Narrative:

While descending into pittsburgh at dusk, we lost our WX radar just prior to entering what company dispatcher called a broken line of level 3 thunderstorms. ZOB wishes us to fly to the youngstown VOR, fly down its 182 radial to cutta intersection. When we got to the area of the VOR, it seemed too risky a course of action considering the sky/cloud condition and the lack of WX radar. We talked to both center and another company aircraft behind us that was watching the WX also. Neither source of WX information could make a course recommendation that we felt comfortable in executing. While this was going on the first officer was descending us to 10,000. ZOB amended our altitude to 12,000 which I acknowledged but failed to set in our altitude alerter. The first officer didn't hear the altitude amendment because he was on another radio talking to company, due to our ACARS system being intermittent. I neglected setting our altitude in the altitude alerter because of an interruption by on the fir F/a's. (We were above 10,000 so it wasn't a sterile cockpit.) we ended up descending to 11,400 before we were able to stop our rate of descent (after being alerted by center) and climbed immediately back to 12,000'. We heard center give an air carrier Y flight a vector to keep him away from us (he was at 11,000). We apologized twice but that won't stop a future occurrence because this incident occurred at a point in our duty day in which we had already been on duty with no breaks for 13 1/2 hours. Bad WX, inoperative equipment, too many distractions like radio calls to company, in combination with an exhausted crew will always yield these kinds of errors. A contributing factor was that the previous day the company labor negotiators walked out of the negotiations after stating that they weren't prepared to discuss monetary issues with our union's labor negotiating committee. The following day informational picketing began. Summary: we've got to have some form of duty limits imposed upon all scheduled air carriers. Currently there are none at all. If my employer wishes to run me round-the-clock he could and would be perfectly legal in doing so (as long as I didn't fly more than 8 hours in any 24 hour period). The only thing now that stops company from doing so is our labor contract that limits us to a 15 hour duty day. What rock is the FAA hiding its head under on this issue? All the politicians jumped on the drug testing issue and jammed that down our throats, yet no one, FAA nor the NTSB, nor air traffic area nor our own companies seem to care whether we get enough rest between flts or work a reasonable length duty day. Action will most likely occur after the damage is done. It'll take a tragedy at the end of a 15 hour on duty period before the obvious comes to light to the FAA.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG ALT DEVIATION OVERSHOT DURING DESCENT TOWARD TSTM ACTIVITY. ACFT WX RADAR WAS INOPERATIVE.

Narrative: WHILE DESCENDING INTO PITTSBURGH AT DUSK, WE LOST OUR WX RADAR JUST PRIOR TO ENTERING WHAT COMPANY DISPATCHER CALLED A BROKEN LINE OF LEVEL 3 TSTMS. ZOB WISHES US TO FLY TO THE YOUNGSTOWN VOR, FLY DOWN ITS 182 RADIAL TO CUTTA INTXN. WHEN WE GOT TO THE AREA OF THE VOR, IT SEEMED TOO RISKY A COURSE OF ACTION CONSIDERING THE SKY/CLOUD CONDITION AND THE LACK OF WX RADAR. WE TALKED TO BOTH CENTER AND ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT BEHIND US THAT WAS WATCHING THE WX ALSO. NEITHER SOURCE OF WX INFO COULD MAKE A COURSE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE FELT COMFORTABLE IN EXECUTING. WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON THE F/O WAS DESCENDING US TO 10,000. ZOB AMENDED OUR ALT TO 12,000 WHICH I ACKNOWLEDGED BUT FAILED TO SET IN OUR ALT ALERTER. THE F/O DIDN'T HEAR THE ALT AMENDMENT BECAUSE HE WAS ON ANOTHER RADIO TALKING TO COMPANY, DUE TO OUR ACARS SYSTEM BEING INTERMITTENT. I NEGLECTED SETTING OUR ALT IN THE ALT ALERTER BECAUSE OF AN INTERRUPTION BY ON THE FIR F/A'S. (WE WERE ABOVE 10,000 SO IT WASN'T A STERILE COCKPIT.) WE ENDED UP DESCENDING TO 11,400 BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO STOP OUR RATE OF DSCNT (AFTER BEING ALERTED BY CENTER) AND CLIMBED IMMEDIATELY BACK TO 12,000'. WE HEARD CENTER GIVE AN ACR Y FLT A VECTOR TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM US (HE WAS AT 11,000). WE APOLOGIZED TWICE BUT THAT WON'T STOP A FUTURE OCCURRENCE BECAUSE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT A POINT IN OUR DUTY DAY IN WHICH WE HAD ALREADY BEEN ON DUTY WITH NO BREAKS FOR 13 1/2 HRS. BAD WX, INOPERATIVE EQUIPMENT, TOO MANY DISTRACTIONS LIKE RADIO CALLS TO COMPANY, IN COMBINATION WITH AN EXHAUSTED CREW WILL ALWAYS YIELD THESE KINDS OF ERRORS. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THAT THE PREVIOUS DAY THE COMPANY LABOR NEGOTIATORS WALKED OUT OF THE NEGOTIATIONS AFTER STATING THAT THEY WEREN'T PREPARED TO DISCUSS MONETARY ISSUES WITH OUR UNION'S LABOR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE. THE FOLLOWING DAY INFORMATIONAL PICKETING BEGAN. SUMMARY: WE'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME FORM OF DUTY LIMITS IMPOSED UPON ALL SCHEDULED AIR CARRIERS. CURRENTLY THERE ARE NONE AT ALL. IF MY EMPLOYER WISHES TO RUN ME ROUND-THE-CLOCK HE COULD AND WOULD BE PERFECTLY LEGAL IN DOING SO (AS LONG AS I DIDN'T FLY MORE THAN 8 HRS IN ANY 24 HR PERIOD). THE ONLY THING NOW THAT STOPS COMPANY FROM DOING SO IS OUR LABOR CONTRACT THAT LIMITS US TO A 15 HR DUTY DAY. WHAT ROCK IS THE FAA HIDING ITS HEAD UNDER ON THIS ISSUE? ALL THE POLITICIANS JUMPED ON THE DRUG TESTING ISSUE AND JAMMED THAT DOWN OUR THROATS, YET NO ONE, FAA NOR THE NTSB, NOR ATA NOR OUR OWN COMPANIES SEEM TO CARE WHETHER WE GET ENOUGH REST BETWEEN FLTS OR WORK A REASONABLE LENGTH DUTY DAY. ACTION WILL MOST LIKELY OCCUR AFTER THE DAMAGE IS DONE. IT'LL TAKE A TRAGEDY AT THE END OF A 15 HR ON DUTY PERIOD BEFORE THE OBVIOUS COMES TO LIGHT TO THE FAA.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.