Narrative:

During approach into ord on the pmm arrival, approach gave us crossing altitude at story of 10000 ft. First officer was flying aircraft and I acknowledged and set 10000 ft in altitude window. First officer confirmed crossing altitude. I heard previous aircraft getting holding instructions at story and was reviewing pmm arrival to see what holding pattern was at story. A few mins later, controller asked if we were going to be able to make our crossing restr at story. First officer said yes he would be able to make it and I acknowledged that with ATC. At that time, the first officer and I recalculated our descent point and we both determined that we did appear to be high. We immediately started our descent, extended speed brakes, and began increasing descent speed. At that time, it looked as though we would be able to make the crossing restr according to the green arc on the HSI. While we were in the descent, approach gave us holding instructions to enter hold at story at 10000 ft as published, 10 mi legs. As we approached maximum descent speed, pitch was shallow to stabilize speed. At that point, we determined that we were going to overshoot story above the assigned altitude. Approach was busy talking to other aircraft and when there was a break, I tried to call to tell them we would not be able to make crossing restr. Controller never acknowledged my call. He continued giving instructions to other aircraft and when there was another break, I called approach again and said we would not be able to make crossing restr. He never acknowledged either call. We crossed story approximately 900 ft high and above holding speed due to trying to meet crossing restr. After crossing story, we entered hold, leveled at 10000 ft and slowed to holding speed. On outbound leg of holding pattern, controller gave us a heading to leave the pattern and intercept localizer to runway 14R. He then handed us off to final approach controller and never made mention of our crossing altitude at story. The rest of the flight continued on uneventfully and we did not hear any queries about our crossing altitude. I should have calculated descent point to back up the first officer. Also, when there are intermediate fixes, as was the case in this situation, I will put the waypoint with the crossing restr in the fix page to get an accurate DME. Supplemental information from acn 597951: I was flying and clearly understood the descent clearance. However, I did miscalculate our distance to the crossing fix. I told the captain that we should make the descent clearance. I recalculated our distance to the fix and realized my mistake. We immediately started our descent and established the green arc on the correct fix. Our airspeed was getting too excessive to make the crossing altitude, let alone slow to holding speed. I then told the captain that we would not make the crossing altitude. The captain called ATC with this information with no response from ATC. We reached 10000 ft shortly after entering the hold and slowed to holding speed on the outbound turn. The problem started with my miscalculation and poor situational awareness of our correct distance to the fix.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 CREW DID NOT MAKE AN ASSIGNED XING ALT ON THE PULLMAN 4 ARR INTO ORD.

Narrative: DURING APCH INTO ORD ON THE PMM ARR, APCH GAVE US XING ALT AT STORY OF 10000 FT. FO WAS FLYING ACFT AND I ACKNOWLEDGED AND SET 10000 FT IN ALT WINDOW. FO CONFIRMED XING ALT. I HEARD PREVIOUS ACFT GETTING HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AT STORY AND WAS REVIEWING PMM ARR TO SEE WHAT HOLDING PATTERN WAS AT STORY. A FEW MINS LATER, CTLR ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE OUR XING RESTR AT STORY. FO SAID YES HE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT AND I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WITH ATC. AT THAT TIME, THE FO AND I RECALCULATED OUR DSCNT POINT AND WE BOTH DETERMINED THAT WE DID APPEAR TO BE HIGH. WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED OUR DSCNT, EXTENDED SPD BRAKES, AND BEGAN INCREASING DSCNT SPD. AT THAT TIME, IT LOOKED AS THOUGH WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THE XING RESTR ACCORDING TO THE GREEN ARC ON THE HSI. WHILE WE WERE IN THE DSCNT, APCH GAVE US HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER HOLD AT STORY AT 10000 FT AS PUBLISHED, 10 MI LEGS. AS WE APCHED MAX DSCNT SPD, PITCH WAS SHALLOW TO STABILIZE SPD. AT THAT POINT, WE DETERMINED THAT WE WERE GOING TO OVERSHOOT STORY ABOVE THE ASSIGNED ALT. APCH WAS BUSY TALKING TO OTHER ACFT AND WHEN THERE WAS A BREAK, I TRIED TO CALL TO TELL THEM WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE XING RESTR. CTLR NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED MY CALL. HE CONTINUED GIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO OTHER ACFT AND WHEN THERE WAS ANOTHER BREAK, I CALLED APCH AGAIN AND SAID WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE XING RESTR. HE NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED EITHER CALL. WE CROSSED STORY APPROX 900 FT HIGH AND ABOVE HOLDING SPD DUE TO TRYING TO MEET XING RESTR. AFTER XING STORY, WE ENTERED HOLD, LEVELED AT 10000 FT AND SLOWED TO HOLDING SPD. ON OUTBOUND LEG OF HOLDING PATTERN, CTLR GAVE US A HDG TO LEAVE THE PATTERN AND INTERCEPT LOC TO RWY 14R. HE THEN HANDED US OFF TO FINAL APCH CTLR AND NEVER MADE MENTION OF OUR XING ALT AT STORY. THE REST OF THE FLT CONTINUED ON UNEVENTFULLY AND WE DID NOT HEAR ANY QUERIES ABOUT OUR XING ALT. I SHOULD HAVE CALCULATED DSCNT POINT TO BACK UP THE FO. ALSO, WHEN THERE ARE INTERMEDIATE FIXES, AS WAS THE CASE IN THIS SIT, I WILL PUT THE WAYPOINT WITH THE XING RESTR IN THE FIX PAGE TO GET AN ACCURATE DME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 597951: I WAS FLYING AND CLRLY UNDERSTOOD THE DSCNT CLRNC. HOWEVER, I DID MISCALCULATE OUR DISTANCE TO THE XING FIX. I TOLD THE CAPT THAT WE SHOULD MAKE THE DSCNT CLRNC. I RECALCULATED OUR DISTANCE TO THE FIX AND REALIZED MY MISTAKE. WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED OUR DSCNT AND ESTABLISHED THE GREEN ARC ON THE CORRECT FIX. OUR AIRSPD WAS GETTING TOO EXCESSIVE TO MAKE THE XING ALT, LET ALONE SLOW TO HOLDING SPD. I THEN TOLD THE CAPT THAT WE WOULD NOT MAKE THE XING ALT. THE CAPT CALLED ATC WITH THIS INFO WITH NO RESPONSE FROM ATC. WE REACHED 10000 FT SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING THE HOLD AND SLOWED TO HOLDING SPD ON THE OUTBOUND TURN. THE PROB STARTED WITH MY MISCALCULATION AND POOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF OUR CORRECT DISTANCE TO THE FIX.

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.