 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Captain of a B727 overshot assigned altitude during descent due to a distraction by a cabin attendant in the cockpit. ARTCC radar controller intervened at the same time the aircraft alert sounded and reminded the flight crew of their mistake.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 410219 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199807 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : rka |
| State Reference | NY |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 14600 msl bound upper : 15000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : sea |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | descent other |
| Route In Use | enroute airway : zbw |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 4000 |
| ASRS Report | 410219 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 3000 flight time type : 1500 |
| ASRS Report | 409990 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Received descent clearance to 15000 ft. Captain flying. Flight attendant had recently come to cockpit to chat just before deviation occurred. Captain descended to 14600 ft, 400 ft below leveloff, before copilot stopped descent. Entire crew was distracted by flight attendant in cockpit. This was a simple case of complacency by the crew. Captain should have been flying the airplane instead of chatting with flight attendant.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CAPT OF A B727 OVERSHOT ASSIGNED ALT DURING DSCNT DUE TO A DISTR BY A CABIN ATTENDANT IN THE COCKPIT. ARTCC RADAR CTLR INTERVENED AT THE SAME TIME THE ACFT ALERT SOUNDED AND REMINDED THE FLC OF THEIR MISTAKE.
Narrative: RECEIVED DSCNT CLRNC TO 15000 FT. CAPT FLYING. FLT ATTENDANT HAD RECENTLY COME TO COCKPIT TO CHAT JUST BEFORE DEV OCCURRED. CAPT DSNDED TO 14600 FT, 400 FT BELOW LEVELOFF, BEFORE COPLT STOPPED DSCNT. ENTIRE CREW WAS DISTRACTED BY FLT ATTENDANT IN COCKPIT. THIS WAS A SIMPLE CASE OF COMPLACENCY BY THE CREW. CAPT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FLYING THE AIRPLANE INSTEAD OF CHATTING WITH FLT ATTENDANT.
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.