LIGHT IS VISIBLE. THIS DOESN'T HELP IF YOU BECOME DISTR THE WAY AN ALT WARNING HORN WOULD.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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