Narrative:

Landing weight required fuel burn in a holding pattern. Cleared to the loamy fix to hold. Captain was flying and became temporarily disoriented, he was unable to correctly use point-to-point navigation techniques and directed me to request a vector. While waiting for the controller to answer our request, I gave the captain a heading to our holding fix which he chose to disregard. The controller began giving us headings to assist us. En route to the loamy fix the autoplt disengaged for no apparent reason as we slowed to holding speed which resulted in an approximately 500 ft altitude deviation below our assigned altitude. Preoccupation with altitude control resulted in overflying our holding fix. The controller assisted us in turning back to the holding pattern. The controller did not seem concerned at all. He was very helpful. There were no other airplanes in the area. I was looking at the map as the altitude deviation occurred. The captain corrected the situation immediately. The controller made no comment about our deviation in altitude or navigation error. There was no safety hazard of any kind in this situation. A temporary situational awareness problem caused our situation on the captain's part. The captain also failed to or refused to accept my help. He, instead, relied too heavily on the controller which put him further behind the airplane. I did not glean from our situation that the captain understood how to navigation point-to-point on the bearing distance heading indicator. He needed assistance from the controller or his first officer and chose to disregard his first officer's help.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG ON DIRECT RTE TO A HOLDING FIX ALTDEV EXCURSION FROM CLRNC ALT THEN OVERSHOT HOLDING POINT WHILE CORRECTING ALTDEV.

Narrative: LNDG WT REQUIRED FUEL BURN IN A HOLDING PATTERN. CLRED TO THE LOAMY FIX TO HOLD. CAPT WAS FLYING AND BECAME TEMPORARILY DISORIENTED, HE WAS UNABLE TO CORRECTLY USE POINT-TO-POINT NAV TECHNIQUES AND DIRECTED ME TO REQUEST A VECTOR. WHILE WAITING FOR THE CTLR TO ANSWER OUR REQUEST, I GAVE THE CAPT A HDG TO OUR HOLDING FIX WHICH HE CHOSE TO DISREGARD. THE CTLR BEGAN GIVING US HDGS TO ASSIST US. ENRTE TO THE LOAMY FIX THE AUTOPLT DISENGAGED FOR NO APPARENT REASON AS WE SLOWED TO HOLDING SPD WHICH RESULTED IN AN APPROX 500 FT ALTDEV BELOW OUR ASSIGNED ALT. PREOCCUPATION WITH ALT CTL RESULTED IN OVERFLYING OUR HOLDING FIX. THE CTLR ASSISTED US IN TURNING BACK TO THE HOLDING PATTERN. THE CTLR DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED AT ALL. HE WAS VERY HELPFUL. THERE WERE NO OTHER AIRPLANES IN THE AREA. I WAS LOOKING AT THE MAP AS THE ALTDEV OCCURRED. THE CAPT CORRECTED THE SITUATION IMMEDIATELY. THE CTLR MADE NO COMMENT ABOUT OUR DEV IN ALT OR NAV ERROR. THERE WAS NO SAFETY HAZARD OF ANY KIND IN THIS SITUATION. A TEMPORARY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS PROBLEM CAUSED OUR SITUATION ON THE CAPT'S PART. THE CAPT ALSO FAILED TO OR REFUSED TO ACCEPT MY HELP. HE, INSTEAD, RELIED TOO HEAVILY ON THE CTLR WHICH PUT HIM FURTHER BEHIND THE AIRPLANE. I DID NOT GLEAN FROM OUR SITUATION THAT THE CAPT UNDERSTOOD HOW TO NAV POINT-TO-POINT ON THE BEARING DISTANCE HDG INDICATOR. HE NEEDED ASSISTANCE FROM THE CTLR OR HIS FO AND CHOSE TO DISREGARD HIS FO'S HELP.

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.