Narrative:

Typically, I always have a customer in the right front seat. In my role as head of sales and marketing, I attempt to be attentive to customer concerns, questions and amenities - while piloting the aircraft in a safe and professional manner. On this particular day I had filed wbound for FL260 and was experiencing lots of frustration in climbing to cruise altitude underneath an active MOA and then threading through heavy stl traffic inbound and outbound. The climb wbound involved several 1000 ft step climbs. Finally cleared to my cruise altitude, I breathed a sigh of relief, dialed in the cruise altitude on the autoplt preselect climb/cruise control and began to breakout the breakfast bagels for our customers. Just as I was spreading the cream cheese, I received a polite inquiry from center requesting confirmation of my cruise clearance altitude. Looking up I quickly realized that I was 1000 ft above my cleared altitude and climbing briskly. Simultaneously mashing the cws button, the transmit button and cheese creamed bagels, I acknowledged that I was correcting and quickly returned to FL260. Analysis: my lap was full of embarrassment, sticky bagels and shame for what I had (not) done: 1) I had gotten too anxious to attend to my passenger-customers at the expense of safe flying. 2) I had forgotten to 'arm' the altitude capture feature after dialing in the correct altitude. 3) I had not monitored the climb to our cleared altitude, and I had assumed that the autoplt would handle the details. Corrective actions: I have always included, in my preflight passenger briefing, a polite statement that due to safety of flight considerations, I will be unavailable for conversation and bagel creaming duties until after we are established at our cruise altitude. Similarly, during the descent and approach phases of flight, I will have all passenger amenity responsibilities buttoned up prior to descent - allowing me to concentrate fully on safe single pilot IFR operations until the chocks are set. I know that handled in this manner, I will have total support from all of our customers - who are passenger too!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF AN SMT SEL TURBOPROP OVERSHOT CLB ALT DUE TO FORGETTING TO SET THE AUTOPLT ALT CAPTURE.

Narrative: TYPICALLY, I ALWAYS HAVE A CUSTOMER IN THE R FRONT SEAT. IN MY ROLE AS HEAD OF SALES AND MARKETING, I ATTEMPT TO BE ATTENTIVE TO CUSTOMER CONCERNS, QUESTIONS AND AMENITIES - WHILE PILOTING THE ACFT IN A SAFE AND PROFESSIONAL MANNER. ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY I HAD FILED WBOUND FOR FL260 AND WAS EXPERIENCING LOTS OF FRUSTRATION IN CLBING TO CRUISE ALT UNDERNEATH AN ACTIVE MOA AND THEN THREADING THROUGH HEAVY STL TFC INBOUND AND OUTBOUND. THE CLB WBOUND INVOLVED SEVERAL 1000 FT STEP CLBS. FINALLY CLRED TO MY CRUISE ALT, I BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF, DIALED IN THE CRUISE ALT ON THE AUTOPLT PRESELECT CLB/CRUISE CTL AND BEGAN TO BREAKOUT THE BREAKFAST BAGELS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. JUST AS I WAS SPREADING THE CREAM CHEESE, I RECEIVED A POLITE INQUIRY FROM CTR REQUESTING CONFIRMATION OF MY CRUISE CLRNC ALT. LOOKING UP I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT I WAS 1000 FT ABOVE MY CLRED ALT AND CLBING BRISKLY. SIMULTANEOUSLY MASHING THE CWS BUTTON, THE XMIT BUTTON AND CHEESE CREAMED BAGELS, I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I WAS CORRECTING AND QUICKLY RETURNED TO FL260. ANALYSIS: MY LAP WAS FULL OF EMBARRASSMENT, STICKY BAGELS AND SHAME FOR WHAT I HAD (NOT) DONE: 1) I HAD GOTTEN TOO ANXIOUS TO ATTEND TO MY PAX-CUSTOMERS AT THE EXPENSE OF SAFE FLYING. 2) I HAD FORGOTTEN TO 'ARM' THE ALT CAPTURE FEATURE AFTER DIALING IN THE CORRECT ALT. 3) I HAD NOT MONITORED THE CLB TO OUR CLRED ALT, AND I HAD ASSUMED THAT THE AUTOPLT WOULD HANDLE THE DETAILS. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: I HAVE ALWAYS INCLUDED, IN MY PREFLT PAX BRIEFING, A POLITE STATEMENT THAT DUE TO SAFETY OF FLT CONSIDERATIONS, I WILL BE UNAVAILABLE FOR CONVERSATION AND BAGEL CREAMING DUTIES UNTIL AFTER WE ARE ESTABLISHED AT OUR CRUISE ALT. SIMILARLY, DURING THE DSCNT AND APCH PHASES OF FLT, I WILL HAVE ALL PAX AMENITY RESPONSIBILITIES BUTTONED UP PRIOR TO DSCNT - ALLOWING ME TO CONCENTRATE FULLY ON SAFE SINGLE PLT IFR OPS UNTIL THE CHOCKS ARE SET. I KNOW THAT HANDLED IN THIS MANNER, I WILL HAVE TOTAL SUPPORT FROM ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS - WHO ARE PAX TOO!

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.