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A320 first officer describes the anatomy of a missed crossing restriction at mowat during the HYPER2 arrival to iad.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 861896 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200911 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | IAD.Airport |
| State Reference | DC |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | A320 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Final Approach |
| Route In Use | STAR HYPER 2 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | First Officer Pilot Not Flying |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 240 Flight Crew Total 14500 Flight Crew Type 7500 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
Winds at iad were 31026g36. Told to expect to fly approach to 1R and circle to runway 30. Also given a descend via the HYPER2 arrival. We were at 7;000 feet with altitude capture and then we preset 5;000 feet for the next altitude at mowat. We got distracted with the planned circle and neither of us having ever landed on runway 30. We also discussed changing the runway in the FMGC after we started the circle to 30; so that we would get the cf (centerline fix) and the captain would have some guidance in the box to runway 30. Just prior to mowat; the controller asked us if we were going to descend since he noticed we were still at 7;000 feet. That's the moment we realized we forgot to start down after passing the last fix. We told him we would not be able to make 5;000 feet by mowat and then he gave us clearance down to 4;000 feet. This was a distraction event that involved a clearance at a future time; which in my mind; is one of the most insidious types for getting distracted. That; combined with the uniqueness of the conditions and approach at iad contributed to the distraction and missed altitude. I have always thought a simple countdown timer with an alarm/buzzer would be very helpful in preventing this type of event by immediately bringing your mind back from the distraction in time to make the clearance.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A320 First Officer describes the anatomy of a missed crossing restriction at MOWAT during the HYPER2 arrival to IAD.
Narrative: Winds at IAD were 31026G36. Told to expect to fly approach to 1R and circle to Runway 30. Also given a descend via the HYPER2 arrival. We were at 7;000 feet with ALT capture and then we preset 5;000 feet for the next altitude at MOWAT. We got distracted with the planned circle and neither of us having ever landed on Runway 30. We also discussed changing the runway in the FMGC after we started the circle to 30; so that we would get the CF (Centerline Fix) and the Captain would have some guidance in the box to Runway 30. Just prior to MOWAT; the Controller asked us if we were going to descend since he noticed we were still at 7;000 feet. That's the moment we realized we forgot to start down after passing the last fix. We told him we would not be able to make 5;000 feet by MOWAT and then he gave us clearance down to 4;000 feet. This was a distraction event that involved a clearance at a future time; which in my mind; is one of the most insidious types for getting distracted. That; combined with the uniqueness of the conditions and approach at IAD contributed to the distraction and missed altitude. I have always thought a simple countdown timer with an alarm/buzzer would be very helpful in preventing this type of event by immediately bringing your mind back from the distraction in time to make the clearance.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.