B737 CREW MISSED A XING RESTR WHEN THE CAPT; PF; BECOMES PREOCCUPIED OPENING THE COCKPIT DOOR FOR A FLT ATTENDANT.
Synopsis
B737 CREW MISSED A XING RESTR WHEN THE CAPT; PF; BECOMES PREOCCUPIED OPENING THE COCKPIT DOOR FOR A FLT ATTENDANT.
Narrative
I WAS THE PNF INTO LAS. WHILE THE CAPT WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH PASSWORD; DOOR SECURITY; ALLOWING THE FLT ATTENDANT ACCESS TO THE COCKPIT TO BRING US SOME WATER; I ACCEPTED A CLRNC. THE CLRNC WAS TO CROSS PGS 85 NM E AT FL310. WE WERE AT FL350. I PUT FL310 IN THE ALT ALERTER; AND SINCE THE CAPT WAS BUSY; I ALSO ENTERED THE POS AND ALT IN THE FMS. AT JUST ABOUT THAT TIME; THE FLT ATTENDANT CLOSED THE DOOR; AND I POINTED AT THE ALT ALERTER AND THE FMS. I THOUGHT THE CAPT RESPONDED TO MY POINTING WITH A NOD. WE PRESSED ON. A CONVERSATION WITH THE FLT ATTENDANT ENSUED. A FREQ CHANGE OCCURRED. UPON INITIAL CALL-UP; I TOLD THE NEW CTLR COMPANY FLT NUMBER LEVEL FL350 TO CROSS 85 NM E OF PGS AT FL310. THE CTLR RESPONDED. LATER; THE CTLR ASKED; DID YOU GET A CLRNC TO CROSS 85 NM E OF PGS AT FL310? I SAID YES; AT THE SAME TIME LOOKING AT THE RAW DATA; REALIZING THAT WE HAD JUST PASSED 85 NM E OF PGS. WE MAKE A HASTY DSCNT TO FL310. THE CTLR SAID TO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT. THE CAPT LOOKED AT ME WITH A QUIZZICAL LOOK AND SAID THIS WAS THE FIRST WE'D HEARD OF IT. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE DISTR OF A FLT ATTENDANT AND COCKPIT DOOR ENTRANCE PROC. ME; NOT FOLLOWING THE FOM IN REQUIRING A VERBAL RESPONSE FROM THE PF AND ME NOT FOLLOWING FOM IN HAVING THE PF ENTERING THE RESTR. HAD I DONE EITHER; THE APPROPRIATE AND EXPECTED COMPANY WAY; THE CHAIN OF CONFUSION WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS EVENT. I DID NOT GET A VERBAL RESPONSE FROM THE CAPT; AND I ENTERED THE INFO IN THE FMS THINKING THE DSCNT PROMPT WOULD SUFFICE IN CASE MY COM HADN'T MADE IT TO THE CAPT. THE CREW GOT ALONG WELL; BOTH WELL RESTED. BEAUTIFUL WX. EXTRA VIGILANCE IS REQUIRED ON MY PART IN COMMUNICATING AND MONITORING DSCNTS; RESTRS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 582832: BESIDES THE OBVIOUS BREAKDOWN IN CREW COORD; WHICH DIRECTLY RESULTED IN THIS SIT; CONTRIBUTING TO IT WAS THE FACT THAT I COULD NOT HEAR THE FO WHEN HE XMITTED. I HAD NOTED THIS THROUGHOUT THE FLT; BUT HAD EXPERIENCED IT BEFORE AND MINIMIZED ITS IMPACT. I HAVE A SENNHEISER HEADSET; BUT THE FO WAS USING THE STANDARD COCKPIT ISSUE. I'M NOT SURE IF THE PROB WASN'T IN THE RADIO CTL HEADS OR IF IT WAS A PROB AT ALL. WE FLY WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT CTL HEADS; I'M NOT CERTAIN THEY ALL PERFORM THE SAME WAY. REGARDLESS; PERHAPS I HAD MY VOLUME TOO LOW. I REALLY AM NOT SURE HOW I MISSED THE INITIAL ATC CALL. IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF FOCUS TO LET A FLT ATTENDANT INTO THE COCKPIT.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.