MDT CREW MAY NOT HAVE COMPLIED WITH ASSIGNED XING RESTR.

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HOW PROB AROSE: ON SEP/XA/99 ON IFR FLT MDW TO FOK; ZOB HANDED OFF ZNY. WE WERE GIVEN AN ASSIGNED HDG AND FREQ CHANGE TO ZNY AND ADVISED THAT ZNY 'WILL HAVE NEW ROUTING.' AFTER CONTACTING ZNY; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN HDG. AFTER A WHILE WE WERE GIVEN ENTIRELY NEW ROUTING AND THEN FREQ CHANGE. AFTER FREQ CHANGE WE WERE THEN GIVEN CLRNC TO 'CROSS 15 NM W OF STW VOR AT FL230.' CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: SHORT TIME SPAN BTWN NEW CLRNC AND XING RESTR. LOADING NEW CLRNC INTO FMS. NEW COPLT UNFAMILIAR WITH FMS. SUPERVISION OF COPLT LOADING NEW CLRNC INTO FMS. POOR ATC COORD. INABILITY TO OBTAIN AMENDED CLRNC FROM ATC DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION. HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: WHILE HELPING COPLT LOAD FMS; I NOTICED THAT AUTOPLT WAS DECREASING DSCNT RATE IN ANTICIPATION OF LEVELOFF. HIGH DSCNT RATE WAS NECESSARY TO MAKE XING RESTR (IN EXCESS OF 5500 FPM). I DID NOT ANTICIPATE AUTOPLT DOING THIS AND NOTICED ACFT WAS STILL 'LEVELING' TO FL230 AFTER XING 15 NM OF STW VOR. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: BETTER ATC COORD. GIVE MORE TIME BTWN NEW CLRNC AND XING RESTR. GIVE MORE TIME TO MEET XING RESTRS SO EXTREME RATES OF DSCNT ARE NOT REQUIRED. BETTER CREW COORD IN PROGRAMMING FMS. LESS FREQ CONGESTION. ATC CTLRS NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE AIRPLANES THEY ARE CTLING!