AN A319 CREW; DSNDING INTO LAX; OVERSHOT A PUBLISHED STAR ALT; MISSING A XING RESTR.
Synopsis
AN A319 CREW; DSNDING INTO LAX; OVERSHOT A PUBLISHED STAR ALT; MISSING A XING RESTR.
Narrative
WHILE FLYING FROM PHX-LAX I HAD SET UP THE AUTOMATION IN OUR A319 TO FLY A 'MANAGED' DSCNT PROFILE ON THE PARADISE FOUR ARR (PDZ.PDZ4) TO LAX. BEFORE ARRIVING OVER PDZ; WE WERE CLRED 'DIRECT TO MITTS INTXN; MAINTAIN 1200 FT.' THE ACFT WAS THEN PUT INTO AN OPEN DSCNT (IDLE PWR); AND WE LEVELED AT 12000 FT MSL. SHORTLY AFTER THE LEVELOFF; WE WERE CLRED; 'DSND TO 10000 FT; AFTER MITTS; CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 24R APCH.' WE DSNDED TO 10000 FT FOR THE MITTS RESTR. I THEN SELECTED 8000 FT IN THE FCU ALT WINDOW FOR 'DENAY;' THE FIRST STEPDOWN FIX ON THE ILS RWY 24R APCH. WHILE DSNDING TO 8000 FT; THE ACFT FLEW BELOW 9000 FT PRIOR TO XING 'DUNZL;' AND INTERMEDIATE XING FIX ON THE PDZ.PDZ4 ARR. ON THE PDZ.PDZ4 ARR; THERE WAS ONE ADDITIONAL FIX ('DUNZL'); LOCATED BTWN MITTS AND DENAY; THAT AT FIRST DIDN'T APPEAR TO HAVE A XING RESTR. THIS LATER PROVED TO BE AN INCORRECT OBSERVATION ON MY PART. THE PDZ.PDZ4 ARR HAD NUMEROUS STEPDOWN FIXES -- MOST OF THEM IDENTED WITH LARGE OUTLINED BOXES; ARROWS; AND BOLD TYPE TO INDICATE THE XING ALT AND/OR RESTRS. IN THE CASE OF 'DUNZL;' THE +9000 FT XING RESTR IS NOT INDICATED BY A LARGE; HIGHLY VISIBLE BOX; BUT RATHER A FOOTNOTE WITH A BUTTON-TYPE INDICATOR (IE '1' OR '2'). FATIGUE MAY HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN MY NOT OBSERVING THIS PARTICULAR FOOTNOTE; BUT IN ANY CASE; MY LACK OF VIGILANCE CAUSED ME TO CROSS THE INTXN 400-500 FT BELOW THE PUBLISHED MINIMUM. COMPLACENCY AND DIFFERING CHARTING SYMBOLOGY MADE THE XING RESTR(S) LESS PLAIN AND CLRLY UNDERSTOOD. ATC DID NOT QUESTION OR QUERY OUR ALT AT ANY TIME DURING THE ARR AND APCH. IT WOULD BE NICE (IN MY OPINION); IF COMMERCIAL CHART WOULD DO AWAY WITH THE USE OF BUTTON-TYPE FOOTNOTES TO INDICATE XING RESTRS AND OTHER MINIMA.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.