Narrative:

I showed up for work 1 hour before departure time expecting to be a passenger on a trip to phl to pick up my flight going to jax. I had been flying our falcon 900's with lots of FMS's and other automated goodies. In fact I was a dead heading crewmember to phl to continue as captain on a falcon 900 to jax. However, I was informed I would be the captain on the falcon 50 going to phl for purposes of our company standardization officer seeing how I work with other crewmembers. This change in status was known the night before by these folks but they didn't see the need to let me know. So I reviewed the WX and flight planning and 'takeoff and land' card from the previously assigned captain, accepted the flight, and we proceeded on our way. The operational 'fly in the ointment' was a bare VOR/DME installation in the flacon 50. Due to a delay in black box certification this flacon 50 had no long range navigation, no RNAV, just the VOR/DME on airway capability. I did manage to brief my excellent copilot to not accept any 'direct to's' to intxns, and to ask for headings when given direct to distant vors. Yet, I don't believe I was mentally prepared for the increased workload this gave me and more precisely, the change in type of workload. As we started our descent to make crossing restrs in icing layers I failed to select the altitude preselect button on the autoplt. The falcon 900's I had been flying of course don't need to have a button pushed to arm the preselect. With 800 weight to go I saw the error and hit the button, but the poor autoplt didn't really have a prayer because of my descent rate to make the restr with power up for the ice and boards out to keep us slowed down. This is a verbal description of being behind the airplane. I saw the failure to capture, disconnected the autoplt, and leveled it back up to FL200. I had gone below the altitude by 400 ft. The good news is I made the restr. In the future I will recognize the need for a mental adjustment when switching into a non automated cockpit. In the future I will shrug off a slight attitude problem I probably carried into the cockpit about a change in plans which I was not informed of. In the future I shouldn't have to write this story again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ALTDEV ALT OVERSHOT IN DSCNT.

Narrative: I SHOWED UP FOR WORK 1 HR BEFORE DEP TIME EXPECTING TO BE A PAX ON A TRIP TO PHL TO PICK UP MY FLT GOING TO JAX. I HAD BEEN FLYING OUR FALCON 900'S WITH LOTS OF FMS'S AND OTHER AUTOMATED GOODIES. IN FACT I WAS A DEAD HDG CREWMEMBER TO PHL TO CONTINUE AS CAPT ON A FALCON 900 TO JAX. HOWEVER, I WAS INFORMED I WOULD BE THE CAPT ON THE FALCON 50 GOING TO PHL FOR PURPOSES OF OUR COMPANY STANDARDIZATION OFFICER SEEING HOW I WORK WITH OTHER CREWMEMBERS. THIS CHANGE IN STATUS WAS KNOWN THE NIGHT BEFORE BY THESE FOLKS BUT THEY DIDN'T SEE THE NEED TO LET ME KNOW. SO I REVIEWED THE WX AND FLT PLANNING AND 'TKOF AND LAND' CARD FROM THE PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED CAPT, ACCEPTED THE FLT, AND WE PROCEEDED ON OUR WAY. THE OPERATIONAL 'FLY IN THE OINTMENT' WAS A BARE VOR/DME INSTALLATION IN THE FLACON 50. DUE TO A DELAY IN BLACK BOX CERTIFICATION THIS FLACON 50 HAD NO LONG RANGE NAV, NO RNAV, JUST THE VOR/DME ON AIRWAY CAPABILITY. I DID MANAGE TO BRIEF MY EXCELLENT COPLT TO NOT ACCEPT ANY 'DIRECT TO'S' TO INTXNS, AND TO ASK FOR HDGS WHEN GIVEN DIRECT TO DISTANT VORS. YET, I DON'T BELIEVE I WAS MENTALLY PREPARED FOR THE INCREASED WORKLOAD THIS GAVE ME AND MORE PRECISELY, THE CHANGE IN TYPE OF WORKLOAD. AS WE STARTED OUR DSCNT TO MAKE XING RESTRS IN ICING LAYERS I FAILED TO SELECT THE ALT PRESELECT BUTTON ON THE AUTOPLT. THE FALCON 900'S I HAD BEEN FLYING OF COURSE DON'T NEED TO HAVE A BUTTON PUSHED TO ARM THE PRESELECT. WITH 800 WT TO GO I SAW THE ERROR AND HIT THE BUTTON, BUT THE POOR AUTOPLT DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A PRAYER BECAUSE OF MY DSCNT RATE TO MAKE THE RESTR WITH PWR UP FOR THE ICE AND BOARDS OUT TO KEEP US SLOWED DOWN. THIS IS A VERBAL DESCRIPTION OF BEING BEHIND THE AIRPLANE. I SAW THE FAILURE TO CAPTURE, DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT, AND LEVELED IT BACK UP TO FL200. I HAD GONE BELOW THE ALT BY 400 FT. THE GOOD NEWS IS I MADE THE RESTR. IN THE FUTURE I WILL RECOGNIZE THE NEED FOR A MENTAL ADJUSTMENT WHEN SWITCHING INTO A NON AUTOMATED COCKPIT. IN THE FUTURE I WILL SHRUG OFF A SLIGHT ATTITUDE PROB I PROBABLY CARRIED INTO THE COCKPIT ABOUT A CHANGE IN PLANS WHICH I WAS NOT INFORMED OF. IN THE FUTURE I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WRITE THIS STORY AGAIN.

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.