A B737-400 CREW ATTEMPTS TO MAKE A NEAR IMPOSSIBLE XING RESTR AFTER ATC HAD DELAYED THE DSCNT FROM FL230 27 MI SW OF HLG; WV.

Narrative

CRUISING AT FL230(?) WE WERE GIVEN A CLRNC TO PROCEED DIRECT TO HLG VOR (WHEELING); BEST FORWARD SPD; AND THEN TO CROSS 10 NM FROM HLG AT 10000 FT. WE WERE ALREADY 27 NM FROM THIS FIX WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC. THE FO BEGAN PROGRAMMING THE FMC FOR THE NEW RTE (SPD AND XING FIX AND ALT). ALREADY PRESSED FOR DISTANCE; I MADE REF TO BEGIN A DSCNT USING VERT SPD WHILE HE CONTINUED TO PROGRAM THE FMC. BEYOND THE NORMAL DSCNT POINT FOR A NORMAL DSCNT; I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND BEGAN A MAX RATE OF DSCNT TO MAKE THE XING RESTR (NOW 15 NM AWAY). IN THE RUSH; WE FORGOT TO RESET THE ALTIMETER AND WERE ACTUALLY 270 FT HIGH AT THE XING FIX. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 478963: WE STARTED AT FL230 FLYING THE WISKE 2 ARR INTO PIT. WAS TURNED OFF STAR ON A HDG THEN GIVEN XING RESTR 10 MI W OF HLG AT 10000 FT; MAX FORWARD SPD. AS IT TURNS OUT; I BEGAN PROGRAMMING THE FMC BEING NEW TO THIS MODEL. BIG MISTAKE. WHEELING WAS NOT OUR ORIGINAL CLRNC AND I LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS REGARDING OUR POS IN RELATION TO HLG (MONITOR MMJ) WAS OUR ORIGINAL CLRNC. I WAS BEHIND THE ACFT AND THE CAPT SUGGESTED A MANUAL DSCNT. I HAD STARTED US DOWN AT 300 FPM WITH THE VERT SPD MODE; AUTOPLT ENGAGED WHILE I PROGRAMMED THE FMC. CAPT REALIZED OUR SIT; BECAME THE PF; AND SET 330 KTS LEVEL CHANGE AND SPD BRAKES DEPLOY. THE ACFT EXCEEDED THE BARBER POLE BY APPROX 5 KTS. I SHOULD HAVE JUST TUNED IN THE MLG VOR AND FLOWN MANUALLY USING RAW DATA. MY MISTAKE. BOY; DID I LEARN FROM THIS. WERE ACTUALLY ABOUT 270 FT HIGH. A HDG FOR VECTORS TO ILS RWY 32 BEFORE OUR XING RESTR SAVED OUR BACON. NO CONFLICT TO MY KNOWLEDGE. FLY FIRST -- TYPE LATER.