Narrative:

While acting as sic of flight from sav to rdu, the following altitude situation/incident did occur while in the rdu terminal area. On this flight, I was assigned by the captain the duties of PF. The captain was fulfilling the duties of PNF. Our last ATC clearance given to us by rdu approach was to descend and maintain 8000 ft. The captain read back this clearance to the controller and I promptly complied with the ATC instruction. During the descent, the captain began to complain of not having enough time to eat on the trip and engaged himself in a long series of xmissions to our operations/dispatch personnel at dispatch in dallas, tx. The xmissions he sent were via the ACARS unit onboard our aircraft and involved using a touch screen keypad on a CRT to type messages. The captain requested dispatch to coordinate the delivery of a sandwich to him at some station/destination later in the day. The type of messages being sent and received on the ACARS unit related to sandwich options available, costs, delivery, etc. During these message exchanges, rdu ATC issued to us a partially garbled clearance. I did hear an instruction to slow our aircraft to 210 KTS, but did not understand the rest of the ATC transmission. The captain momentarily diverted his attention from his ACARS xmissions and read back to ATC the airspeed assignment as well as a perceived clearance to descend from 8000 ft to 6000 ft. I questioned the captain about confirming the new altitude with ATC. His response to me was a somewhat forceful, 'I heard it ok, start your descent now.' I complied with the captain's instruction and started my descent from 8000 ft to 6000 ft. The captain then returned his attention to the ACARS unit and spent the next several mins attempting to complete his sandwich order. As we descended through approximately 6500 ft, ATC asked us our altitude and the captain responded with our current altitude readout. ATC then promptly reminded us our last assigned altitude was 8000 ft and instructed us to climb and maintain 8000 ft. The captain confirmed we would climb back to and maintain 8000 ft. During the climb back to 8000 ft, the captain again returned his attention to his ACARS communications to dispatch reference his sandwich order. His entire involvement with his ACARS xmissions lasted over 20 mins and occurred during a very busy phase of flight while arriving in the rdu terminal area. Each message he sent required several mins of concentration to type out each sentence and word, letter by letter. I would like to note none of his communications related in any way to the safe or efficient operation of the aircraft. In fact, our operations manual specifically prohibits this type of non essential activity during sterile cockpit (below 10000 ft and critical phase of flight). The captain made no effort to desist in his efforts to obtain his sandwich even after I protested to him about his non relevant ACARS xmissions. I would also like to note I had never flown with this captain until then and was unfamiliar with how he conducted his cockpit operations. I intend to be more assertive in the future to insure this type of incident does not recur.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LTT ON ARR HAS CAPT WHO IGNORES STERILE COCKPIT PROC WITH RESULTING ALTDEV.

Narrative: WHILE ACTING AS SIC OF FLT FROM SAV TO RDU, THE FOLLOWING ALT SIT/INCIDENT DID OCCUR WHILE IN THE RDU TERMINAL AREA. ON THIS FLT, I WAS ASSIGNED BY THE CAPT THE DUTIES OF PF. THE CAPT WAS FULFILLING THE DUTIES OF PNF. OUR LAST ATC CLRNC GIVEN TO US BY RDU APCH WAS TO DSND AND MAINTAIN 8000 FT. THE CAPT READ BACK THIS CLRNC TO THE CTLR AND I PROMPTLY COMPLIED WITH THE ATC INSTRUCTION. DURING THE DSCNT, THE CAPT BEGAN TO COMPLAIN OF NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME TO EAT ON THE TRIP AND ENGAGED HIMSELF IN A LONG SERIES OF XMISSIONS TO OUR OPS/DISPATCH PERSONNEL AT DISPATCH IN DALLAS, TX. THE XMISSIONS HE SENT WERE VIA THE ACARS UNIT ONBOARD OUR ACFT AND INVOLVED USING A TOUCH SCREEN KEYPAD ON A CRT TO TYPE MESSAGES. THE CAPT REQUESTED DISPATCH TO COORDINATE THE DELIVERY OF A SANDWICH TO HIM AT SOME STATION/DEST LATER IN THE DAY. THE TYPE OF MESSAGES BEING SENT AND RECEIVED ON THE ACARS UNIT RELATED TO SANDWICH OPTIONS AVAILABLE, COSTS, DELIVERY, ETC. DURING THESE MESSAGE EXCHANGES, RDU ATC ISSUED TO US A PARTIALLY GARBLED CLRNC. I DID HEAR AN INSTRUCTION TO SLOW OUR ACFT TO 210 KTS, BUT DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE REST OF THE ATC XMISSION. THE CAPT MOMENTARILY DIVERTED HIS ATTN FROM HIS ACARS XMISSIONS AND READ BACK TO ATC THE AIRSPD ASSIGNMENT AS WELL AS A PERCEIVED CLRNC TO DSND FROM 8000 FT TO 6000 FT. I QUESTIONED THE CAPT ABOUT CONFIRMING THE NEW ALT WITH ATC. HIS RESPONSE TO ME WAS A SOMEWHAT FORCEFUL, 'I HEARD IT OK, START YOUR DSCNT NOW.' I COMPLIED WITH THE CAPT'S INSTRUCTION AND STARTED MY DSCNT FROM 8000 FT TO 6000 FT. THE CAPT THEN RETURNED HIS ATTN TO THE ACARS UNIT AND SPENT THE NEXT SEVERAL MINS ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE HIS SANDWICH ORDER. AS WE DSNDED THROUGH APPROX 6500 FT, ATC ASKED US OUR ALT AND THE CAPT RESPONDED WITH OUR CURRENT ALT READOUT. ATC THEN PROMPTLY REMINDED US OUR LAST ASSIGNED ALT WAS 8000 FT AND INSTRUCTED US TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 8000 FT. THE CAPT CONFIRMED WE WOULD CLB BACK TO AND MAINTAIN 8000 FT. DURING THE CLB BACK TO 8000 FT, THE CAPT AGAIN RETURNED HIS ATTN TO HIS ACARS COMS TO DISPATCH REF HIS SANDWICH ORDER. HIS ENTIRE INVOLVEMENT WITH HIS ACARS XMISSIONS LASTED OVER 20 MINS AND OCCURRED DURING A VERY BUSY PHASE OF FLT WHILE ARRIVING IN THE RDU TERMINAL AREA. EACH MESSAGE HE SENT REQUIRED SEVERAL MINS OF CONCENTRATION TO TYPE OUT EACH SENTENCE AND WORD, LETTER BY LETTER. I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE NONE OF HIS COMS RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THE SAFE OR EFFICIENT OP OF THE ACFT. IN FACT, OUR OPS MANUAL SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITS THIS TYPE OF NON ESSENTIAL ACTIVITY DURING STERILE COCKPIT (BELOW 10000 FT AND CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT). THE CAPT MADE NO EFFORT TO DESIST IN HIS EFFORTS TO OBTAIN HIS SANDWICH EVEN AFTER I PROTESTED TO HIM ABOUT HIS NON RELEVANT ACARS XMISSIONS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE I HAD NEVER FLOWN WITH THIS CAPT UNTIL THEN AND WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH HOW HE CONDUCTED HIS COCKPIT OPS. I INTEND TO BE MORE ASSERTIVE IN THE FUTURE TO INSURE THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT DOES NOT RECUR.

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.