ALTDEV XING RESTR NOT MET; HDG; TRACK DEV BY FLC OF AN EMB145 ENRTE TO ORD; IL.

Narrative

WE WERE IN CRUISE FLT AT FL280. CTLR CONTACTED US AND ISSUED A CLRNC FOR US TO CROSS 10 NM N OF MSN VOR AT FL240. I PROGRAMMED THE CLRNC INTO THE FMS VNAV FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. THE FMS INDICATED WE STILL HAD SOME TIME BEFORE HAVING TO INITIATE THE DSCNT. OUR FMS VNAV IS NOT COUPLED TO THE AUTOPLT. THE CTLR CONTACTED US AT APPROX 10.5 NM FROM MSN AND STATED TO US HE DIDN'T THINK WE WOULD MAKE OUR XING RESTR BEING THAT WE HAD NOT YET EVEN BEGAN OUR DSCNT FROM FL280. THE CAPT AND I HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE MANY PROBS FACING OUR PLT GROUP IN RECENT MONTHS. THIS IN TURN BECAME QUITE A DISTR AS I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO BEGIN OUR DSCNT TO MAKE OUR XING RESTR. THE CTLR NOW INSTRUCTED US TO EXPEDITE DOWN TO FL190 AND MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT HDG. I SELECTED HDG ON THE FLT GUIDANCE CONTROLLER AS WE WERE IN LNAV. THE CTLR HANDED US OFF TO ANOTHER CTR FREQ. MOMENTS LATER THE CTLR QUESTIONED OUR CURRENT HDG INDICATING TO US WE WERE NOT ON THE CURRENT HDG ASSIGNED TO US BY THE PREVIOUS CTLR. AT THIS TIME I NOTICED THE ACFT WAS BACK IN LNAV MODE; SO I IMMEDIATELY RESELECTED HDG MODE; AT WHICH POINT THE ACFT TURNED BACK TO THE ASSIGNED HDG. I WAS PERPLEXED AS TO WHY THE LNAV MODE WAS RESELECTED AFTER I HAD SELECTED THE HDG MODE. I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE HAD RESELECTED THE LNAV MODE; TO WHICH HE SAID HE DID NOT. I HAD MY HEAD DOWN GETTING APCH PLATES OUT AND DID NOT NOTICE THE ACFT TURN IN THE LNAV MODE. IT IS MY GUT FEELING THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON; THE CAPT SELECTED THE LNAV MODE WHILE I WAS HEAD DOWN GETTING OUT MY APCH CHARTS. LOOKING BACK ON THIS EVENT; I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL DISTR OF TALKING COMPANY POLITICS WHILE FLYING IS A GREAT DISTR TO FLYING THE ACFT. FROM NOW ON I WILL LEAVE THE COMPANY TALK IN THE CREW ROOM WHERE IT BELONGS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 539767: THE FO FAILED TO SELECT HDG MODE AND I ALSO FAILED TO VERIFY HIS SELECTION.