B734 FLC BECOME DISTR AND MISS XING RESTR OVER RBV INBOUND TO EWR.

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UPON DSCNT; ZNY INSTRUCTED US TO KEEP OUR SPD UP TO 310 KTS ON THE RBV 1 ARR. WE WERE APPROX 50 MI SW OF RBV VOR AT FL240; A BIT HIGHER THAN WE LIKED AT THE TIME. A MIN OR SO LATER; WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS 15 MI SW OF RBV AT OR ABOVE 11000 FT TO CROSS RBV AT 8000 FT. NORMALLY ON THE ARR WE CROSS HOLEY AT 11000 FT (WHICH IS 21 MI). WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED OUR DSCNT TO MAKE THE 11000 FT RESTR; THE FO WAS FLYING AND PUT 11000 FT IN THE ALT ALERT. I THOUGHT THAT HE HAD PUT 8000 FT. THE FO WAS HAVING TROUBLE PUTTING THE RESTR IN THE FMC; SO I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD PROGRAM IT FOR HIM. WE MADE THE FIRST RESTR OK; I WAS PUTTING SOME CHARTS AWAY THINKING THAT HE HAD UNDERSTOOD THE RBV AT 8000 FT. ABOUT 6-9 MI FROM RBV; HE ASKED ME IF THEY WERE GOING TO CLR US FOR LOWER (STILL AT 11000 FT). I REPLIED THAT WE HAD A CLRNC TO CROSS RBV AT 8000 FT. AT THAT POINT WE TRIED OUR BEST TO SALVAGE THE DSCNT AND WITH ALL THE RADIO XMISSIONS I WAS UNABLE TO ASK ZNY FOR A VECTOR. WE DID NOT MAKE THE XING RESTR AND CROSSED THE RBV VOR AT 9700 FT. WE WERE THEN TURNED OVER TO NEW YORK APCH AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO TURN TO 360 DEGS ON THE HDG AND DSND TO 7000 FT; AFTER WHICH WE WERE VECTORED FOR THE ILS APCH TO RWY 4R FOR LNDG. I THINK THAT THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: 1) NOT VERIFYING THAT THE ALT ALERT WAS SET PROPERLY. 2) NOT VERIFYING THAT THE FO UNDERSTOOD THE CLRNC. 3) THE DISTR OF PUTTING THE FIRST RESTR IN THE FMC (WE REALLY DIDN'T NEED TO); WE COULD HAVE DONE IT WITH THE FIX PAGE. 4) BEING DISTR WITH PUTTING CHARTS AWAY DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT; EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A SHORT DISTR. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) MAKE SURE THAT THE ALT ALERT IS SET PROPERLY. 2) VERIFY XING RESTRS ARE UNDERSTOOD FULLY; MAINLY IMPROVE MY COM SKILLS. 3) ONLY PAYING ATTN TO THOSE TASKS NECESSARY FOR THE SAFE CONCLUSION OF THE FLT; ESPECIALLY IN THE DSCNT!