Narrative:

On mobie 9 SID out of phoenix. The sixth leg of a seven leg day on the third day of a 3 day trip. My role was an IOE captain with a copilot in initial 25 hours of IOE. We were en route to yuma, az. I was acting as PF. We had initially been given a climb to 6000 ft on a 240 degree heading. On initial climb out ATC amended climb to stop at 4000 ft for conflicting traffic at 4500 ft sbound. I saw the small aircraft above and was showing 4050 ft on my altimeter as the small aircraft went above us at 4500 ft. I then erroneously continued my climb to what I mistakenly thought was 6000 once well clear of the small aircraft. There were several blocked transmissions with numerous departures checking on and trying to get handed off to en route. We were also executing an after takeoff checklist. We were flying directly into a late afternoon sun. At about 5000 ft I realized I was not certain of 4000 ft or 6000 ft for our level off. Simultaneously ATC sternly asked us to say altitude. After replying they had us continue to 6000 ft with no other mention made of my incursion. We did have 4000 ft set in an altitude window which I neglected to check. I believe numerous distrs in a training scenario in a somewhat fatigued state led to this altitude deviation along with an ATC clearance to an other than normal (6000 ft versus 4000 ft) intermediate altitude. Supplemental information from acn 203049. After the takeoff, we were concerned about the wake turbulence and the rising terrain. I called departure control climbing through about 3000 ft (this is when I must have forgotten my 3 for 4 callout to the PF). A half min later the captain noticed an small aircraft Y on a closing path with our aircraft. He slowed his climb and departure finally issued the traffic (later than he should have, I thought). The next thing that happened was the captain noticing we were at 5200 ft and he said, 'we were cleared to 4000, weren't we?' the possible traffic conflict distracted us. I feel this altitude incursion was a simple case of 2 tired pilots on the last legs of a long day of a 3-DAY trip, getting distraction by conflicting traffic in a very high workload situation. We were both pretty fatigued. In fact we had just mentioned being tired before we boarded at the gate. Another factor was that I was just getting back on the line after being furloughed and I was not really familiar with the departures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ALTDEV ALT OVERSHOT IN CLBING XING TFC SITUATION.

Narrative: ON MOBIE 9 SID OUT OF PHOENIX. THE SIXTH LEG OF A SEVEN LEG DAY ON THE THIRD DAY OF A 3 DAY TRIP. MY ROLE WAS AN IOE CAPT WITH A COPLT IN INITIAL 25 HRS OF IOE. WE WERE ENRTE TO YUMA, AZ. I WAS ACTING AS PF. WE HAD INITIALLY BEEN GIVEN A CLB TO 6000 FT ON A 240 DEG HDG. ON INITIAL CLBOUT ATC AMENDED CLB TO STOP AT 4000 FT FOR CONFLICTING TFC AT 4500 FT SBOUND. I SAW THE SMA ABOVE AND WAS SHOWING 4050 FT ON MY ALTIMETER AS THE SMA WENT ABOVE US AT 4500 FT. I THEN ERRONEOUSLY CONTINUED MY CLB TO WHAT I MISTAKENLY THOUGHT WAS 6000 ONCE WELL CLR OF THE SMA. THERE WERE SEVERAL BLOCKED TRANSMISSIONS WITH NUMEROUS DEPS CHKING ON AND TRYING TO GET HANDED OFF TO ENRTE. WE WERE ALSO EXECUTING AN AFTER TKOF CHKLIST. WE WERE FLYING DIRECTLY INTO A LATE AFTERNOON SUN. AT ABOUT 5000 FT I REALIZED I WAS NOT CERTAIN OF 4000 FT OR 6000 FT FOR OUR LEVEL OFF. SIMULTANEOUSLY ATC STERNLY ASKED US TO SAY ALT. AFTER REPLYING THEY HAD US CONTINUE TO 6000 FT WITH NO OTHER MENTION MADE OF MY INCURSION. WE DID HAVE 4000 FT SET IN AN ALT WINDOW WHICH I NEGLECTED TO CHK. I BELIEVE NUMEROUS DISTRS IN A TRAINING SCENARIO IN A SOMEWHAT FATIGUED STATE LED TO THIS ALTDEV ALONG WITH AN ATC CLRNC TO AN OTHER THAN NORMAL (6000 FT VERSUS 4000 FT) INTERMEDIATE ALT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 203049. AFTER THE TKOF, WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE WAKE TURB AND THE RISING TERRAIN. I CALLED DEP CTL CLBING THROUGH ABOUT 3000 FT (THIS IS WHEN I MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN MY 3 FOR 4 CALLOUT TO THE PF). A HALF MIN LATER THE CAPT NOTICED AN SMA Y ON A CLOSING PATH WITH OUR ACFT. HE SLOWED HIS CLB AND DEP FINALLY ISSUED THE TFC (LATER THAN HE SHOULD HAVE, I THOUGHT). THE NEXT THING THAT HAPPENED WAS THE CAPT NOTICING WE WERE AT 5200 FT AND HE SAID, 'WE WERE CLRED TO 4000, WEREN'T WE?' THE POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICT DISTRACTED US. I FEEL THIS ALT INCURSION WAS A SIMPLE CASE OF 2 TIRED PLTS ON THE LAST LEGS OF A LONG DAY OF A 3-DAY TRIP, GETTING DISTR BY CONFLICTING TFC IN A VERY HIGH WORKLOAD SITUATION. WE WERE BOTH PRETTY FATIGUED. IN FACT WE HAD JUST MENTIONED BEING TIRED BEFORE WE BOARDED AT THE GATE. ANOTHER FACTOR WAS THAT I WAS JUST GETTING BACK ON THE LINE AFTER BEING FURLOUGHED AND I WAS NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE DEPS.

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.