Narrative:

First leg of 3 day trip, with a fairly senior copilot I'd never flown with before. Climbing through 19,000 center cleared us to climb to FL270. I was refolding my map and had my hands full, so I acknowledged the climb clearance, and the copilot set the altitude in the flight guidance system. This is not the normal routine. I watched as he dialed in FL270, but I did not watch him arm the altitude, which consists of pulling out the knob. Unfortunately he did not watch either, and as he pulled out on the knob, he rotated it and ended up setting in FL280. We got a call from center at 27,600' wanting to know our altitude. Fortunately there was no traffic and center then cleared us to maintain FL280. Several factors were at work in this incident. I had not flown for about 11 days and some of my habit patterns, such as double-checking altitude were rusty. Design of the flight guidance system that required pulling the knob out to arm altitude and risking rotating it to another altitude. This is being fixed in the latest software, but we did not have it yet. The copilot was having intense marital problems and was very preoccupied with things other than flying. I found this out at the end of the day. He should have told me sooner, so I would have been forewarned. Due to his short attention span, it became a very long 3-DAY trip.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG ALT DEVIATION OVERSHOT DURING CLIMB.

Narrative: FIRST LEG OF 3 DAY TRIP, WITH A FAIRLY SENIOR COPLT I'D NEVER FLOWN WITH BEFORE. CLIMBING THROUGH 19,000 CENTER CLRED US TO CLIMB TO FL270. I WAS REFOLDING MY MAP AND HAD MY HANDS FULL, SO I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLIMB CLRNC, AND THE COPLT SET THE ALT IN THE FLT GUIDANCE SYSTEM. THIS IS NOT THE NORMAL ROUTINE. I WATCHED AS HE DIALED IN FL270, BUT I DID NOT WATCH HIM ARM THE ALT, WHICH CONSISTS OF PULLING OUT THE KNOB. UNFORTUNATELY HE DID NOT WATCH EITHER, AND AS HE PULLED OUT ON THE KNOB, HE ROTATED IT AND ENDED UP SETTING IN FL280. WE GOT A CALL FROM CENTER AT 27,600' WANTING TO KNOW OUR ALT. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO TFC AND CENTER THEN CLRED US TO MAINTAIN FL280. SEVERAL FACTORS WERE AT WORK IN THIS INCIDENT. I HAD NOT FLOWN FOR ABOUT 11 DAYS AND SOME OF MY HABIT PATTERNS, SUCH AS DOUBLE-CHECKING ALT WERE RUSTY. DESIGN OF THE FLT GUIDANCE SYSTEM THAT REQUIRED PULLING THE KNOB OUT TO ARM ALT AND RISKING ROTATING IT TO ANOTHER ALT. THIS IS BEING FIXED IN THE LATEST SOFTWARE, BUT WE DID NOT HAVE IT YET. THE COPLT WAS HAVING INTENSE MARITAL PROBLEMS AND WAS VERY PREOCCUPIED WITH THINGS OTHER THAN FLYING. I FOUND THIS OUT AT THE END OF THE DAY. HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME SOONER, SO I WOULD HAVE BEEN FOREWARNED. DUE TO HIS SHORT ATTN SPAN, IT BECAME A VERY LONG 3-DAY TRIP.

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.