Narrative:

Air carrier B757 flying a relatively short segment with FL370 set in FMC cruise page. I was the captain and PF. The autoplt was engaged. Our company procedures call for the PF to operate the autoplt or flight controls and the PNF to operate the communications, the FMC programming and all other controls as called for by the PF when appropriate. Climbing through the mid 20's, we were given FL310 as a final altitude. I set FL310 in the autoplt altitude select window but did not ask the first officer to change the FMC cruise page altitude because he was busy trying to program something else in the FMC at the time and not having much luck. We were still climbing to FL310 when we were given a restr to cross somewhere down the road at FL230. I then dialed FL230 into the altitude select window, an altitude below the altitude that we were climbing through. The first officer then tried to load the crossing restr into the FMC, so I loaded a message into the ACARS to help him with his workload, forgetting that FL370 was still the cruise altitude loaded in the FMC. When the controller called to verify our altitude we were rapidly climbing above FL310. I immediately returned to FL310 and told the controller that I was back level at FL310. Fortunately, with the controller's quick response to our rapid climb rate approaching FL310, there were no traffic conflicts or problems caused by my error. Contributing factors in my opinion: we had had a busy day before with extensive WX delays and a short night with minimum rest and an early pickup. I was deviating from our standard procedures trying to help the first officer instead of just concentrating on flying the airplane. The first officer is one of many dual- qualified pilots at our airline and I think it was a significant contributing factor. In the last 2 yrs he has flown the B757 3 months per yr and the dc-9 the rest of the time. Last month he finished his DC9 captain chkout. This month he is back as a 757 first officer, knowing that he is going to fly DC9 captain next month. I can understand why his procedures and system knowledge on my airplane are not the best. Finally, he and I have a company 'culture' difference. We come from 2 separate airlines that merged. The operating procedures that prevail now are predominantly from my 'culture.' I thought that he was somewhat resentful and less than enthusiastic about staying with those procedures, especially when I suggested that his procedures were not all standard or appropriate for this airplane. I assumed that this might be due to the difference in our 'heritage' and I found myself very reluctant to comment on any but the most problematic deviations from our normal procedures and just try to maintain as positive, cooperative atmosphere as I could. Although it was obvious that he had not done a very extensive review of our B757 procedures since his DC9 training (he did not seem at all familiar with more recent changes), the FMC is something that takes a lot of hands on experience before a pilot gets much proficiency and speed on it and 6 months practice over the last 2 yrs is not very much. Therefore, I rationalized my deviation from standard procedures. I thought I was avoiding a 'culture' confrontation and helping to provide more opportunity for him to get more proficient on the FMC by deviating from my standard procedures. In reality I failed to exercise the appropriate level of assertiveness. I think I could have helped us both a lot more by prioritizing his workload for him and paying more attention to my end of the workload. Instead I blew our altitude assignment and scared the dickens out of both of us.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG HAS ALT OVERSHOOT ON CLB.

Narrative: ACR B757 FLYING A RELATIVELY SHORT SEGMENT WITH FL370 SET IN FMC CRUISE PAGE. I WAS THE CAPT AND PF. THE AUTOPLT WAS ENGAGED. OUR COMPANY PROCS CALL FOR THE PF TO OPERATE THE AUTOPLT OR FLT CTLS AND THE PNF TO OPERATE THE COMS, THE FMC PROGRAMMING AND ALL OTHER CTLS AS CALLED FOR BY THE PF WHEN APPROPRIATE. CLBING THROUGH THE MID 20'S, WE WERE GIVEN FL310 AS A FINAL ALT. I SET FL310 IN THE AUTOPLT ALT SELECT WINDOW BUT DID NOT ASK THE FO TO CHANGE THE FMC CRUISE PAGE ALT BECAUSE HE WAS BUSY TRYING TO PROGRAM SOMETHING ELSE IN THE FMC AT THE TIME AND NOT HAVING MUCH LUCK. WE WERE STILL CLBING TO FL310 WHEN WE WERE GIVEN A RESTR TO CROSS SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD AT FL230. I THEN DIALED FL230 INTO THE ALT SELECT WINDOW, AN ALT BELOW THE ALT THAT WE WERE CLBING THROUGH. THE FO THEN TRIED TO LOAD THE XING RESTR INTO THE FMC, SO I LOADED A MESSAGE INTO THE ACARS TO HELP HIM WITH HIS WORKLOAD, FORGETTING THAT FL370 WAS STILL THE CRUISE ALT LOADED IN THE FMC. WHEN THE CTLR CALLED TO VERIFY OUR ALT WE WERE RAPIDLY CLBING ABOVE FL310. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO FL310 AND TOLD THE CTLR THAT I WAS BACK LEVEL AT FL310. FORTUNATELY, WITH THE CTLR'S QUICK RESPONSE TO OUR RAPID CLB RATE APCHING FL310, THERE WERE NO TFC CONFLICTS OR PROBS CAUSED BY MY ERROR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN MY OPINION: WE HAD HAD A BUSY DAY BEFORE WITH EXTENSIVE WX DELAYS AND A SHORT NIGHT WITH MINIMUM REST AND AN EARLY PICKUP. I WAS DEVIATING FROM OUR STANDARD PROCS TRYING TO HELP THE FO INSTEAD OF JUST CONCENTRATING ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. THE FO IS ONE OF MANY DUAL- QUALIFIED PLTS AT OUR AIRLINE AND I THINK IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. IN THE LAST 2 YRS HE HAS FLOWN THE B757 3 MONTHS PER YR AND THE DC-9 THE REST OF THE TIME. LAST MONTH HE FINISHED HIS DC9 CAPT CHKOUT. THIS MONTH HE IS BACK AS A 757 FO, KNOWING THAT HE IS GOING TO FLY DC9 CAPT NEXT MONTH. I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY HIS PROCS AND SYS KNOWLEDGE ON MY AIRPLANE ARE NOT THE BEST. FINALLY, HE AND I HAVE A COMPANY 'CULTURE' DIFFERENCE. WE COME FROM 2 SEPARATE AIRLINES THAT MERGED. THE OPERATING PROCS THAT PREVAIL NOW ARE PREDOMINANTLY FROM MY 'CULTURE.' I THOUGHT THAT HE WAS SOMEWHAT RESENTFUL AND LESS THAN ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT STAYING WITH THOSE PROCS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT HIS PROCS WERE NOT ALL STANDARD OR APPROPRIATE FOR THIS AIRPLANE. I ASSUMED THAT THIS MIGHT BE DUE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR 'HERITAGE' AND I FOUND MYSELF VERY RELUCTANT TO COMMENT ON ANY BUT THE MOST PROBLEMATIC DEVS FROM OUR NORMAL PROCS AND JUST TRY TO MAINTAIN AS POSITIVE, COOPERATIVE ATMOSPHERE AS I COULD. ALTHOUGH IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT HE HAD NOT DONE A VERY EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF OUR B757 PROCS SINCE HIS DC9 TRAINING (HE DID NOT SEEM AT ALL FAMILIAR WITH MORE RECENT CHANGES), THE FMC IS SOMETHING THAT TAKES A LOT OF HANDS ON EXPERIENCE BEFORE A PLT GETS MUCH PROFICIENCY AND SPD ON IT AND 6 MONTHS PRACTICE OVER THE LAST 2 YRS IS NOT VERY MUCH. THEREFORE, I RATIONALIZED MY DEV FROM STANDARD PROCS. I THOUGHT I WAS AVOIDING A 'CULTURE' CONFRONTATION AND HELPING TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM TO GET MORE PROFICIENT ON THE FMC BY DEVIATING FROM MY STANDARD PROCS. IN REALITY I FAILED TO EXERCISE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF ASSERTIVENESS. I THINK I COULD HAVE HELPED US BOTH A LOT MORE BY PRIORITIZING HIS WORKLOAD FOR HIM AND PAYING MORE ATTN TO MY END OF THE WORKLOAD. INSTEAD I BLEW OUR ALT ASSIGNMENT AND SCARED THE DICKENS OUT OF BOTH OF US.

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.