CAPT OF A CPR JET FAILED TO MAKE STAR XING RESTR SPD AND ALT REQUIREMENT DUE TO DELAYED START OF DSCNT.

Date: 1999-09 · Aircraft: Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng · Phase: descent

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-crossing-restriction-not-met|deviation-altitude-undershoot|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance

Synopsis

CAPT OF A CPR JET FAILED TO MAKE STAR XING RESTR SPD AND ALT REQUIREMENT DUE TO DELAYED START OF DSCNT.

Narrative

WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT AND HAD FILED A DIRECT RTE FROM STL TO PHX. THE FLT HAD PROGRESSED APPROX 1/2 WAY TO PHX WHEN CTR CHANGED OUR ROUTING FROM DIRECT PHX TO DIRECT ZUN AND THE FOSSL 4 ARR TO PHX. THE NEW ROUTING WAS PROGRAMMED INTO THE FMS AND CONFIRMED BY THE CAPT. I PLACED THE FOSSL 4 ARR CHART ON MY YOKE FOR REF AS WELL. AFTER XING ZUN; I WAS ABLE TO GET THE ATIS AT PHX AND DETERMINED THAT THEY WERE LNDG ON RWY 26L&R. I ADVISED THE CAPT THAT THE ARR CALLED FOR A SPD OF 250 KTS AT TONTO INTXN AND TO EXPECT TO CROSS TONTO AT 12000 FT; WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGED. WE WERE LEVEL AT FL350 WHEN AT A POINT APPROX 45 MI PRIOR TO PIINE INTXN CTR RECLRED US DIRECT TO PIINE INTXN AND THE REMAINDER OF THE FOSSL 4 ARR; TO CROSS TONTO INTXN AT 12000 FT AND 250 KTS. I REFED THE ARR CHART AND INFORMED THE CAPT THAT TONTO INTXN WAS 13 MI PAST THE PIINE INTXN ON THE ARR ROUTING; WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGED. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT BECAME PREOCCUPIED WITH PROGRAMMING THE FMS VNAV AND IN MY OPINION WASTED VALUABLE TIME IN WHICH WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DSNDING. WHEN THE CAPT STARTED TO DSND HE WAS DSNDING AT A SLOWER RATE THAN I WOULD HAVE USED; BUT SINCE THIS WAS ONLY MY SECOND TRIP IN THIS MODEL ACFT AND SINCE I WAS A NEW HIRE AT THIS COMPANY; I WAS RELUCTANT TO SAY ANYTHING TO THE CAPT ABOUT HIS FLYING TECHNIQUE. AT A POINT ABOUT 10 MI PRIOR TO PIINE; WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH APPROX FL280 AND I ONCE AGAIN REMINDED THE CAPT THAT THE TONTO INTXN WAS 13 MI BEYOND PIINE INTXN; WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGED. WHEN WE CROSSED PIINE WE WERE AT APPROX FL220 AND CTR CALLED AND ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE XING RESTR AT TONTO; TO WHICH THE CAPT REPLIED AFFIRMATIVE. AT THIS POINT; I REMINDED THE CAPT THAT WE HAD LESS THAN 13 MI TO BE AT 12000 FT AND 250 KTS. I BELIEVE THE CAPT FINALLY REALIZED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT TO MEET THE XING RESTR BECAUSE HE MOVED THE PWR LEVERS TO IDLE AND DEPLOYED THE FLT SPOILERS FULLY. EVEN WITH THE RESULTANT HIGH DSCNT RATE WE WERE UNABLE TO MEET THE XING RESTR AND ENDED UP XING TONTO AT APPROX 15500 FT AND 280 KTS. WHEN WE WERE HANDED OFF TO PHX APCH AT TONTO; I COULD TELL BY THE CTLR'S TONE OF VOICE THAT HE AS NOT AT ALL HAPPY WITH US; BUT HE DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT A LOSS OF SEPARATION OR TFC CONFLICT. THE REST OF THE FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY. I BELIEVE THIS EVENT OCCURRED PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE CAPT LOST HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WITH RELATION TO OUR DISTANCE FROM TONTO AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE DSCNT PHASE OF THE FLT. I BELIEVE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE: 1) THE CAPT'S PREOCCUPATION WITH THE FMS VNAV FUNCTION. 2) MY LOW LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS MODEL ACFT. (I KEPT THINKING THAT THE CAPT HAD SOME TRICK UP HIS SLEEVE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO MAKE THE XING RESTR.) 3) MY LACK OF ASSERTIVENESS IN NOT QUESTIONING THE CAPT OR POINTING OUT THE NEED FOR A HIGHER DSCNT RATE OR INITIATING THE DSCNT EARLIER.

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