Narrative:

I am a captain and chief pilot for a company that operates a westwind ii. I was asked by a friend if I would fill in as a first officer on his citation vii. After all the prerequisite chkouts, we went off on a multi-leg trip that eventually took us to ktus. As the first officer on this flight, I was asked to get our clearance from ktus to kphx. After receiving our clearance, I was told to fill out the log with our taxi time, etc, while the captain set up our departure. We completed the taxi, and before takeoff checklists. We then held at runway 11L, awaiting our flow control time to kphx. Once cleared for takeoff, we proceeded with our takeoff. As we were climbing out from the runway, I saw 5000 ft in the altitude alerter, and asked the captain if that was our assigned altitude. He said that he thought we should be climbing to 17000 ft, pulled the SID chart from his yoke and said 'whatever this thing says.' I confirmed that the chart said 17000 ft, but that didn't sound right. As I reached for the clipboard with our copied clearance, we were handed off to departure control. We then checked in with them 'climbing to 17000 ft,' and received a 'roger.' then, after turning to the northwest, we were handed off to another controller. We again checked on 'climbing to 17000 ft' and received another 'roger.' as we were approaching 12000 ft, the captain asked the controller for something lower than 17000 ft since we were only going to kphx. That's when the controller answered that we should be at 10000 ft. The captain answered that we were given the SID with 17000 ft. The controller answered that, 'I gave you 10000 ft.' at this time, fearing the worst, I checked the clipboard and discovered that we had indeed been given 10000 ft as our clearance altitude. We were advised to maintain the 12000 ft that we had attained. I think that several things led to this situation. As a captain myself, I don't like any duties that take either pilot out of the loop in the airplane. Paperwork could be done before moving and both pilots review and set up the departure clearance. This captain likes to do it all himself. I never got a look at the SID until he handed it to me as we were climbing out. Had we both been involved with the setup, the altitude selector would not have been overlooked. Even doing it his way, we still could have avoided this problem with just a takeoff briefing, which we certainly had time to do. The takeoff briefing consisted of 'standard brief.' I should have, and certainly will in the future, review the departure procedure and clearance myself if there is no briefing from the captain. As a new pilot in this aircraft, and one that does not fly an EFIS airplane regularly, I was a little behind things. This would seem all the more reason for the captain to take the time to put a new copilot in the loop on things, and I should have said so. I also think that complacency had a part in this. This was a route that the captain flew regularly and there is a tendency to tell yourself that he, with his familiarity, knows what is going on and is caught up with things, even if you are lagging behind. Not so. I think that the steps to take to avoid a recurrence are these: both pilots should be present when a clearance is received (how many times do you see 1 pilot go out to the airplane to get the clearance?) they should both be there to review the procedure and/or clearance and to set up the airplane without other distrs. And, I think that a good predep briefing is a must. Everybody has to be on the same page. Even though we had TCASII, this could have been very bad.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C650 FO, OUT OF PREFLT CLRNC LOOP, QUESTIONS CAPT ABOUT ASSIGNED ALT ON CLBOUT ABOUT THE SAME TIME TUS DEP CHALLENGES OBSERVED ALT.

Narrative: I AM A CAPT AND CHIEF PLT FOR A COMPANY THAT OPERATES A WESTWIND II. I WAS ASKED BY A FRIEND IF I WOULD FILL IN AS A FO ON HIS CITATION VII. AFTER ALL THE PREREQUISITE CHKOUTS, WE WENT OFF ON A MULTI-LEG TRIP THAT EVENTUALLY TOOK US TO KTUS. AS THE FO ON THIS FLT, I WAS ASKED TO GET OUR CLRNC FROM KTUS TO KPHX. AFTER RECEIVING OUR CLRNC, I WAS TOLD TO FILL OUT THE LOG WITH OUR TAXI TIME, ETC, WHILE THE CAPT SET UP OUR DEP. WE COMPLETED THE TAXI, AND BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS. WE THEN HELD AT RWY 11L, AWAITING OUR FLOW CTL TIME TO KPHX. ONCE CLRED FOR TKOF, WE PROCEEDED WITH OUR TKOF. AS WE WERE CLBING OUT FROM THE RWY, I SAW 5000 FT IN THE ALT ALERTER, AND ASKED THE CAPT IF THAT WAS OUR ASSIGNED ALT. HE SAID THAT HE THOUGHT WE SHOULD BE CLBING TO 17000 FT, PULLED THE SID CHART FROM HIS YOKE AND SAID 'WHATEVER THIS THING SAYS.' I CONFIRMED THAT THE CHART SAID 17000 FT, BUT THAT DIDN'T SOUND RIGHT. AS I REACHED FOR THE CLIPBOARD WITH OUR COPIED CLRNC, WE WERE HANDED OFF TO DEP CTL. WE THEN CHKED IN WITH THEM 'CLBING TO 17000 FT,' AND RECEIVED A 'ROGER.' THEN, AFTER TURNING TO THE NW, WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER CTLR. WE AGAIN CHKED ON 'CLBING TO 17000 FT' AND RECEIVED ANOTHER 'ROGER.' AS WE WERE APCHING 12000 FT, THE CAPT ASKED THE CTLR FOR SOMETHING LOWER THAN 17000 FT SINCE WE WERE ONLY GOING TO KPHX. THAT'S WHEN THE CTLR ANSWERED THAT WE SHOULD BE AT 10000 FT. THE CAPT ANSWERED THAT WE WERE GIVEN THE SID WITH 17000 FT. THE CTLR ANSWERED THAT, 'I GAVE YOU 10000 FT.' AT THIS TIME, FEARING THE WORST, I CHKED THE CLIPBOARD AND DISCOVERED THAT WE HAD INDEED BEEN GIVEN 10000 FT AS OUR CLRNC ALT. WE WERE ADVISED TO MAINTAIN THE 12000 FT THAT WE HAD ATTAINED. I THINK THAT SEVERAL THINGS LED TO THIS SIT. AS A CAPT MYSELF, I DON'T LIKE ANY DUTIES THAT TAKE EITHER PLT OUT OF THE LOOP IN THE AIRPLANE. PAPERWORK COULD BE DONE BEFORE MOVING AND BOTH PLTS REVIEW AND SET UP THE DEP CLRNC. THIS CAPT LIKES TO DO IT ALL HIMSELF. I NEVER GOT A LOOK AT THE SID UNTIL HE HANDED IT TO ME AS WE WERE CLBING OUT. HAD WE BOTH BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE SETUP, THE ALT SELECTOR WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED. EVEN DOING IT HIS WAY, WE STILL COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS PROB WITH JUST A TKOF BRIEFING, WHICH WE CERTAINLY HAD TIME TO DO. THE TKOF BRIEFING CONSISTED OF 'STANDARD BRIEF.' I SHOULD HAVE, AND CERTAINLY WILL IN THE FUTURE, REVIEW THE DEP PROC AND CLRNC MYSELF IF THERE IS NO BRIEFING FROM THE CAPT. AS A NEW PLT IN THIS ACFT, AND ONE THAT DOES NOT FLY AN EFIS AIRPLANE REGULARLY, I WAS A LITTLE BEHIND THINGS. THIS WOULD SEEM ALL THE MORE REASON FOR THE CAPT TO TAKE THE TIME TO PUT A NEW COPLT IN THE LOOP ON THINGS, AND I SHOULD HAVE SAID SO. I ALSO THINK THAT COMPLACENCY HAD A PART IN THIS. THIS WAS A RTE THAT THE CAPT FLEW REGULARLY AND THERE IS A TENDENCY TO TELL YOURSELF THAT HE, WITH HIS FAMILIARITY, KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON AND IS CAUGHT UP WITH THINGS, EVEN IF YOU ARE LAGGING BEHIND. NOT SO. I THINK THAT THE STEPS TO TAKE TO AVOID A RECURRENCE ARE THESE: BOTH PLTS SHOULD BE PRESENT WHEN A CLRNC IS RECEIVED (HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU SEE 1 PLT GO OUT TO THE AIRPLANE TO GET THE CLRNC?) THEY SHOULD BOTH BE THERE TO REVIEW THE PROC AND/OR CLRNC AND TO SET UP THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT OTHER DISTRS. AND, I THINK THAT A GOOD PREDEP BRIEFING IS A MUST. EVERYBODY HAS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD TCASII, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD.

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.