B717 IOE CHK AIRMAN AND CAPT GETTING IOE DID NOT MAKE AN ASSIGNED XING RESTR IN ZDC CLASS A.

Narrative

ALTHOUGH I WAS CAPT; I WAS OCCUPYING THE R SEAT AND FLYING AS AN INSTRUCTOR WITH A TRANSITION CAPT IN THE L SEAT. I BELIEVE WE WERE AT 31000 FT WHEN REQUESTED BY ZDC TO CROSS 25 MI W OF MOL AT 25000 FT. OUR FLT WAS IFR. I BEGAN A DSCNT OF APPROX 1500 FT FPM UPON RECEIPT OF THE CLRNC. I ASKED THE TRANSITION CAPT TO SET UP THE XING IN THE MCDU. AFTER INITIAL INPUTS; HE WAS UNSURE AS TO WHY THE MCDU WOULD NOT TAKE THE ENTRY. THE CTR THEN ASKED IF WE WOULD MAKE THE XING. I REPLIED I DON'T KNOW; WE'RE WORKING ON IT. I NOW INCREASED MY RATE OF DSCNT AND HAD THE STUDENT SET UP THE FIX PAGE FOR MOL VOR; WHILE I WENT TO THE NAV/RADIAL PAGE TO SET UP MOL VOR. EVEN THOUGH MOL VOR WAS ON THE ACTIVE FLT PLAN; IT WAS NOT THE NEXT FIX; SO WE HAD TO DETERMINE HOW FAR OUT WE WERE. WITH A NICE 110 KT TAILWIND WE WERE CLOSE TO 540 KTS; GS. BY THE TIME WE HAD A POS FROM MOL VOR IT SHOWED 22.2 MI W AND WE WERE OUT OF 26000 FT FOR 25000 FT. LATER; I DISCOVERED 'BIGAL' INTXN WHICH WAS ON OUR FLT PLAN WAS 25 MI W OF MOL VOR. HAD THE CTLR GIVEN US A CLRNC FOR BIGAL AT 25000 FT; WE COULD HAVE PLANNED OUR DSCNT BETTER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 532658: I AM A CAPT BEING TRAINED ON A B717 FLYING WITH AN INSTRUCTOR ON A TRIP. A 110 KT TAILWIND AND THE INSTRUCTOR ASKED ME TO SET UP THE XING IN THE MCDU; BUT WE WERE ALREADY TOO CLOSE FOR IT TO TAKE. WE WERE ALREADY IN A DSCNT BUT COULD NOT QUITE MAKE THE XING AT 25 MI.