A G4 DEPARTING ON TEB 5 (TEB) EXCEEDED THE INITIAL 1500 FT ALT BUT DSNDED DOWN WHILE TROUBLESHOOTING AN AUTOTHROTTLE PROB.

Narrative

ON TEB 5 DEP FROM TEB; WE EXPERIENCED AND WERE TEMPORARILY DISTRACTED BY AN AUTOTHROTTLE PROB (IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE) DURING THE TKOF/CLB REGIME. THE INITIAL DEP PROC STATED THAT WE WERE TO MAINTAIN 1500 FT MSL UNTIL CROSSING THE 4.5 DME OF TEB VOR. DUE TO THE AUTOTHROTTLE PROB; COMPOUNDED BY ATC FREQ CHANGE INSTRUCTION SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF; AND VERY LIGHT WT; WE EXCEEDED THE 1500 FT MSL RESTR AND DID NOT LEVEL OFF UNTIL 1900 FT MSL WHERE WE STARTED TO DSND BACK TO THE PROPER ALT; AND SIMULTANEOUSLY; DEP CTL ADVISED US OF OUR ALT. THE PF HAD THE ALT SELECT SET AT 2000 FT (THE FINAL CLRED ALT ON THE DEP PROC) INSTEAD OF THE LOWER 1500 FT WHICH MAY HAVE ADDED TO THE SIT. ALTHOUGH AT THE TIME OF PREFLT BRIEFING; BOTH PLTS WERE AWARE OF THE 1500 FT RESTR. THE PNF; WITH HEADS DOWN TO CHANGE FREQ; DID NOT CATCH THIS ALT DEVIATION UNTIL PASSING THE 1500 FT. ESTIMATED TOTAL TIME FROM LIFT-OFF TO LEVEL OFF AT 1900 FT WAS APPROX 35 SEC DUE TO HIGH PERFORMANCE. THE SHORT TIME TO LEVEL OFF; I AM SURE ADDED TO THE PROB. NO OTHER ACFT WERE INVOLVED. ACFT RETURNED TO 1500 FT AND NO FURTHER PROBS WERE ENCOUNTERED. I BELIEVE THAT LOW LEVEL-OFF ALTS; ESPECIALLY IN HIGHLY CONGESTED AREAS; ARE A POTENTIAL PROB. I REALIZE THAT IN MANY CASES IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO USE MORE REALISTIC ALT RESTRS; HOWEVER; FACTORS SUCH AS ACFT PERFORMANCE; TIME TO CHANGE ATC FREQS; TURNS ETC IN ADDITION TO THE OCCASIONAL OPERATIONAL PROB; SHOULD MORE REALISTICALLY BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN DESIGNING DEP PROCS OR GIVING RESTRS BEFORE DEP.