B727 first officer report on losing some cabin pressure and feeling that his subsequent performance ...

Attributes
ACN	401820
Time
Date	199805
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : buf
State Reference	NY
Altitude	msl bound lower : 4000 msl bound upper : 4000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : buf
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise other descent : approach descent other
Route In Use	approach : visual arrival other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 600
ASRS Report	401820
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

I was flying with a new crew. While on the ground, the flight engineer idly paged through the logbook. He pointed to the part that said it was a 2 pack plane and mumbled that he was going to run 1 pack. I didn't take him seriously and I don't think the captain did either. It was my leg. I leveled off at FL290. Some time later, we heard a beeping sound. After a few seconds we realized that it was the cabin altitude warning horn. As I grabbed my mask the captain saw what the flight engineer had done. He ordered him to put on the other pack. He then turned to me and said, 'don't put the mask on, it's ok now,' so I hung it up. Some time after that, I was given a descent clearance. Instead of doing the math in my head, I just started down. Somewhere around FL200 I began to wonder why I was descending so far out. I asked the captain to repeat the clearance and it turned out I was 40 mi early. I shallowed it out. To complicate matters, we were approaching buffalo from the west. It was foggy (yet VFR) there, and the DME is 4 mi east of the airport. I couldn't see the field as I flew over lake erie. Everything was hazy and gray as I accounted for the non co-located DME. Next thing I remember, I forgot that it wasn't co-located. I had crossed the lake shore and still couldn't see the runway. Normally I would be starting to configure 10 mi out. I looked at the DME and it said 8 (really 4 or 5). I was 250 KTS clean on the GS. I didn't know I was so close until tower told a plane to hurry up and take off because of us. Instead of putting speed brakes out, I used gear and flaps. I exceeded the flap limitations all the way down. I crossed the threshold 20 KTS fast and spooled up 2 seconds before touchdown. I talked to a relative who is a doctor and the opinion was that I was very hypoxic. My symptoms were: impaired judgement, mental uncoord, memory loss. Flying a night schedule didn't help either.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 FO RPT ON LOSING SOME CABIN PRESSURE AND FEELING THAT HIS SUBSEQUENT PERFORMANCE WAS AFFECTED BY THAT HIGHER CABIN ALT. HE LATER EXCEEDED SPD LIMITS IN THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND EXCEEDED FLAP EXTENSION SPDS DURING APCH. CLAIMS SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS, SYMPTOMS OF HYPOXIA.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING WITH A NEW CREW. WHILE ON THE GND, THE FE IDLY PAGED THROUGH THE LOGBOOK. HE POINTED TO THE PART THAT SAID IT WAS A 2 PACK PLANE AND MUMBLED THAT HE WAS GOING TO RUN 1 PACK. I DIDN'T TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY AND I DON'T THINK THE CAPT DID EITHER. IT WAS MY LEG. I LEVELED OFF AT FL290. SOME TIME LATER, WE HEARD A BEEPING SOUND. AFTER A FEW SECONDS WE REALIZED THAT IT WAS THE CABIN ALT WARNING HORN. AS I GRABBED MY MASK THE CAPT SAW WHAT THE FE HAD DONE. HE ORDERED HIM TO PUT ON THE OTHER PACK. HE THEN TURNED TO ME AND SAID, 'DON'T PUT THE MASK ON, IT'S OK NOW,' SO I HUNG IT UP. SOME TIME AFTER THAT, I WAS GIVEN A DSCNT CLRNC. INSTEAD OF DOING THE MATH IN MY HEAD, I JUST STARTED DOWN. SOMEWHERE AROUND FL200 I BEGAN TO WONDER WHY I WAS DSNDING SO FAR OUT. I ASKED THE CAPT TO REPEAT THE CLRNC AND IT TURNED OUT I WAS 40 MI EARLY. I SHALLOWED IT OUT. TO COMPLICATE MATTERS, WE WERE APCHING BUFFALO FROM THE W. IT WAS FOGGY (YET VFR) THERE, AND THE DME IS 4 MI E OF THE ARPT. I COULDN'T SEE THE FIELD AS I FLEW OVER LAKE ERIE. EVERYTHING WAS HAZY AND GRAY AS I ACCOUNTED FOR THE NON CO-LOCATED DME. NEXT THING I REMEMBER, I FORGOT THAT IT WASN'T CO-LOCATED. I HAD CROSSED THE LAKE SHORE AND STILL COULDN'T SEE THE RWY. NORMALLY I WOULD BE STARTING TO CONFIGURE 10 MI OUT. I LOOKED AT THE DME AND IT SAID 8 (REALLY 4 OR 5). I WAS 250 KTS CLEAN ON THE GS. I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS SO CLOSE UNTIL TWR TOLD A PLANE TO HURRY UP AND TAKE OFF BECAUSE OF US. INSTEAD OF PUTTING SPD BRAKES OUT, I USED GEAR AND FLAPS. I EXCEEDED THE FLAP LIMITATIONS ALL THE WAY DOWN. I CROSSED THE THRESHOLD 20 KTS FAST AND SPOOLED UP 2 SECONDS BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. I TALKED TO A RELATIVE WHO IS A DOCTOR AND THE OPINION WAS THAT I WAS VERY HYPOXIC. MY SYMPTOMS WERE: IMPAIRED JUDGEMENT, MENTAL UNCOORD, MEMORY LOSS. FLYING A NIGHT SCHEDULE DIDN'T HELP EITHER.

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.