Narrative:

We were issued a clearance by ZDC to cross 20 mi west of fak VOR at 10000 ft. My first officer was flying the leg and initiated a descent on the proper profile for the crossing. Due to the close proximity of our landing airport, rid, I became involved in obtaining the ATIS and doing our in-range call to the airport which somewhat removed me from the loop. In that period of time the first officer shallowed out the descent rate and apparently switched his navigation radio over to the rid VOR instead of fak. After obtaining the ATIS, doing the in-range call and figuring our landing performance, I started a scan of the cockpit and then noticed that he had changed his VOR frequency to rid. My VOR frequency was also on rid so that I could give him DME information for our landing airport. I then realized that things were not right and retuned fak VOR and determined that we could not make our crossing restr. I asked him what he was doing and his response was that he thought our crossing restr was 20 mi west of the rid VOR. I began to call ATC to try and get a vector or relief from the crossing when they called inquiring as to what we thought was our issued clearance. The controller stated that he had no traffic conflict, but that our restr had been 20 mi west of fak not ric. I feel the contributing factor was the fact that I was involved with duties not directly associated with the flying and during this time-frame the first officer made frequency changes without communicating to me the change. The CRM in this situation was lacking and communication was poor. Even though I read back the crossing restr to ATC and repeated it to the first officer who responded, he apparently did not correctly understand the clearance or did not properly execute the descent and tuning of the navigation radio. I feel that I was falsely confident that all was understood because of the initiation of the descent at the proper time for the cross and became wrapped up in other duties.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO OF A DC9 FAILED TO MAKE DSCNT XING RESTR DUE TO MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE LOCATION OF THE FIX.

Narrative: WE WERE ISSUED A CLRNC BY ZDC TO CROSS 20 MI W OF FAK VOR AT 10000 FT. MY FO WAS FLYING THE LEG AND INITIATED A DSCNT ON THE PROPER PROFILE FOR THE XING. DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF OUR LNDG ARPT, RID, I BECAME INVOLVED IN OBTAINING THE ATIS AND DOING OUR IN-RANGE CALL TO THE ARPT WHICH SOMEWHAT REMOVED ME FROM THE LOOP. IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME THE FO SHALLOWED OUT THE DSCNT RATE AND APPARENTLY SWITCHED HIS NAV RADIO OVER TO THE RID VOR INSTEAD OF FAK. AFTER OBTAINING THE ATIS, DOING THE IN-RANGE CALL AND FIGURING OUR LNDG PERFORMANCE, I STARTED A SCAN OF THE COCKPIT AND THEN NOTICED THAT HE HAD CHANGED HIS VOR FREQ TO RID. MY VOR FREQ WAS ALSO ON RID SO THAT I COULD GIVE HIM DME INFO FOR OUR LNDG ARPT. I THEN REALIZED THAT THINGS WERE NOT RIGHT AND RETUNED FAK VOR AND DETERMINED THAT WE COULD NOT MAKE OUR XING RESTR. I ASKED HIM WHAT HE WAS DOING AND HIS RESPONSE WAS THAT HE THOUGHT OUR XING RESTR WAS 20 MI W OF THE RID VOR. I BEGAN TO CALL ATC TO TRY AND GET A VECTOR OR RELIEF FROM THE XING WHEN THEY CALLED INQUIRING AS TO WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS OUR ISSUED CLRNC. THE CTLR STATED THAT HE HAD NO TFC CONFLICT, BUT THAT OUR RESTR HAD BEEN 20 MI W OF FAK NOT RIC. I FEEL THE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE FACT THAT I WAS INVOLVED WITH DUTIES NOT DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE FLYING AND DURING THIS TIME-FRAME THE FO MADE FREQ CHANGES WITHOUT COMMUNICATING TO ME THE CHANGE. THE CRM IN THIS SIT WAS LACKING AND COM WAS POOR. EVEN THOUGH I READ BACK THE XING RESTR TO ATC AND REPEATED IT TO THE FO WHO RESPONDED, HE APPARENTLY DID NOT CORRECTLY UNDERSTAND THE CLRNC OR DID NOT PROPERLY EXECUTE THE DSCNT AND TUNING OF THE NAV RADIO. I FEEL THAT I WAS FALSELY CONFIDENT THAT ALL WAS UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE OF THE INITIATION OF THE DSCNT AT THE PROPER TIME FOR THE CROSS AND BECAME WRAPPED UP IN OTHER DUTIES.

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.