Altitude deviation. Misread arrival STAR.

Attributes
ACN	324062
Time
Date	199512
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 14000 msl bound upper : 14000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent other
Route In Use	arrival other arrival star : star enroute airway : lax
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time total : 8500
ASRS Report	324062
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

The PF misread the arrival STAR and misread the 68 degree course for a DME fix and started the descent too soon to have gone below the arrival altitude. The plate is printed with the DME right next to the course and is a potential for confusion.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ALTDEV. MISREAD ARR STAR.

Narrative: THE PF MISREAD THE ARR STAR AND MISREAD THE 68 DEG COURSE FOR A DME FIX AND STARTED THE DSCNT TOO SOON TO HAVE GONE BELOW THE ARR ALT. THE PLATE IS PRINTED WITH THE DME RIGHT NEXT TO THE COURSE AND IS A POTENTIAL FOR CONFUSION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.