Narrative:

Flying as captain on IFR flight form elp to dfw. Had joined the acton 1 arrival for dfw at wink VOR. At about 50 DME, ZFW gave us a descent clearance from FL410 to FL240. We started our descent immediately at about 1000 FPM. We entered the tops of the WX at about FL350, experiencing light to moderate turbulence and an increasing x-wind from the south. At about this tie center gave us a clearance to cross hulen intersection at FL240. My copilot acknowledged hulen at FL240. Because we were getting close to acton VOR, I deployed the spoilers and increased our rate of descent to 6000 FPM. During the next few mins things began to get very hectic in the cockpit. We had drifted slightly north of the arwy but were correcting to the south. At this time I had also asked my copilot to get the ATIS for dfw on communication 2 while I monitored communication 1. As he did this, center asked for our rate of descent and I replied 6000 FPM. My copilot then resumed communications on communication 1 and also told me he could not hear or understand the ATIS. We had briefed each other on the acton 1 arrival earlier and I told him we would probably be landing south because of surface winds given to me by FSS earlier that morning. At about this time a male supervising controller gave us a vector of 110 degrees. This flew us to the south side of the acton 225 degree right. The female controller came back on and cleared us direct acton, acton 1 arrival dfw, cross hulen. My copilot hesitated, so I told him to tell them we could make hulen at FL240. Since I could not hear him make the response, I again said, tell them we can make FL240. He answered center but due to the noise level in the cockpit with the spoilers deployed I could not hear his response to center. At this time we were given a handoff to regional approach at dfw. It was at this time we were given a descent clearance to 11000'. The controller told us we were supposed to be at 11000' already. We responded the last clearance we had heard was FL240. After several vectors we had a normal landing at dfw. I elected to call center and told to the supervisor. This was also the male controller we had talked to on the radio. I explained that to the best of my knowledge FL240 at hulen intersection was the only restriction given to us and we had met that. He explained that it was normal procedure to bring arrs for dfw in at 11000' across hulen or flato intxns. He also stated that they were upset about the situation and had contacted quality assurance at ZFW as well as dallas FSDO. It should be noted that there are no altitude flight planning notes listed anywhere on this STAR. The copilot on this trip is very new to flying right seat in the light transport and has a very bad hearing problem, but as far as I know has no restrictions to his medical. Since this incident. I have told my superiors that I will not fly with him again and they have accepted this decision, as well as assigned him to flying with the chief pilot or director of operations only. In our weekly training sessions, the entire flight staff discusses such things as standard radio phraseology and standard operating procedures for the light transport. Our company used the 'simuflite' SOP and checklist. I feel strongly that we did not acknowledged a descent clearance below FL240 simply because we did not hear the clearance. Even if my copilot had answered with the phrase 'roger,' this is not a legal response and center should challenge this. However, I never heard a clearance or response, nor did the copilot reset the altitude alert to 11000' which would be our SOP. Supplemental information from acn 160328: a few mi from the acton VOR we were instructor to cross intersection hulen at 11000'. I looked at the captain, who was flying from the left seat, and asked if he understood. He nodded his head in the customary affirmative manner, and I responded on the radio accordingly. I do not recall the exact working of my response. Also, I failed to set the altitude alerter to 11000'. The alerter was set at 24000' from the previous instruction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF SMT JET DESCENDING TO DFW CLEARED X HULEN INTXN 11000'. FO ROGERED BUT DID NOT SET ALTIMETER, WHICH HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY SET AT 24000'. CAPT THOUGHT CLRNC AT HULEN WAS 24000'. CTLR INTERVENED. FAA FOLLOW-UP.

Narrative: FLYING AS CAPT ON IFR FLT FORM ELP TO DFW. HAD JOINED THE ACTON 1 ARR FOR DFW AT WINK VOR. AT ABOUT 50 DME, ZFW GAVE US A DSNT CLRNC FROM FL410 TO FL240. WE STARTED OUR DSNT IMMEDIATELY AT ABOUT 1000 FPM. WE ENTERED THE TOPS OF THE WX AT ABOUT FL350, EXPERIENCING LIGHT TO MODERATE TURB AND AN INCREASING X-WIND FROM THE S. AT ABOUT THIS TIE CENTER GAVE US A CLRNC TO CROSS HULEN INTXN AT FL240. MY COPLT ACKNOWLEDGED HULEN AT FL240. BECAUSE WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO ACTON VOR, I DEPLOYED THE SPOILERS AND INCREASED OUR RATE OF DSNT TO 6000 FPM. DURING THE NEXT FEW MINS THINGS BEGAN TO GET VERY HECTIC IN THE COCKPIT. WE HAD DRIFTED SLIGHTLY N OF THE ARWY BUT WERE CORRECTING TO THE S. AT THIS TIME I HAD ALSO ASKED MY COPLT TO GET THE ATIS FOR DFW ON COM 2 WHILE I MONITORED COM 1. AS HE DID THIS, CENTER ASKED FOR OUR RATE OF DSNT AND I REPLIED 6000 FPM. MY COPLT THEN RESUMED COMS ON COM 1 AND ALSO TOLD ME HE COULD NOT HEAR OR UNDERSTAND THE ATIS. WE HAD BRIEFED EACH OTHER ON THE ACTON 1 ARR EARLIER AND I TOLD HIM WE WOULD PROBABLY BE LNDG S BECAUSE OF SURFACE WINDS GIVEN TO ME BY FSS EARLIER THAT MORNING. AT ABOUT THIS TIME A MALE SUPERVISING CTLR GAVE US A VECTOR OF 110 DEGS. THIS FLEW US TO THE S SIDE OF THE ACTON 225 DEG R. THE FEMALE CTLR CAME BACK ON AND CLRED US DIRECT ACTON, ACTON 1 ARR DFW, CROSS HULEN. MY COPLT HESITATED, SO I TOLD HIM TO TELL THEM WE COULD MAKE HULEN AT FL240. SINCE I COULD NOT HEAR HIM MAKE THE RESPONSE, I AGAIN SAID, TELL THEM WE CAN MAKE FL240. HE ANSWERED CENTER BUT DUE TO THE NOISE LEVEL IN THE COCKPIT WITH THE SPOILERS DEPLOYED I COULD NOT HEAR HIS RESPONSE TO CENTER. AT THIS TIME WE WERE GIVEN A HDOF TO REGIONAL APCH AT DFW. IT WAS AT THIS TIME WE WERE GIVEN A DSNT CLRNC TO 11000'. THE CTLR TOLD US WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT 11000' ALREADY. WE RESPONDED THE LAST CLRNC WE HAD HEARD WAS FL240. AFTER SEVERAL VECTORS WE HAD A NORMAL LNDG AT DFW. I ELECTED TO CALL CENTER AND TOLD TO THE SUPVR. THIS WAS ALSO THE MALE CTLR WE HAD TALKED TO ON THE RADIO. I EXPLAINED THAT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE FL240 AT HULEN INTXN WAS THE ONLY RESTRICTION GIVEN TO US AND WE HAD MET THAT. HE EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS NORMAL PROC TO BRING ARRS FOR DFW IN AT 11000' ACROSS HULEN OR FLATO INTXNS. HE ALSO STATED THAT THEY WERE UPSET ABOUT THE SITUATION AND HAD CONTACTED QUALITY ASSURANCE AT ZFW AS WELL AS DALLAS FSDO. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE ARE NO ALT FLT PLANNING NOTES LISTED ANYWHERE ON THIS STAR. THE COPLT ON THIS TRIP IS VERY NEW TO FLYING RIGHT SEAT IN THE LTT AND HAS A VERY BAD HEARING PROB, BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW HAS NO RESTRICTIONS TO HIS MEDICAL. SINCE THIS INCIDENT. I HAVE TOLD MY SUPERIORS THAT I WILL NOT FLY WITH HIM AGAIN AND THEY HAVE ACCEPTED THIS DECISION, AS WELL AS ASSIGNED HIM TO FLYING WITH THE CHIEF PLT OR DIRECTOR OF OPS ONLY. IN OUR WKLY TRNING SESSIONS, THE ENTIRE FLT STAFF DISCUSSES SUCH THINGS AS STANDARD RADIO PHRASEOLOGY AND STANDARD OPERATING PROCS FOR THE LTT. OUR COMPANY USED THE 'SIMUFLITE' SOP AND CHKLIST. I FEEL STRONGLY THAT WE DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGED A DSNT CLRNC BELOW FL240 SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DID NOT HEAR THE CLRNC. EVEN IF MY COPLT HAD ANSWERED WITH THE PHRASE 'ROGER,' THIS IS NOT A LEGAL RESPONSE AND CENTER SHOULD CHALLENGE THIS. HOWEVER, I NEVER HEARD A CLRNC OR RESPONSE, NOR DID THE COPLT RESET THE ALT ALERT TO 11000' WHICH WOULD BE OUR SOP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 160328: A FEW MI FROM THE ACTON VOR WE WERE INSTRUCTOR TO CROSS INTXN HULEN AT 11000'. I LOOKED AT THE CAPT, WHO WAS FLYING FROM THE LEFT SEAT, AND ASKED IF HE UNDERSTOOD. HE NODDED HIS HEAD IN THE CUSTOMARY AFFIRMATIVE MANNER, AND I RESPONDED ON THE RADIO ACCORDINGLY. I DO NOT RECALL THE EXACT WORKING OF MY RESPONSE. ALSO, I FAILED TO SET THE ALT ALERTER TO 11000'. THE ALERTER WAS SET AT 24000' FROM THE PREVIOUS INSTRUCTION.

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.