Narrative:

We were flying the tandy 2 arrival and had been cleared by ZLA to cross merma intersection at 14000 ft. The appropriate profile descent was being flown at an airspeed of 320 KIAS. Passing approximately FL200 on descent, an automatic slat fail light illuminated diverting the flight crew's attention and the airspeed was allowed to decay to approximately 260 KTS as a precaution. The first officer flying was concerned about an apparent flight control malfunction in turbulence air. The flight crew neglected to notify ATC of the necessity to reduce the rate of descent resulting in the aircraft crossing merma intersection about 1000 ft high. The simple solution would have been the advise ATC that we would be unable to meet the crossing restr at merma, and ask for relief or vector.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: XING RESTR NOT MET.

Narrative: WE WERE FLYING THE TANDY 2 ARR AND HAD BEEN CLRED BY ZLA TO CROSS MERMA INTXN AT 14000 FT. THE APPROPRIATE PROFILE DSCNT WAS BEING FLOWN AT AN AIRSPD OF 320 KIAS. PASSING APPROX FL200 ON DSCNT, AN AUTO SLAT FAIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED DIVERTING THE FLC'S ATTN AND THE AIRSPD WAS ALLOWED TO DECAY TO APPROX 260 KTS AS A PRECAUTION. THE FO FLYING WAS CONCERNED ABOUT AN APPARENT FLT CTL MALFUNCTION IN TURB AIR. THE FLC NEGLECTED TO NOTIFY ATC OF THE NECESSITY TO REDUCE THE RATE OF DSCNT RESULTING IN THE ACFT XING MERMA INTXN ABOUT 1000 FT HIGH. THE SIMPLE SOLUTION WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ADVISE ATC THAT WE WOULD BE UNABLE TO MEET THE XING RESTR AT MERMA, AND ASK FOR RELIEF OR VECTOR.

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.