BA32 FLC FAILS TO ADHERE TO XING RESTR APCHING IAD.

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WE ARE OFTEN CLRED TO 'CROSS HYPER AT OR BELOW 9000 FT; CROSS ROBRT AT 8000 FT;' OR CLRED TO CROSS HYPER AT 9000 FT THEN SUBSEQUENTLY RE-CLRED DIRECTLY TO ROBRT; TO CROSS AT 8000 FT. ONE DAY LAST WK; I WAS FLYING WHEN CTR CLRED US TO 'CROSS HYPER AT 9000 FT; CROSS ROBRT AT 8000 FT.' THAT WAS WHAT I HEARD; WHAT I REPEATED TO THE CAPT; AND WHAT I HEARD THE CAPT READ BACK TO THE CTLR. PER COMPANY SOP; THE CAPT DIALED 9000 FT (OR SO I THOUGHT) INTO OUR ALT ALERTER; AND WE BEGAN THE DSCNT. IN THE MIDST OF THE APCH BRIEFING; THE ALT ALERTER SOUNDED. EXPECTING TO SEE 10000 FT OR 9900 FT ON THE ALTIMETER; I WAS MOMENTARILY CONFUSED AND THOUGHT THE ALTIMETER WAS READING 9900 FT; THE 9800 FT; UNTIL I REALIZED IT READ 8800 FT; AND THAT THE ALT ALERTER HAD BEEN SET TO 8000 FT (THE ALT OF THE SECOND XING RESTR); RATHER THAN 9000 FT; WHERE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SET FOR THE FIRST XING FIX; HYPER. AS THE AIRPLANE DSNDED THROUGH 8500 FT; CTR QUERIED OUR ALT; AND I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED BACK AT THE FMS; SEEING THAT HYPER WAS STILL 6 MI AHEAD OF US. THE CAPT TOLD ATC THAT WE WERE AT 8500 FT AND DSNDING TO CROSS ROBRT AT 8000 FT; AND THE CTR CTLR REPLIED THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO CROSS HYPER 'AT' 9000 FT AND THEN ROBRT AT 8000 FT. ON ANY OTHER DAY; WITH ANY OTHER CAPT; I WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY LEVELED OFF AND QUERIED ATC THE MOMENT THE FIRST DOUBT AROSE IN MY MIND; BUT BECAUSE OF MY 10 WKS OF GENERALLY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCES WITH THIS PARTICULAR CAPT; AND HIS EXTREMELY AGITATED EMOTIONAL STATE DURING THIS PARTICULAR MONTH; I WAS RELUCTANT TO DISOBEY HIS INSTRUCTION TO CONTINUE DSNDING AND I WAS RELUCTANT TO QUERY ATC ON THE XING RESTR. ADDITIONALLY; I WAS DISTRACTED ENOUGH BY THE GENERALLY TENSE ATMOSPHERE IN THE COCKPIT THAT I DID NOT WANT TO CORRECT THE CAPT; OR CREATE A CONFLICT WITH HIM; EVEN THOUGH I KNEW HE WAS MISTAKEN; BECAUSE I BELIEVED (BASED ON MANY FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO OFFER CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM TO THIS INDIVIDUAL IN THE PAST) THAT IT WOULD ONLY MAKE THE FLT DECK LESS SAFE WHEN WE FLEW TOGETHER IN THE FUTURE. (IRONICALLY; I FIRST MET THIS CAPT IN CRM LAST YR; AND WAS INITIALLY IMPRESSED BY HIS ABILITY TO TALK THE CRM TALK -- UNFORTUNATELY HE HAS NOT WALKED THE CRM WALK IN OUR 10 WKS TOGETHER; AND EVERY TIME I HAVE TRIED TO IMPLEMENT CRM PROCS FROM THE R SEAT I HAVE BEEN REBUFFED OR IGNORED.)