Narrative:

This occurrence was during arrival to nar from anc in freighter. Background data: air carrier-a has a merged pilot group. I am a former air carrier-B pilot and the first officer and second officer are formed air carrier-a pilots. The first officer in some conversations with me let me know he did not think air carrier-B pilots should be flying their aircraft. However, during flight he was cordial enough. However, in this instance while I will relate, his lack of resource management training or something he failed to point out early enough while I was flying that the airspeed had gone below vzf while leveling during a vector for approach. During descent I asked him to leave his navigation radio on nar VOR. When I was leveling at 4000' I looked over and noticed that his navigation radio was on another frequency. We were receiving the vector clrncs at the time and we were all very busy with checklists. I became distracted again when the first officer said the missed approach procedure we had briefed for was wrong, the new procedure was on the yellow revision. Wanting to do everything exactly right I took my scan away from INS to locate and review this new chart which was under my approach plate for 34 ILS on approach plate holder. I had now leveled off at 4000'. I looked up at INS and was shocked to see airspeed below yzf. I started to add power. During this turn I realized I was still slow and was adding more power when second officer said to add power. The combination of slow speed, turn and some turbulence caused the aircraft to shake a few times. With this I continued my power application, lowered the nose, leveled the wings to rapidly recover my airspeed. This whole process caused the altitude excursion. In my opinion, we never got below 3700'. Later the first officer said I lost more altitude than I said. He also said his getting on controls greatly contributed to recovery back to altitude and stable condition. In fact, his getting on controls may have been a detriment. However speed and altitude were stabilized and the approach continued to a nice, uneventful landing. I think contributing factors were numerous but it's my opinion his lack of cockpit resource input at a busy and somewhat critical time. Radio set up not. Also monitoring speed, flight path, altitude, etc. This episode turned out all right. No conflict with other aircraft. Not noticed by approach control, etc. Situation rectified after being noticed by captain and almost simultaneously by other crew members. Proper action taken by captain to stabilize proper speed as rapidly as possible. The crew response to do the things I called for after the situation occurred was commendable on their part.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WDB FLT CREW IN MERGERED COMPANY DESCENDS BELOW ASSIGNED ALT ON APCH.

Narrative: THIS OCCURRENCE WAS DURING ARR TO NAR FROM ANC IN FREIGHTER. BACKGROUND DATA: ACR-A HAS A MERGED PLT GROUP. I AM A FORMER ACR-B PLT AND THE F/O AND S/O ARE FORMED ACR-A PLTS. THE F/O IN SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH ME LET ME KNOW HE DID NOT THINK ACR-B PLTS SHOULD BE FLYING THEIR ACFT. HOWEVER, DURING FLT HE WAS CORDIAL ENOUGH. HOWEVER, IN THIS INSTANCE WHILE I WILL RELATE, HIS LACK OF RESOURCE MGMNT TRNING OR SOMETHING HE FAILED TO POINT OUT EARLY ENOUGH WHILE I WAS FLYING THAT THE AIRSPD HAD GONE BELOW VZF WHILE LEVELING DURING A VECTOR FOR APCH. DURING DSNT I ASKED HIM TO LEAVE HIS NAV RADIO ON NAR VOR. WHEN I WAS LEVELING AT 4000' I LOOKED OVER AND NOTICED THAT HIS NAV RADIO WAS ON ANOTHER FREQ. WE WERE RECEIVING THE VECTOR CLRNCS AT THE TIME AND WE WERE ALL VERY BUSY WITH CHKLISTS. I BECAME DISTRACTED AGAIN WHEN THE F/O SAID THE MISSED APCH PROC WE HAD BRIEFED FOR WAS WRONG, THE NEW PROC WAS ON THE YELLOW REVISION. WANTING TO DO EVERYTHING EXACTLY RIGHT I TOOK MY SCAN AWAY FROM INS TO LOCATE AND REVIEW THIS NEW CHART WHICH WAS UNDER MY APCH PLATE FOR 34 ILS ON APCH PLATE HOLDER. I HAD NOW LEVELED OFF AT 4000'. I LOOKED UP AT INS AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE AIRSPD BELOW YZF. I STARTED TO ADD PWR. DURING THIS TURN I REALIZED I WAS STILL SLOW AND WAS ADDING MORE PWR WHEN S/O SAID TO ADD PWR. THE COMBINATION OF SLOW SPD, TURN AND SOME TURB CAUSED THE ACFT TO SHAKE A FEW TIMES. WITH THIS I CONTINUED MY PWR APPLICATION, LOWERED THE NOSE, LEVELED THE WINGS TO RAPIDLY RECOVER MY AIRSPD. THIS WHOLE PROCESS CAUSED THE ALT EXCURSION. IN MY OPINION, WE NEVER GOT BELOW 3700'. LATER THE F/O SAID I LOST MORE ALT THAN I SAID. HE ALSO SAID HIS GETTING ON CTLS GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO RECOVERY BACK TO ALT AND STABLE CONDITION. IN FACT, HIS GETTING ON CTLS MAY HAVE BEEN A DETRIMENT. HOWEVER SPD AND ALT WERE STABILIZED AND THE APCH CONTINUED TO A NICE, UNEVENTFUL LNDG. I THINK CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE NUMEROUS BUT IT'S MY OPINION HIS LACK OF COCKPIT RESOURCE INPUT AT A BUSY AND SOMEWHAT CRITICAL TIME. RADIO SET UP NOT. ALSO MONITORING SPD, FLT PATH, ALT, ETC. THIS EPISODE TURNED OUT ALL RIGHT. NO CONFLICT WITH OTHER ACFT. NOT NOTICED BY APCH CTL, ETC. SITUATION RECTIFIED AFTER BEING NOTICED BY CAPT AND ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY BY OTHER CREW MEMBERS. PROPER ACTION TAKEN BY CAPT TO STABILIZE PROPER SPD AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. THE CREW RESPONSE TO DO THE THINGS I CALLED FOR AFTER THE SITUATION OCCURRED WAS COMMENDABLE ON THEIR PART.

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.