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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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Air carrier B737-500 flight crew in an altitude deviation. They overshot their assigned altitude while the first officer was observing buildups near the departure route and the PIC was distraction with an ATC communication problem. First officer, PF, was with the air carrier approximately 6 months.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 372480 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199706 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : iah |
| State Reference | TX |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 4000 msl bound upper : 4400 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : iah tower : iah |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B737-500 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other |
| Route In Use | departure other enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 160 flight time total : 1800 flight time type : 450 |
| ASRS Report | 372480 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : overshoot inflight encounter : weather non adherence : clearance other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other |
Narrative:
On jun/xx/97 at XA18Z I was the first officer on flight departing iah going to iad. We departed from runway 14L at iah with heading 155 degrees assigned and a climb altitude of 4000 ft. I was the pilot at the controls and the captain was working the radios. As we were climbing out from houston, I noticed that the captain was having problems trying to get a handoff from the control tower to departure control. I was hand flying the aircraft at the time and noticed a cumulus cloud ahead of us and was pleased to see that our present flight path would clear that cloud. The next thing I heard was the captain saying 'altitude' and so I looked down at the altimeter and noticed it passing 4200 ft and so I promptly took corrective action to correct to our assigned altitude of 4000 ft. The maximum deviation that I saw during the excursion was 4400 ft. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. I think that the contributing factors in this event was my fixation outside of the cockpit, and the captain's problem with no handoff from tower until nearing 4000 ft. In the future I will concentrate more on the departure profile and less on clouds.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ACR B737-500 FLC IN AN ALTDEV. THEY OVERSHOT THEIR ASSIGNED ALT WHILE THE FO WAS OBSERVING BUILDUPS NEAR THE DEP RTE AND THE PIC WAS DISTR WITH AN ATC COM PROB. FO, PF, WAS WITH THE ACR APPROX 6 MONTHS.
Narrative: ON JUN/XX/97 AT XA18Z I WAS THE FO ON FLT DEPARTING IAH GOING TO IAD. WE DEPARTED FROM RWY 14L AT IAH WITH HDG 155 DEGS ASSIGNED AND A CLB ALT OF 4000 FT. I WAS THE PLT AT THE CTLS AND THE CAPT WAS WORKING THE RADIOS. AS WE WERE CLBING OUT FROM HOUSTON, I NOTICED THAT THE CAPT WAS HAVING PROBS TRYING TO GET A HDOF FROM THE CTL TWR TO DEP CTL. I WAS HAND FLYING THE ACFT AT THE TIME AND NOTICED A CUMULUS CLOUD AHEAD OF US AND WAS PLEASED TO SEE THAT OUR PRESENT FLT PATH WOULD CLR THAT CLOUD. THE NEXT THING I HEARD WAS THE CAPT SAYING 'ALT' AND SO I LOOKED DOWN AT THE ALTIMETER AND NOTICED IT PASSING 4200 FT AND SO I PROMPTLY TOOK CORRECTIVE ACTION TO CORRECT TO OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 4000 FT. THE MAX DEV THAT I SAW DURING THE EXCURSION WAS 4400 FT. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. I THINK THAT THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THIS EVENT WAS MY FIXATION OUTSIDE OF THE COCKPIT, AND THE CAPT'S PROB WITH NO HDOF FROM TWR UNTIL NEARING 4000 FT. IN THE FUTURE I WILL CONCENTRATE MORE ON THE DEP PROFILE AND LESS ON CLOUDS.
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.